Scratch programming for teens

APS teachers Dr. Ann Kennedy and Jeffrey Elkner are offering a workshop on Saturday, May 22 (Scratch Day - http://day.scratch.mit.edu) on Scratch, a multimedia rich programming and story telling environment for learning (http://scratch.mit.edu).

Dr. Kennedy and I have been using Scratch in our ELL classes for the past two years, and I can say without hesitation that both our students and their teachers like it a lot. A group of "Scratchers" and Scratch supporters is developing within APS parent groups that is now offering after school Scratch classes at three elementary schools: Taylor, Jamestown, and Arlington Science Focus. The Career Center offered well attended Scratch enrichment classes last Summer.

Using Scratch is a great way to integrate computer programming and problem solving ideas with mathematics and language learning. Since it enables the creation of dynamic and interactive presentations, it provides a much more powerful alternative to presentation software such as PowerPoint.

Dr. Kennedy and I are excited about the opportunity to share what we have learned about Scratch with our APS colleagues. Please help us spread the word.

Thanks!

Jeffrey Elkner Governor's Career and Technical Academy in Arlington