Scratch, developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab, allows young people to program their own interactive stories, games, animations, and simulations, and share their creations with one another on the Web. In the process, they have opportunities to learn important mathematical and computational concepts, while also learning to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively-essential skills for success in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) workforce of the 21st century.
EDC is supporting this effort by:
- Developing and coordinating a new online community, called Scratch-Ed, where educators can share learning experiences, access educational resources, and discuss strategies for introducing STEM concepts in the context of Scratch projects
- Collaborating with educators on the development of educational support materials, to help them make connections between Scratch-based design activities and the high-level learning skills fostered by those activities
- Organizing a series of conferences and workshops where Scratch educators will meet in person to share ideas, organize collaborations, and plan future directions Intellectual Merit.
EDC Project Director: Wendy Martin
Duration: 2010–2013
Website: http://scratch.mit.edu/
Funder: National Science Foundation
(EDC is a subcontractor on this project to Massachusetts Institute of Technology.)