Here are the links to the Scratch and MakeyMakey for more information.
In Session 3, We had used the Scratch with MakeyMakey. At the beginning, I just thought the Scratch was for the kids for fun. But after I made a program on the Scratch website, the program was so familiar with the Virtual Basic but more easier for the children. And now I think, it like a idea that we can create anything that we want on the screen that can not never come true before. In terms of the MakeyMakey, we clip two objects to the MaKey MaKey board. For example, I and an apple. When I touch the apple, I make a connection, and MaKey MaKey sends the computer a keyboard message. The computer just thinks MaKey MaKey is a regular keyboard (or mouse). Therefore it works with all programs and webpages, because all programs and webpages take keyboard and mouse input.
However, the Scratch and MakeyMakey are tools for learning and creating. Only if you have the idea, you will be the programmer rather than the audience.
What the kids will learn from the tools? That is a question in my mind. Personally, I think Scratch is a platform for the children to make their image of idea come into reality. And MakeyMakey just the tool that make everything in reality connection with the Internet and I think the Internet of Things will be the most important in all kinds of our life in the future, which is the basic of education in my opinion.
For instant, although not all the school use the scratch and makeymakey, but all the innovations on education something like this will be implemented by children for their unusual but wonderful thinking sooner or later. Because it meet the children's needs, which inspire them creativity.
In the future, students will not just the listener in the classroom, rather, they will learn from the class, and learn with the Internet, the teacher and the classmates. After they get the knowledge of how to handle the tools, they will think their ideas and try to connect it with the tool and take it. If there are some problems, they will try to ask for help to the teacher sincerely with their never-ending interesting. Or more hopeful, all the children will learn with their peers and exchange the idea and problem, which develop themselves from one level to another higher level.
What we used is not so important, only if there is idea, all the children will try their best to take it.
Scratch is great fun!! All our group members enjoy it so much, we just acted like children, so I am sure every children will like it. However, I think it is hard to play the scratch games in Chinese class, because there are a lot of children in chinese class, if every child play like this, it is hard for teachers to controll them. But actually, one of my friend who is a teacher in Shenzhen sai, they teach students scratch now, but just on the computer, they don't play this game, I think it is a great process.
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