Writing Curriculum with SCRATCH

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My artifact is based upon a profession development/job opportunity as a curriculum writer in the 553 Instructional Technology Introduction to Programming Grades 3-5 BCPS workshop.
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The two lessons I created were written on Microsoft Word, in a SCRATCH Project Guide Template created by my employer. Research was done using Internet Explorer using a desk top and lap top simultaneously. The lessons also consisted of programs that I created through the SCRACTH software, to facilitate investigation and programming skills such as parallelism.

During Summer 2013, I had several working sessions for the Office of Instructional Technology. The opportunity was for two weeks, collaborating to develop a scope and sequence, and an online curriculum for learning the programming software SCRATCH. Instructional Programming workshop consisted of five Baltimore County liaisons teachers for the curriculum writing position. These working sessions were a collaborative process, however lessons were assigned individually. We each worked on two separate lessons that aligned with technology standards and common core standards. Lessons were developed using a digital platform to be accessed by both students and instructional technology teachers. Teachers struggle investing time and energy into designing rigorous lessons that meet the learners needs, curricular demands, and prepare students for 21st century skills. The real challenge for educators, then, is to provide learning opportunities in the general-education curriculum that are inclusive and effective for all students (Ralabate, 2011, p. 15). So as a curriculum writer, I used research based methods, whenever possible to increase the effectiveness of the lessons. The software allowed me to employ STEM skills in real-world applications to provide students with learning opportunities in cross curricular content. Designing and assessing this curricular related instructional activity helps promote deeper understanding of content, inquiry, problem solving, and collaboration. The instructional design and content using SCRATCH software embodies 21st century skills and content, and technology illiteracies in students, teachers, and curriculum writers. Engagement is imperative to learning because it enhances internal motivation, critical thinking, and the investment between students and teachers for rigorous learning. Teachers need to think about how to make the content in the curriculum meaningful to the learners, while also providing opportunities to innovate and develop critical thinking skills for students. Students should be given a plethora of activities and methods to foster thinking and creativity which in turn self motivates. SCRATCH promotes and supports innovation and critical thinking by exploring and solving real-world and authentic problems in a digital environment. This is the working definition of ISTE-T Standard 1.

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MTTS Standards: ISTE - T Standards:

Curriculum Knowledge& Practice

ePortfolio

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