Following on from its inaugural 2017 event , the National SCRATCH Conference is back and will take place in the Ardboyne Hotel, Navan, Co. Meath on Tuesday 19th June, 9.30 – 4:30.
Scratch (To those uninitiated) is a free visual drag and drop programming tool designed specifically for education by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). With Scratch, you can program your own interactive stories, games, and animations and then share your creations with others online. Scratch can help learners to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively, teaching computational thinking and problem-solving using a powerful yet intuitive building block interface to app creation.
Followers of the TeachNet blog, will be well familiar with our advocacy of coding in schools, and synonymous with same is Scratch. Indeed, in the light of recent policy statements (STEM Policy Statement, Digital Learning Frameworks for Schools, Digital Strategy for Schools…) and an ever evolving curriculum, coding in schools is no longer the preserve of techies (Or anoraks), teachers at all levels will require grounding in computer programming going forward. Nowhere is the power of coding more powerful, then in maths and the use of Scratch with Ready-Steady-Code, will be the focus of this year’s event. With Ready-Steady-Code grids you can make Scratch look like a sum copy and make it much easier for teachers and for students to code maths assignments as if on paper.
What can you Expect?
- Hands-on and easy to follow introduction to SCRATCH +Ready-Steady-Code
- Age-appropriate workshops for adults working with children 5 to 15 years old and higher
- An easy approach to Computational Thinking with SCRATCH +Ready-Steady-Code
- A Ready-Steady-Code pack for all attendees, containing books, wall charts, great resources and a Scratch mug
The National Scratch Conference 2018 is generously funded Meath County Council LEO and supported by Navan Education Centre
To find out more or to register for the event, see www.readysteadycode.ie…