Draft: CS707: ELearning: Principles and Practice ll
Scratch Wiki: Computer Supported Problem Based Learning
Susan Page
Part A: Introduction
Synopsis of Learning Experience
The Scratch Wiki is a collaboratively-written wiki available for free that provides
information about the Scratch programming language and its website, history, and
phenomena surrounding it. The wiki is supported by the Scratch Team, but is
primarily written by Scratchers. The Scratch Wiki is a popular source of
information for scripts and tutorials, and it continues to grow as Scratchers use it
as their primary source of information. This could also include advanced articles
for Scratchers around the world to build, share, and see.
The Collaboration forum is a forum in the Scratch Forums where Scratchers
"Join with others to work together on Scratch projects!"
Forum threads involving collaborative topics have moved from forum to forum
over time. During the first days of Scratch, forum threads advertising collaborative
projects were usually placed in the Show and Tell forum. Later, most users usually
placed their collaboration topics in the Inspiration and More forum. In January
2010 the Community Moderators and the Scratch Team decided to split up the old
Inspiration and More forum into 4 new forums: Collaboration, Requests, Project
Ideas and Miscellaneous — this gave collaboration topics a whole forum to
themselves.
Screen shoot of Scratch Wiki: Forums
Draft: CS707: ELearning: Principles and Practice ll
This unit of learning is a blended learning experience that will involve face-to-face
and online tuition in teaching the students about Scratch Wiki: Collaborative
Forums. The students will implement and use these principles….
The pedagogical influence behind this unit is based on problem based learning.
Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional method in which students learn
through facilitated problem solving. In PBL, student learning centres on a complex
problem that does not have a single correct answer.
PBL approaches to learning have a long history, they are one of many instructional
approaches that situate learning in a meaningful task, such as case-based
instruction and project-based learning. In the traditions of Kilpatrick 1918, 1921)
and Dewey 1933, these approaches fir the importance of practical experience in
learning.
PBL is based on the social constructivist and constructionist paradigms with the
students in this course applying their pre-existing technical skills to design and
create three games in teams using Scratch Wiki: Collaboration. By doing this, they
will learn how to apply Scratch and its collaborative practices, specifically paired
programming and peer code review They will use various technologies to enable
them to share and collaborate while working on these projects (games).
The aim of this learning unit is to familiarise students with this most common of
development methodologies and also to ensure they have experience of the
communication and collaborative practices expected of them in today’s CS third
level education system.
Part B: Analysis
This section describes the overall goals of the learning experience and gives an
analysis of the existing and required skill set of the learners.
B: 1 Instructional Goals
Once this instruction is complete, the student should be able to:-
● Be able to contribute to team discussions
● To agree on the allocation of tasks to team pairs, and timings and deadlines
for the completion of tasks.
● Understand how to apply their knowledge of Scratch to analyse, design,
implement and test a task in a team pair under strict deadlines.
● Communicate and work effectively in a team.
● Peer review tasks and the final projects.
Draft: CS707: ELearning: Principles and Practice ll
B: 2 Instructional Analysis
The skills required by the students are as follows:-
● An ability to understand the main steps involved in designing a game in
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Scratch, particularly the principles of paired programming and peer code
reviewing.
Be able to work in a team and have the communication and people skills to
contribute to discussions regarding the breakdown of work in the project.
Be willing to take and give clear direction in the paired programming tasks.
Be able to work to tight deadlines.
Be able to contribute to a peer review of tasks
B: 3 Analyse Learners and Context
The students are Post Primary: Secondary Education: Transition Year of Computer
Studies, a total of 24 students. It is assumed they have a demonstrated ability in
creating their own games in Scratch and would completed several individual
assignments to date.
However, the students have not participated in collaborative development projects
prior to this nor are they familiar with Scratch, paired programming or peer code
reviewing. So the students will require instruction in these topics.
B: 4 Performance Objectives
It is envisaged that students will be able to create 3 games within a ten hour
window (which is broken into 5 two hour sessions) after receiving some initial
instruction. It should be noted that as this learning experience will be 10 hour
practical or hands session in the computer lad and 2 hours instruction.
The students will be divided into 6 increment teams each with 4 members. Each
increment team will take change of the design, development and integration of an
increment into the final system. Therefore each team will take ownership of a set
of items/tasks for that increment. In collaborations, members of the collaboration
are assigned to a particular job.
Listed below are some common jobs in collaborations.
● Programming
Programmers may help with the coding in Scratch. Some collaborations will have
ranks of programmers based on their abilities and skill in that area. Some
collaborations have specialised programmers that work in areas such as Cloud
Variables and using 3D in Scratch.
Draft: CS707: ELearning: Principles and Practice ll
● Art
Graphic Artists may design the sprites for projects. But they may also help with
graphics for the collaboration and completing art orders for shop collaborations.
● Sound
Sound Experts may deal with sound effects in Scratch projects or composing music
for projects. Some band collaborations have different roles for sound experts such
as drummers, composers, pianists and guitarists.
● Ideas
Ideas people may help with brainstorming and designing the game. Many
collaborations allow all members to brainstorm but not all.
● Testing
Testers help to test the current project and give feedback including bugs and areas
for improvement.
● Story
Writers may write story lines for projects or for a writing based collaboration.
Common Structures of Collaborations
All collaboration structures are different, however here is one hierarchy of a
collaboration. Many collaborations have set-ups similar to this but not all.
● Leader: There is usually one leader per collaboration. They tend to have
the last say and are responsible for the overall running of the
collaboration.
● Executives: Executives are members trusted by the leader and are
responsible for helping the leader run the collaboration. They often have
the power to hire and dismiss members. May be known as Deputy Chief,
Assistant Executive and Co-leader.
● Managers: Managers tend to have less power than executives and may
not be able to hire and dismiss members. They are responsible for
running teams within the collaboration.
● Worker: Although the workers have the least power, they make up the
backbone of a collaboration.
Draft: CS707: ELearning: Principles and Practice ll
C. Design
1. Programming with Scratch: Basic Game
The student will use their creativity and knowledge of Scratch to design a Basic
game. The theme/purpose of the game is up to the student, but it must contain
the following
Elements:
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Instructions/Start/Game Name Screen – Be Creative
Sprite(s)
Use keyboard to control Sprite
2 Levels
1 sound effect
Tell player if they won/lost
2. Programming with Scratch: Advanced Game
In this exercise, the student will use their creativity and knowledge of Scratch to
enhance their Basic game to make it more interesting, fun and challenging. The
Advanced game should contain the following elements:
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3.
Collect coins/treasure for points
Enemies/obstacles – Restart, lose points or lives
Score maintained
Tell player if they won/lost with score
Programming with Scratch: Ultra Game
In this exercise, the student will use their creativity and knowledge of Scratch to
enhance their advance game to make it more interesting, fun and
challenging. The Ultra game must contain the following elements:
● Change to use tilt sensor to control sprite.
● Enhance tilt sensor for ease of use.
Students will all be working on 3 projects to create a collaborative ultra-game.
This section describes the technical environment in which they will be operating,
provides an explanation and rationale for the new concepts the students will be
using and also provides an outline syllabus.
The teacher will act as technical support and overall project manager to oversee
the progression and monitoring of the project.
Draft: CS707: ELearning: Principles and Practice ll
C: 1 Environment
This unit of learning will be a blended learning experience where the students will
receive both face-to-face instruction as well as online material to prepare them
for the project
C: 2 Introduction and Orientation for New Concepts
The following is a suggested template to be used by the instructor as a guide to
communicating the objectives of the course to the students and conducting the
sessions.
● Course Introduction
● Course Introduction
Students will also be expected to engage in pair programing and peer code reviews
which are new concepts.
● Pair Programming
● Peer Code Reviewing
C: 3 Outline Syllabus
● Instruction to Scratch Development (1 hour lesson with supplementary
online videos and explanatory text).
● Introduction to Pair Programming (30 minute lesson with supplementary
online videos to demonstrate the activity)
This session will give the students some basic instruction on pair
programming. However it is assumed that the students will be “learning by
doing” during the monitored in the computer room sessions and so will be
employing constructivist and constructionist principles.
● Introduction to Peer Code Reviewing (part of the 30 minute Pair
Programming session above)
● Students will have conducted code reviews previously on their own code in
other modules.
● Student Interviews
This is to enable the instructor to establish balanced increment teams and pairs
within those teams.
Draft: CS707: ELearning: Principles and Practice ll
SAMPLE
Weekly
2
hour
session
Week 1
Role of Student
Role of
Teacher
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Work on assigned PBI in pair
Code Review and correct PBI;
Add supporting documentation to project
wiki;
Monitor and
advise
Week 2
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Work on second assignment
Code Review and correct PBI;
Add supporting documentation to project
wiki;
Monitor and
advise
Week 3
● Code Review PBIs coded by other pair in
Monitor and
advise
Week 4
Week 5
team;
● Correct assigned PBIs that has been code
reviewed by other pair
● Add supporting documentation to project
wiki;
● Integrate PBIs into increment.
● Code review entire increment
● Add supporting documentation to project
wiki;
● Integrate increments into project
● Code review entire project
● Class discussion on project.
D. Assessment
This learning unit is assessed under the following criteria:
1.
Interview with instructor Teacher
2.
Level of participation in sessions
3.
Quality of PBIs produced by a pair
4.
Individual contribution in pair including peer code
5.
Contribution to the integration of PBIs
6.
Contribution to overall project code review
Monitor and
advise
Monitor and
advise, facilitate
final discussion on
Projects
Draft: CS707: ELearning: Principles and Practice ll
7.
Evidence of teamwork