AoA Podcast Episode 2: A Conversation with Author & Scratch Developer Mitch Resnick
Engaging students on and off the screen and the magic of being a lifelong kindergartner
In our second episode, your hosts Sean Follin and myself dive deep into conversation with Scratch developer, author, and MIT Media Lab professor Mitchel Resnick. Personally, I was blown away to have the opportunity to sit down with a person whose work has influenced and shaped my experiences and direction as an educator. We covered so many amazing things from his time with his mentor Seymour Papert to the various projects he has and is currently working on. To get insights into his creative processes, hear his thoughts on the future of education, and how schools can better cultivate creativity was just an amazing journey.
Background information
Mitch Resnick is and has been involved in so many different projects that it is hard to cover them all. From his work with LEGO to his work with the Computer Clubhouse project (and everything in between) he is passionate about authentically engaging students in their learning while allowing them to stay creative. He recent book that he published, “Lifelong Kindergarten: Cultivating Creativity through Projects, Passion, Peers, and Play” helps depict many of his sentiments and motivations behind these projects.
Now, I think it is worth our time to explain what Scratch is and just how many students it is reaching. “Scratch is a block-based visual programming language and website targeted primarily at children 8–16 as an educational tool for coding. Users of the site can create projects on the web using a block-like interface.” At the time this was being written there were about 67 million registered Scratch users. I have used this program with my students and I have to say it is a great way to introduce them to the world of coding/programming while allowing them to stay creative.
To learn more about what we covered, please tune into our episode with Mitch! I have now listened to it several times and each time I hear new points that help me both as a student and a teacher. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did!
We value your input and feedback in this creative journey we are on, with both the podcast and publication. If you have any questions or suggestions as to who we should chat with next please reach us at: aoa.publish@gmail.com
