Scratch - a free coding app

I'm also playing with Scratch, an app where students can program their own interactive stories, games, and animations — and share their coding creations with others in the online community. Scratch helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively — essential skills for life in the 21st century. Scratch is designed especially for ages 8 to 16, but is used by people of all ages. Millions of people are creating Scratch projects in a wide variety of settings, including homes, schools, museums, libraries, and community centers.

Bloxels

I've been trialing a fun new game that enables kids to explore both sides of their brain (the creative and the analytical) by expressing themselves and learning through the process of making video games. I've created an Educator account which has a free 30 day trial. Bloxels EDU resources encourage collaboration while guiding students through a design thinking process. Using the Bloxels gameboard and blocks, students create their own 13-bit layouts, characters, and art for their game. In the app, they can edit and customize everything - what it looks like and how elements interact and behave. Students have the power to create rich, dynamic stories with their games. They can use Story blocks to tell narratives, build logic puzzles with Action blocks and transform their characters with Power-ups. Check out this short video! ---> Digital Storytelling with Bloxels

Developing New Skills to add to my Teacher Tool Kit

I am at an exciting crossroads now looking to use my creative skills in other education-related fields while I recover from a minor shoulder condition. I am doing volunteer Social Media Digital Design for a community choir called the Open Door Singers. Music is good for the soul, and I sing with this choir regularly, including a flash mob performance at a Legal Aid fundraising lunch - what a blast! I am learning new skills in graphic design, including working through an Alison Online Graphic Design Course, which will ultimately benefit my students.

School Web Design and Teaching

I have been busy designing our school website and Facebook page. Here are the links: www.montmorencyps.vic.gov.au and www.facebook.com/MontyPS. You can also find my visual and performing arts teaching pages on the website: www.montmorencyps.vic.edu.au/visual-arts.html and www.montmorencyps.vic.edu.au/performing-arts.html