Programming with Scratch Jr.

Reflection - The programming apps were a lot of fun to me coming off the Hour of Code. Problem solving is something that our students struggle with. Part of the problem is not having perseverance to stick with a task. Also, there is the fear of getting something wrong. When you are programming, it uses a lot of trial and error to make something work the way you want it to. They can also discover that there are many ways to solve problems. Some may take more steps than others, but they can accomplish the same goal. The challenges I see with programming on the iPad is the fact that we have a very limited supply. Not everyone can use iPads at the same time. I think another problem that will occur is the inability to stop! I have a hard time with both the problem solving games and the programming with coming to an ending point! I think students will have this same issue. They won't want to stop after a given time period. 

Problem Solving with Bubble Ball and Tinker Box

Reflection - I tried out the Bubble Ball and Tinker Box apps. Bubble Ball was the easier of the two. A ball has to reach a checkered flag. The user can move different blocks and tools around the screen to help the ball reach the goal. There isn't anything fancy about the game. You can change the color of the ball and the level of the music. The graphics in this game are very basic. The Tinker Box game has a lot more to it. The graphics are very detailed. The tools and apparatus are complex. I did the tutorial level which helped give me the basics. My son tried to start right off at the challenges but struggled with how to connect and build certain machines. He ended up going back to the tutorial level to get the basics. Each level is a new challenge. The screen will give you some hint about the general area to place an apparatus, but it takes trial and error to accomplish the task. Both of the games require perseverance. There is a lot of testing that has to be done. Just because you don't reach the goal the first time, you have to keep trying things until you can make it work. Perseverance is a skill that many of our students lack, and these games would help them reach new levels of sticking to it!