Effective and Promising Summer Learning Programs and Approaches for Economically-Disadvantaged Children and Youth

Reviews research on summer learning program outcomes for low-income children and identifies the characteristics of effective programs such as experienced teachers, small groups, and fun activities. Finds reading and math achievement gains are possible

Learning to Program in Python – by Teaching It!

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts over 8 million job openings in IT and computing, including 1 million cybersecurity postings, over the current five-year period. This paper presents lessons learned in preparing middle-school students in rural Georgia for future careers in computer science/ IT by teaching computer programming in the free, open-source programming language Python using Turtle graphics, and discusses exercises and activities with low-cost drones, bots, and 3D printers to get students interested and keep them engaged in coding. Described herein is one pair of instructors’ (one middle-school, one university) multi-year, multi-stage approach to providing engineering and technology courses, including: how to code Turtle graphics in Python; how to engage children by using short, interactive, visual programs for every age level; building cross-curricular bridges toward technology careers using 3D printing, robotics, and low-cost drones; and, how to build more advanced programming skills in Python

UTILIZING SCRIBBLENAUTS TO INCREASE READING COMPREHENSION AND IMPROVE LITERACY SKILLS OF THIRD GRADE STUDENTS

The LEA’s problem of practice upon which this research was focused on improving academic achievement in the areas of reading comprehension, fluency and other literacy skills. In particular, the LEA is very concerned about third grade reading scores in the light of North Carolina legislation that implements a reading proficiency test to be taken by all third grade students. The focus of this research was to use "Scribblenauts Unlimited," a commercial-off-the-shelf video game to bolster the reading skills of third grade students in an elementary school located in a rural school district in eastern North Carolina. The research design of this action research study utilized pre - and post- assessment to measure the effectiveness of students’ involvement with “Scribblenauts Unlimited.� The intervention time-line consisted of sixteen weeks of intervention during which two sections of students alternated the roles of intervention and control groups at the eight-week mark. The intervention was implemented for one hour per week during student computer laboratory times. The one-hour per week exposure was divided into two thirty-minute sessions, one on each of two days each week. The quantitative data consisted of participant’s scores on the Reading 3D assessment. The qualitative data was gathered by means of video observations of selected small groups of students and, snapshot insights into individual participants’ learning experiences by means of experience sampling methodology. During each intervention time, a video camera was set up in the computer laboratory and focused on a small group of four or five participants. One or two of the members of the group on which the video camera was focused were invited to “think aloud� through excerpts of the edited videos. The aim was to capture the participants’ learning experience in their own words at what they seem to be key points of their learning trajectory. At the end of each eight-week intervention session, a survey designed to measure the extent to which participants experienced flow was administered to the participants in the intervention

IT Education, Girls, and Game Modding

Researchers have argued that video games have great utility for learning. Games promote experiential learning and can be used to facilitate active learning. This paper examines the potential of video games in education. In particular, it examines the benefits of game modding compared to playing and/or creating games. However, video game classes have been primarily attended by male students. This paper looks further into the gender issue regarding the use of video game modding in education. This is demonstrated through a course developed by the authors on game design. The main goal of the course was to introduce middle school and high school female students to IT and assist them in acquiring five basic IT skills. During the course, survey data was collected from participating students. Results from the surveys as well as analysis of student projects and anecdotal evidence suggest that using video game modding is successful in increasing self-efficacy and motivation as well as teaching female students basic IT skills

Building ArtBots to attract students into STEM learning

There is an increasing worldwide demand for people educated into science and technology. Unfortunately, girls and underprivileged students are often underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education programs. We believe that by inclusion of art in these programs, educational activities might become more attractive to a broader audience. In this work we present an example of such an educational activity: an international robotics and art week for secondary school students. This educational activity builds up on the project-based and inquiry learning framework. This article is intended as a brief manual to help others organise such an activity. It also gives insights in how we led a highly heterogeneous group of students into learning STEM and becoming science and technology ambassadors for their peers

From Consumers to Producers: African American Middle School Students as Game Designers

Given the low number of African Americans in Computer Science, we recognize the need to take effective measures to build and sustain a pipeline between K-12 education and institutions of higher learning with the hope that more African American students will pursue careers in computing related fields such as gaming. To support this effort, we engage African American middle school students in a 4-day game design workshop with the intent of transitioning these students from being consumers to being producers of technology. We create and evaluate scaffolds to assist middle school students with designing their first video games using Scratch. Preliminary findings suggest that most of the students are able to define the formal elements of their games, including number players, game objectives, and rules, but struggle with the concepts of procedures and boundaries of the game. These same students also demonstrate a basic understanding of dramatic elements (e.g. challenge, play, and character), but struggle with the concept of storyline. Finally, African American students have very explicit ideas about the kinds of games they want to create, choosing to create games that promote a more inclusive gameplay experience. KEYWORDS: African American middle school students, game desig

Afterschool Matters Spring 2009

Making the Most of the Middle: A Strategic Model for Middle School Afterschool ProgramsBy Holly MorehouseBuilding on—ratherthan trying to overcome—the unique characteristics of early adolescence, Vermont’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers are using the “five Rs of program design” to improve middle schoolers’ attendance and youth development outcomes. 10 pages. Preparing Youth for the 21st Century Knowledge Economy: Youth Programs and Workforce PreparationBy Graham R. Cochran and Theresa M. FerrariBy emphasizing work-based learning, youth programs can not only meet their youth development goals but also prepare young people for success in the knowledge economy of the 21st century. 15 pages. The Girl Game Company: Engaging Latina Girls in Information TechnologyBy Jill Denner, Steve Bean, and Jacob MartinezA program that teaches middle-school Latinas to program their own computer games seeks ways of overcoming the growing shortfall of both Latinos and women in IT education and careers. 10 pages. It’s All Happening at the Zoo: Children’s Environmental Learning after SchoolBy Jason A. Douglas and Cindi KatzThis study focuses on the combined role of zoos and an out-of-school-time program focused on environmental issues in influencing children’s relationship with and sense of responsibility toward animals and the environment. 10 pages. Putting Our Questions at the Center: Afterschool Matters Practitioner FellowshipsBy Sara L. Hill, Susan Matloff-Nieves, and Lena O. TownsendPractitioner research fellowships help transform out-of-school-time practitioners from consumers of others’ research to makers of knowledge based on their own experience and practices. 5 pages.https://repository.wellesley.edu/afterschoolmatters/1016/thumbnail.jp

Gaming Fluencies: Pathways into Participatory Culture in a Community Design Studio

Many recent efforts to promote new literacies involve the promotion of creative media production as a way to foster youth’s literate engagement with digital media. Those interested in gaming literacies view game design as a way to engage youth in reflective and critical reading of the gaming culture. In this paper, we propose the concept of “gaming fluencies” to promote game design as a context in which youth not only learn to read but also to produce digital media in creative ways. Gaming fluencies also present the added benefit of addressing equity issues of participation in the new media literacy landscape. We report on an ethnographic study that documented urban youth producing digital games in a community technology center. Our analyses focus on an archive of 643 game designs collected over a 24-month period, selecting a random sample to identify evidence of creative and technical dimensions in game designs. In addition, we highlight three case studies of game designs to identify different pathways into the participatory culture. Our goal is to illustrate how gaming fluencies allow for a wide range of designs, provide low thresholds and high ceilings for complex projects, and make room for creative expression. In our discussion, we address how gaming fluencies represent a complementary pathway for learning and participation in today’s media culture

An Application of Vygotsky’s Social Learning Theory on Calculator Self-Efficacy and Calculator Achievement by Gender

The purpose of this study is to determine what relationships or differences exist between males and females in calculator self-efficacy and calculator achievement, and if social learning groups better support females in calculator achievement and efficacy. To accomplish this purpose, this quasi-experimental study examined pre-test and post-tests using a teacher developed Calculator Self-Efficacy Instrument and a Calculator Achievement Test. The study involved three treatment classes that were arranged into social learning groups according to Vygotsky’s social learning theory and one control class that was arranged in traditional rows. Four major findings emerged. Males scored significantly higher than females on the post- Calculator Achievement Test (CAT), however there was no significant difference between males and females in the net gain in calculator achievement. Males scored significantly higher than females on two-step calculator tasks and multi-step calculator tasks. There were no apparent gender related themes among calculator efficacy and calculator achievement except when students predicted their ability to program. Students were able to accurately predict their ability to program the calculator. Males’ predictions were higher than females’, but this positive correlation was statistically significant. Finally, students in the treatment group (Vygotsky’s social learning groups) scored higher than the control group on the post-CAT and on net gain in calculator achievement and these differences were statistically significant. Females in the treatment group also scored higher on all measures than students in the control group, though all differences were not statistically significant. Recommendations include a teacher workshop on Vygotsky’s learning theories and how to apply them to the mathematics classroom and to graphing technology; release time and funding for teachers who are not comfortable working with calculators to attend workshops so they may become proficient with the calculators; and further education on gender equity and technology for teachers. Recommendations for further research includes a longitudinal study on calculator self-efficacy and calculator achievement, developing an instrument to determine if a teacher is a “Vygotskian” type teacher and creating a study that includes a diverse number of teachers and students, and adding a qualitative component to the research study

Youth, Technology, and DIY: Developing Participatory Competencies in Creative Media Production

Traditionally, educational researchers and practitioners have focused on the development of youths’ critical understanding of media as a key aspect of new media literacies. The 21st Century media landscape suggests an extension of this traditional notion of literacy – an extension that sees creative designs, ethical considerations, and technical skills as part of youth's expressive and intellectual engagement with media as participatory competencies. These engagements with media are also part of a growing Do-It-Yourself, or DIY, movement involving arts, crafts, and new technologies. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a framework and a language for understanding the multiple DIY practices in which youth engage while producing media. In the review, we will first provide a historical overview of the shifting perspectives of two related fields—new media literacies and computer literacy —before outlining the general trends in DIY media cultures that see youth moving towards becoming content creators. We then introduce how a single framework allows us to consider different participatory competencies in DIY under one umbrella. Special attention will be given to the digital practices of remixing, reworking, and repurposing popular media among disadvantaged youth. We will conclude with considerations of equity, access, and participation in after-school settings and possible implications for K-12 education