Cambridge, MA (PRWEB) April 28, 2016
Professional Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) is now accepting applications for Creative Computing, a new program designed for all educators to introduce computation in the classroom in an engaging and playful way. The program will run from August 8-11 at Harvard University.
This institute explores innovative approaches to computing education and is designed for all educators interested in designing classroom learning experiences that support using computation as an expressive medium. Participants will individually and collaboratively develop strategies that can be used to support young learners as computational creators—encouraging student learning through designing, personalizing, connecting, and reflecting.
Many young people interact with computers as consumers—playing games or watching videos—rather than as designers. Computation is an incredibly powerful medium for personal expression, creative thinking, and problem solving. With an increased necessity for students to be literate in computing, teachers and schools play a critical role in promoting the development of computational literacy inside and outside the subject of computer science.
To explore how educators can help students learn how to code, the Creative Computing institute will use Scratch—an authoring environment that engages learners in computer programming through the creation of animations, games, art, and more. Launched in 2007, Scratch is used by millions of people (mostly ages 8 through 18) around the world, and more than 14 million projects have been created and shared through the Scratch online community.
Creative Computing is chaired by Karen Brennan, assistant professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Many of Brennan's research and teaching activities focus on constructionist approaches to designing learning environments. Before joining HGSE, Brennan completed her Ph.D. in Media Arts and Sciences at the MIT Media Lab, where she was a member of the team that developed the Scratch programming environment.
Creative Computing, offered through Professional Education at HGSE from August 8-11, is open to educators with or without prior computer science or coding experience. The program is open to both Individuals and teams.
To learn more, please visit http://www.gse.harvard.edu/ppe/cc. For further information, you may contact ppe(at)gse(dot)harvard(dot)edu or call 800-545-1849.