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IDEA SET

Open Educational Resource

Open Educational Resource

This activity is designed to guide educators to encourage learners to make observations about animals and create animated projects to share their discoveries. The activity invites learners to create with OctoStudio, a free creative coding app. This learning resource is co-developed between National Geographic Society and the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab.

Subjects

Earth Science, Biology, Ecology, Geography, Human Geography, Arts and Music

Developed in partnership with

Themes: Observation, Reflection, Environmental Awareness, Computational Thinking

Explorer Mindset Attitudes and Skills: Curious; Communicate

This activity invites learners to observe the world around them and then document and share what they notice by creating interactive projects using OctoStudio, a free creative coding app from the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab. By creating their own projects, students engage in making observations and developing their ability to communicate their ideas with others. Through this suite of resources, learners will have the opportunity to notice, ask questions, and share their stories like an Explorer, all while building valuable coding and digital literacy skills.

By fostering a supportive environment for young learners to be curious about the natural world around them, they begin to ask questions, observe, and make connections to their own experiences. Learners can create projects by animating photos or drawings of animals that interest them. They can use the recording or text features in OctoStudio to add their observations, questions and ideas.

This activity was inspired by National Geographic Explorer Niharika Rajput, a wildlife artist, creative conservationist, and visual science communicator who uses the power of observation to spark curiosity in her work. Like Niharika, learners can build attributes of their Explorer Mindset, such as curiosity and communication, by observing and making things based on what they notice in their environment. By taking time to look closely at the world around them and then creating interactive projects based on their observations, learners can develop new ways to communicate their ideas with others.
Guiding Questions:

What is an animal that interests me?

What do I notice or wonder about this animal?

How can I communicate and share my observations with others?

When to Use the Activity:
This activity invites young people to document and reflect on the world around them. The activity works well across many subjects, including science, language arts, writing and computing.

Time: The activity can be completed in 50 minutes or can be extended to enable more in-depth exploration and learning.
Learning Objectives:

Engage learners to use their curiosity and questioning skills to observe and notice the animals found in their environment

Create a project using OctoStudio to share their observations

Learners will see the natural world as a home to diverse organisms

National Geographic Explorer Profile

National Geographic Explorer Niharika Rajput teaches learners how to explore their world through her unique approach to observation and storytelling. As learners engage with this activity, it's encouraged to share Niharika's story so they can learn more about her projects and see examples of how she's exploring her world. Learners can also be inspired by how she is using OctoStudio to share her work.

Educator Guide and Slides

The educator guide suggests how you can facilitate the Explore Your World with Octostudio activity. The guide includes an overview of the activity and other helpful materials for facilitating this activity. You can use the workshop slides to help guide and prompt students through the activity. Both the guide and slides can be customized for your learners and local context.

Student Activity Guide

The student activity guide is designed to help support learners to engage in the activity and create projects with OctoStudio while working at their own pace and within their specific environments. To spark inspiration, share the coding cards with learners to ignite their creative problem-solving in OctoStudio.

Sharing Your Projects

You can use a sharing platform as a way for learners to share their projects with family and friends. The Lifelong Kindergarten group has created a Padlet as an example, which features sample projects. If you decide to share a project online, you can use the hashtag #ExploreYourWorld.

Media Credits

The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.

Writers

Niharika Rajput, National Geographic Society

Audrey Everett, National Geographic Society

Rupal Jain, Lifelong Kindergarten Group, MIT Media Lab

Carolina Rodeghiero, Lifelong Kindergarten Group, MIT Media Lab

Natalie Rusk, Lifelong Kindergarten Group, MIT Media Lab

Editors

Bhavana Gandhi, National Geographic Society

Jaleesa Trapp, Lifelong Kindergarten Group, MIT Media Lab

Téo Xisto, Lifelong Kindergarten Group, MIT Media Lab

Producer

Bayan Atari, National Geographic Society

Content Designs

Patrick Cavanagh, National Geographic Society

Carolina Rodeghiero, Lifelong Kindergarten Group, MIT Media Lab

Photo Researcher

Jean Cantu, National Geographic Society

Last Updated

March 10, 2025

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This activity is designed to guide educators to encourage learners to make observations about animals and create animated projects to share their discoveries. The activity invites learners to create with OctoStudio, a free creative coding app. This learning resource is co-developed between National Geographic Society and the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab.

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Tinkering Studio blog March 2025

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OctoStudio: Facilitating Creative and Connected Coding in Public Libraries

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OctoStudio: Facilitating Creative and Connected Coding in Public Libraries

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November 2024

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OctoStudio: Facilitating Creative and Connected Coding in Public Libraries

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OctoStudio: Facilitating Creative and Connected Coding in Public Libraries

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In this blog post, we will share different ways the PLIX team and PLIX Library Ambassadors have facilitated OctoStudio programs in public libraries, through the lens of creative learning.

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Promoting playful learning with technology 

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Promoting playful learning with technology 

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Interview with Mitch in Edutopia - Nov 2024

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Promoting Playful Learning With Technology

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Mitchel Resnick—creator of Scratch and OctoStudio—shares how teachers can maximize students’ use of tech for creative purposes.

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Como a Aprendizagem Criativa pode ser aplicada a favor da equidade 

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Como a Aprendizagem Criativa pode ser aplicada a favor da equidade 

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November 2024 - in Portuguese BR

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Como a Aprendizagem Criativa pode ser aplicada a favor da equidade

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Rupal Jain, do MIT Media Lab, afirma que é necessário fazer um esforço para que todas as crianças, independentemente de classe social, saibam que é possível sonhar.

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Announcing OctoStudio: A block-based programming app

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Announcing OctoStudio: A block-based programming app

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Perkins School for the Blind

November 3, 2023

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Skip to content

OctoStudio is a new block-based coding app that enables students to make simple animations and games using characters and sounds that they choose. OctoStudio was developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten group at MIT Media Lab and is available for free on iPhones, iPads, and Android smartphones and tablets.

OctoStudio is a fun creative tool designed for students ages 7 and up to learn to create interactive projects by tinkering with code blocks, while developing their creativity and problem-solving skills. OctoStudio is a mainstream app that has been designed for all students - including students who are low vision and students who use a screen reader.

Background

OctoStudio is similar in some ways to the Scratch coding environment; both are visual programming languages which use coding blocks that can be snapped together to make characters move, play sounds, interact, and more. One of the original Scratch founders, Natalie Rusk, is the research scientist who has been leading the development of OctoStudio. The creators of OctoStudio understand that Scratch is not accessible to students who use screen readers and have diligently worked - and continue to work - to make OctoStudio as accessible as possible.

Helpful OctoStudio Words

Sprite: In OctoStudio, a sprite is a character or object you can code to move, play sounds, speak, and more. To create a project, you choose an animal, person, ball, or anything else to be a sprite.

Backdrop: A backdrop is an image that sets the scene in an OctoStudio project. Your sprites appear in front of the backdrop on the Stage.

Stage: The rectangular area where sprites visually move and interact and the backdrops show up. The Stage is located near the top of the OctoStudio project editor.

Coding Blocks: You use coding blocks to tell your sprites what to do (such as move or play sounds). The coding blocks are shaped like LEGO bricks that snap together from top to bottom. The blocks are rectangular-shaped, with a notch at the top and a bump at the bottom.

Script or Stack: A script is a set of blocks that are connected together in a vertical stack. You can begin each script with a "when" block to tell it when to start running.

Getting Started with OctoStudio

Excited to get started? Linda Coccovizzoan assistive technology instructor who has been one of the lead accessibility advisors for the project, has created a quick video demonstrating OctoStudio on an iPhone running VoiceOver.

In order to better understand the video, it is helpful to know the layout of the screen. The app is played in portrait mode. This video starts with creating a new project by choosing a sprite and backdrop, and then goes to the project editor screen.

At the top of the project editor is a toolbar. Below the toolbar is the Stage, a visual image of the sprite on the backdrop. When the script is played, this is where your creation comes to life and the sprite will become animated! Next is a menu; if you have chosen multiple sprites, there will also be a sprite menu and tools for editing the selected sprite.

The main area of the screen is the Coding Area. Drag in and snap blocks together to code your sprite.

The bottom of the screen contains the Blocks Palette. The top row contains the blocks which can be dragged up to the Coding area. Below the blocks are the seven categories of blocks. The blocks are organized into seven categories or tabs: When to start, Motion, Words and sounds, Scene, Colors and light, Control, and More blocks.

OctoPlay video

Accessibility

OctoStudio is designed for iPhones and Android smartphones and is compatible with VoiceOver and TalkBack. OctoStudio can also be played on an iPad or Android tablet. Designed for kids, the app in general has many blocks that incorporate motivating, unique sounds. On smartphones, the app also provides haptic feedback for the "buzz" coding block.

Accessible

The buttons are accessible with a screen reader.

Drag-and-drop is fully accessible, including announcing the block that is being hovered over before stacking.

Students can drag or swipe over the Stage to hear the backdrop and sprite name announced. This visual image can be enlarged to be a full screen image, making it easier for students with low vision to see.

Standard screen reader earcons are included, such as the iOS triple tone when a block is selected and ready to be dragged.

Additional sonification has been added to assist a visually impaired student to understand what is happening.

Example 1: A "whoosh" sound is heard initially when the block is being dragged.

Example 2: When the stack is activated a "boing" sound is made when the Jump block is played and the sprite jumps or a "dial clicking" sound is made when the Turn block is played and the sprite turns.

Not accessible

Not all app features or games/activities that can be created using the app can be made accessible due to the visual nature of the images.

The menu items within a block are not currently accessible with a screen reader. These features are planned to be available for screen readers in later versions.
Example: The turn block has 3 menu options that can be changed: the angle, direction, and speed of the turn. Currently when the screen reader is on, these options within the block are not announced and cannot be changed yet.

Resources

by Diane Brauner, 11/3/23

Back to Paths to Technology's Home page

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Announcing OctoStudio: A block-based programming app - Perkins School for the Blind

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Imagine what you can create with accessible block-based coding app!

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OctoStudio, programa y crea desde tu celular

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OctoStudio, programa y crea desde tu celular

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Digital Family

December 18, 2023

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Innovando Juntos → Tus aliados en transformación educativa y ciudadanía digital

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OctoStudio, programa y crea desde tu celular → Innovando Juntos

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Con OctosStudio, los niños pueden tomar fotos y grabar sonidos en su celular, para darles vida con bloques de codificación e interactuar desde cualquier lugar.

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Hello World magazine

July 2024

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Create anytime, anywhere with OctoStudio

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Create anytime, anywhere with OctoStudio

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Raspberry Pi Foundation

June 25, 2024

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Today our friends Mitch Resnick and Natalie Rusk from MIT's Lifelong Kindergarten group tell you about OctoStudio, their free mobile app for children to create with code. Find their companion article for teachers in the upcoming issue of Hello World magazine, out for free on Monday 1 July.
When people see our new OctoStudio coding app, they often say that it reminds them of Scratch, the world's most popular coding platform for kids. That's not surprising, since the group of us developing OctoStudio were also involved in creating Scratch, with its distinctive building-block approach to programming. But there's an important difference.

The difference is that we designed OctoStudio specifically for mobile phones and tablets, based on requests from educators in communities where children and families don't have access to laptops and desktop computers, but do have access to mobile devices.

OctoStudio takes advantage of special features of mobile phones and tablets, such as built-in sensors, so young people can create projects that respond to shaking or tilting, or even 'beam' signals between devices. And because of the small size of mobile devices, children and families can create projects anytime anywhere, and integrate digital coding with physical making.

OctoStudio makes it easy for beginners to start creating. Children can choose a character from a diverse collection of emojis, draw their own in the OctoStudio paint editor, or take and edit a photo. With just a couple coding blocks, they can make their characters move, jump, speak, or glow - and respond to shaking, tilting, or tapping on the phone or tablet:

Since our Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab launched OctoStudio as a free app in October 2023, we've been delighted by the creativity and diversity of projects that children around the world have created with OctoStudio. As examples, we'd like to share with you three different projects from three different continents.

Getting active with OctoStudio

When Xavier, a 10-year-old in Rwanda, started using OctoStudio, he was intrigued with the 'When I shake' block. He realized that he could create a step tracker project, by sensing how the phone shook each time he took a step.

From the emoji library in OctoStudio, Xavier selected a rabbit, and he programmed it to grow a little bit each time he took a step. The more steps, the bigger the rabbit. To test the project, Xavier ran around in a circle. When he looked at the rabbit again, he saw how big it had grown and exclaimed: "Now it's mega huge!" After finishing his project, Xavier made and posted a video tutorial to show others how to make their own step tracker using only 5 coding blocks.

Making creatures come to life on screen

One popular way to get started with OctoStudio is to make a favorite animal out of craft materials, take a photo of it, then bring your creation to life on the screen with OctoStudio coding blocks. As part of the Brazilian Creative Learning Network, educators Renato Barboza and Simone Lederman offer creative learning workshops in which children design creatures using a combination of natural materials and modeling clay. In these 'fantastical creatures' workshops, facilitators ask questions to encourage participants to design not only the creatures, but also develop ideas about how their creatures interact within their environment.

For example, two sisters created imaginary creatures, one with long sticks for arms, the other with big eyes and wings made from leaves. The sisters then took photos and made their creatures come to life in OctoStudio, making them jump, glow, and fly. They recorded sounds and explained more about their creatures, including where they live and what they like to eat.

Beaming between devices

OctoStudio also opens up the possibility of projects involving multiple mobile devices, using the new 'beam' block to send signals between the devices (via Bluetooth). For example, children can make a character in a story or game look like it's jumping from one device to another by sending a beam signal when the character reaches the edge of the screen.

Thawin, an elementary school student in Thailand, decided to use the 'beam' block to create a project about caring for the environment. He embedded one tablet in a cardboard cutout of a watering can, and programmed it to beam a signal each time he shook it as if he were sprinkling water. Then, he added a tree emoji to another tablet, and programmed the tree to grow each time it received a beam signal. He proudly shared his project with his classmates: each time someone shook the watering can, the tree grew.

Get started with OctoStudio

To get started with OctoStudio, you can download it for free from app stores for Android and iOS phones and tablets. The app is translated into more than 25 languages, and comes with sample projects and mini-tutorials.

Here are some resources for learning and exploring more:

You can share your OctoStudio stories, photos, and videos on social media using @octostudioapp or #octostudio. We can't wait to hear about your and your children's experiences!

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Create anytime, anywhere with OctoStudio - Raspberry Pi Foundation

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Our friends Mitch Resnick and Natalie Rusk from MIT's Lifelong Kindergarten group tell you about OctoStudio, their free mobile app for children to create with code.

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Mobilizing children's creative learning with free mobile coding app

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Mobilizing children's creative learning with free mobile coding app

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Phys.org

October 23, 2024

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A student in Brazil shows the interactive soccer project they created in OctoStudio. Credit: Brazilian Creative Learning Network.

A group of schoolchildren in Chile walk on a hillside, taking photos of plants and animals with mobile devices. They later integrate the photos into animated stories about the local environment.

Two friends in Uganda create an interactive game with an animated chicken that moves across the screen as you tilt the phone-and speaks aloud in Swahili when it finds water.

A girl collaborates with her mom to make an animated birthday card for her grandmother, including family photos and a personalized birthday greeting that she sings into the phone.

All of these young people created their projects with a free mobile coding app called OctoStudio, released publicly today by the Lifelong Kindergarten research group at the MIT Media Lab.

Around the world, more and more children and teens have access to mobile devices, but many spend hours passively watching videos and scrolling through social media. By contrast, OctoStudio invites young people to use phones and tablets to express themselves creatively-and, in the process, also learn computational and problem-solving skills.

"We designed OctoStudio to expand opportunities for young people to create projects anytime, anywhere," says Natalie Rusk, the Media Lab research scientist who leads the OctoStudio project in the Lifelong Kindergarten group. "We've seen how much children learn when they have opportunities to build on their interests, express their ideas, and share with others."

OctoStudio builds on decades of research by the Lifelong Kindergarten group on the design of new technologies to engage young people from diverse backgrounds in creative learning experiences. The group had previously invented Scratch, the world's most popular coding language for kids, used by tens of millions of young people around the world.

OctoStudio is designed especially for children and families in communities where access to computers and internet is limited, but mobile phones are widespread. Throughout the design process, the Lifelong Kindergarten team has been collaborating with educators in Brazil, Chile, India, Korea, Mexico, South Africa, Uganda, and other countries around the world. To ensure widespread access, OctoStudio is completely free of charge and does not require any network connection or data charges.

"The majority of my youth don't have Wi-Fi at home. They don't have laptops or desktops. But most of them have access to a cellphone, and that means they also have access to OctoStudio. And what that is going to do is spread the love for creating," says Dolores Hernandez, who introduced a prototype of OctoStudio to youth at the Clubhouse after-school learning center in San Antonio, Texas.

Linford Molaodi, lecturer and program manager of the creative coding project at University of Johannesburg in South Africa, appreciates how OctoStudio is designed with images, sounds, and examples that connect with the interests and experiences of young people from different cultures. "It's important for children to be able to create projects that are meaningful and relatable to them, and that reflect their neighborhoods and surroundings," he says.

As young people create with OctoStudio, the world is their palette, full of creative possibilities. They can take photos and record sounds, bring them to life with coding blocks, and send their projects to family and friends. Using the phone's sensors, they can create projects such as musical instruments that play sounds when they jump, games that react to the tilt of the phone, or collaborative projects that use Bluetooth to beam signals between phones.

"When the students start to use OctoStudio in the classroom, they become engaged in playful exploration and creative learning," says João Adriano Freitas, a creative coding specialist with the Brazilian Creative Learning Network. "Kids start creating, experimenting, collaborating, and sharing ideas with one another."

At OctoStudio workshops in public libraries in Tacoma, Washington, MIT researcher Jaleesa Trapp saw a similar spirit among children and their parents: "The families were so enthusiastic. Some of the parents shared their children's projects with family and friends. The parents were so excited to show what their children were able to create with code-and that's huge, to get parents on board."

OctoStudio is now available for free in app stores for both iOS and Android, and includes translations in more than 20 languages. OctoStudio does not collect any personal data, and does not track people who use it in any way.

More than a dozen people in the Lifelong Kindergarten group are now working on OctoStudio. The group continues to add new features, resources, and translations based on its ongoing collaboration with educators around the world. Key collaborators include Brazilian Creative Learning Network, the Tinkering Studio at the Exploratorium, Future Lab, Cruzando Foundation, Pratham Shah PraDigi Centre, and the Creative Communities group at University of Colorado Boulder.

This story is republished courtesy of MIT News (web.mit.edu/newsoffice/), a popular site that covers news about MIT research, innovation and teaching.

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Mobilizing children's creative learning with free mobile coding app

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A group of schoolchildren in Chile walk on a hillside, taking photos of plants and animals with mobile devices. They later integrate the photos into animated stories about the local environment.

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Mobilizing creative learning with OctoStudio

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Mobilizing creative learning with OctoStudio

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My Science.org

OctoStudio 24, 2024

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A new coding app from the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab enables young people around the world to use mobile devices to express themselves creatively.

A group of schoolchildren in Chile walk on a hillside, taking photos of plants and animals with mobile devices. They later integrate the photos into animated stories about the local environment.

Two friends in Uganda create an interactive game with an animated chicken that moves across the screen as you tilt the phone -- and speaks aloud in Swahili when it finds water.

A girl collaborates with her mom to make an animated birthday card for her grandmother, including family photos and a personalized birthday greeting that she sings into the phone.

All of these young people created their projects with a free mobile coding app called OctoStudio , released publicly today by the Lifelong Kindergarten research group at the MIT Media Lab.

Around the world, more and more children and teens have access to mobile devices, but many spend hours passively watching videos and scrolling through social media. By contrast, OctoStudio invites young people to use phones and tablets to express themselves creatively -- and, in the process, also learn computational and problem-solving skills.

"We designed OctoStudio to expand opportunities for young people to create projects anytime, anywhere," says Natalie Rusk, the Media Lab research scientist who leads the OctoStudio project in the Lifelong Kindergarten group. "We've seen how much children learn when they have opportunities to build on their interests, express their ideas, and share with others."

OctoStudio builds on decades of research by the Lifelong Kindergarten group on the design of new technologies to engage young people from diverse backgrounds in creative learning experiences. The group previously invented Scratch, the world's most popular coding language for kids, used by tens of millions of young people around the world.

OctoStudio is designed especially for children and families in communities where access to computers and internet is limited, but mobile phones are widespread. Throughout the design process, the Lifelong Kindergarten team has been collaborating with educators in Brazil, Chile, India, Korea, Mexico, South Africa, Uganda, and other countries around the world. To ensure widespread access, OctoStudio is completely free of charge and does not require any network connection or data charges.

"The majority of my youth don't have Wi-Fi at home. They don't have laptops or desktops. But most of them have access to a cellphone, and that means they also have access to OctoStudio. And what that is going to do is spread the love for creating," says Dolores Hernandez, who introduced a prototype of OctoStudio to youth at the Clubhouse after-school learning center in San Antonio, Texas.

Linford Molaodi, lecturer and program manager of the creative coding project at University of Johannesburg in South Africa, appreciates how OctoStudio is designed with images, sounds, and examples that connect with the interests and experiences of young people from different cultures. "It's important for children to be able to create projects that are meaningful and relatable to them, and that reflect their neighborhoods and surroundings," he says.

As young people create with OctoStudio, the world is their palette, full of creative possibilities. They can take photos and record sounds, bring them to life with coding blocks, and send their projects to family and friends. Using the phone's sensors, they can create projects such as musical instruments that play sounds when they jump, games that react to the tilt of the phone, or collaborative projects that use Bluetooth to beam signals between phones.

"When the students start to use OctoStudio in the classroom, they become engaged in playful exploration and creative learning," says João Adriano Freitas, a creative coding specialist with the Brazilian Creative Learning Network. "Kids start creating, experimenting, collaborating, and sharing ideas with one another."

At OctoStudio workshops in public libraries in Tacoma, Washington, MIT researcher Jaleesa Trapp saw a similar spirit among children and their parents: "The families were so enthusiastic. Some of the parents shared their children's projects with family and friends. The parents were so excited to show what their children were able to create with code -- and that's huge, to get parents on board."

OctoStudio is now available for free in app stores for both iOS and Android, and includes translations in more than 20 languages. OctoStudio does not collect any personal data, and does not track people who use it in any way.

More than a dozen people in the Lifelong Kindergarten group are now working on OctoStudio. The group continues to add new features, resources, and translations based on its ongoing collaboration with educators around the world. Key collaborators include Brazilian Creative Learning Network, the Tinkering Studio at the Exploratorium, Future Lab, Cruzando Foundation, Pratham Shah PraDigi Centre, and the Creative Communities group at University of Colorado Boulder. Financial support for OctoStudio comes from the LEGO Foundation, Smilegate Foundation, Little BlueBridge Foundation, National Science Foundation, and the MIT Media Lab.

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Ana Carolina called over her 13-year-old cousin Davyd to see the project on the phone, and she explained how she had used angles to control the parrot's motion. Davyd was impressed. "When my teacher talks about angles, it makes no sense to me," he said. "You should come and teach my class!" Ana Carolina couldn't wait to show her project to her mother: "She's going to love this animation."

Ana Carolina's parrot animation created using mobile app OctoStudio.

I share Ana Carolina's story as a counterpoint to the ways that many children and teens around the world are using mobile phones. Countless young people use phones primarily for watching videos and scrolling through social media, and parents and educators are concerned - with good reason.

But there are alternatives. With appropriate apps and support, mobile phones can provide opportunities for young people to imagine, create, and share projects, as Ana Carolina did in her parrot animation project.

These types of creative activities are more important now than ever before. With the pace of change accelerating, young people will face unpredictable challenges throughout their lives - and the proliferation of artificial intelligence technologies will further accelerate the disruptions. To deal with the uncertainties of this complex world, young people need to develop their abilities to think and act creatively.

Unfortunately, mobile technologies are too often designed to deliver entertainment, information, or instruction, treating young people as consumers, not creators.

In many traditional childhood activities, children develop their creative abilities by making things: building towers with wooden blocks and Lego bricks, drawing pictures with crayons and markers, making musical patterns with drums and bells.

Why not take the same approach with new technologies? That's what we do in the Lifelong Kindergarten research group at the MIT Media Lab: We develop technologies that, in the spirit of the blocks and finger paint of kindergarten, enable young people to playfully create things they care about.

In the past, our group developed the Scratch programming language, which enables young people to create their own interactive stories, games, and animations, and then share their creations with one another in an online community. More than 100 million young people around the world have created projects with Scratch since the software launched in 2007. I'm continually amazed and delighted by the diverse range of creative projects that young people create with Scratch - including science simulations, interactive newsletters, how-to tutorials, remixes of classic video games, collaborative stories, and calls to action for social causes.

Young people can create Scratch projects on laptops and desktop computers, but not on mobile phones. We designed Scratch for larger screens, so that young people could easily put together graphical programming blocks and see the resulting games and animations all on the same screen. For a long time, we weren't sure whether it would be possible to design an easy-to-use general-purpose coding interface for the smaller screens of mobile phones.

But as phones got into the hands of more and more young people - and, in many parts of the world, became the only digital technology they would ever have access to - we felt a growing sense of urgency to develop ways for them to design and create projects on phones.

My longtime collaborator Natalie Rusk became especially motivated to address this problem after talking with an educator in Uganda named Solomon Bwire, who was organizing workshops for children during the pandemic. In Solomon's community, very few children had access to computers, but many had access to mobile phones. Searching online for a free coding app for phones, Solomon found that someone had created one, but it was hard to use, it was full of bugs, and it crashed often. When Solomon met with Natalie as part of an Africa Code Week initiative, he emphasized the importance of developing an easy-to-use coding app for phones.

Natalie began working with Paula Bontá, Kreg Hanning, and others in our Lifelong Kindergarten group to design a new coding app with an interface better suited to small screens and taking advantage of the special features of mobile phones, such as built-in sensors.

We named the app OctoStudio, with an octopus as the featured character.

Young people have used prototypes of the app to create a wide variety of games and animations. And since it's on a phone, they've been able to create projects anytime and anywhere, whether they're riding on a bus or waiting for a doctor's appointment. Using the sensors in phones, they have created projects that don't just live on the screen but engage with the physical world. Some examples: turning a phone into a musical instrument by programming it to play different sounds when someone shakes or tilts it; attaching a phone to a stuffed animal and programming it to say different phrases whenever someone hugs it; creating new types of collaborative projects that "beam" signals from one phone to another.

We've shared OctoStudio prototypes with several dozen educators around the world, including Solomon in Uganda and others in Brazil, Chile, South Africa, India, Korea, and the United States. The educators tried out the prototypes with young people in their communities, provided feedback, and suggested new images and examples to add to the app that reflected the interests and cultural experiences of people in their communities.

In Chile, a group of schoolchildren walked on a hillside and took photos of plants and animals with their phones, then used the OctoStudio app to integrate the photos into animated stories about the local environment. In Uganda, two friends used the app to create an interactive game in which an animated chicken moves across the screen as you tilt the phone - and speaks in Swahili when the chicken finds water. In Brazil, Lifelong Kindergarten graduate student Thaís Xisto, who grew up in Brazil, organized workshops including the one where Ana Carolina created her parrot animation.

We also tried out the OctoStudio prototypes at Clubhouse after-school learning centers, a global network of 120 sites specifically for young people from marginalized communities. "The majority of my youth don't have Wi-Fi at home," says Dolores Hernandez, who introduced OctoStudio prototypes to youth at a Clubhouse in San Antonio, Texas. "They don't have laptops or desktops. But most of them have access to a cell phone, and that means they also have access to this app. And what that is going to do is spread the love for creating."

After several years of iteratively revising the prototypes, we launched OctoStudio publicly in app stores this week, free of charge and including translations in more than 20 languages. We hope it will serve as a model for how young people can make creative use of mobile phones. As we saw in Ana Carolina's case, young people are most likely to engage creatively when they work on projects based on their personal interests and experiences (as Ana Carolina's project was inspired by the parrots she saw from her window), learn new skills in the process (as Ana Carolina experimented with the mathematics of angles), and create things that they want to share with others (as Ana Carolina did with her cousin and mother).

We also hope that OctoStudio will also help to shift the ways that parents and educators think about mobile phones. Many parents and educators are focused on how to limit the time their children spend interacting with phones. But it's important to distinguish between the different ways that children engage with the devices: an hour spent as a consumer is very different from an hour spent as a creator.

Rather than trying to minimize screen time, I think parents and teachers should try to maximize creativity time.

Mitchel Resnick is professor of Learning Research at the MIT Media Lab, where he directs the Lifelong Kindergarten research group.

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Transforming screen time: Kids can use smartphones to enhance their creativity - The Boston Globe

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Too many apps treat young people as passive consumers, not free-thinking makers. But there are alternatives.

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Mobilizing creative learning with OctoStudio

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Mobilizing creative learning with OctoStudio

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MIT News

October 24, 2023

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MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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Mobilizing creative learning with OctoStudio

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OctoStudio, a new coding app from the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab, enables young people around the world to use mobile devices to express themselves creatively.

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OctoStudio: nowa aplikacja MIT Media Lab

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OctoStudio: nowa aplikacja MIT Media Lab

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Cyfrowy Dialog

October 25, 2023

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Maciej Klebaniuk, Michał Pietryka, Wojciech Krystkiewicz

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OctoStudio: nowa aplikacja MIT Media Lab - Cyfrowy Dialog

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Powitajcie kolejnego uroczego zwierzaka z edukacyjnego laboratorium MIT – fioletowa ośmiornica z OctoStudio właśnie wypłynęła na szerokie wody! Czy powtórzy oszałamiający sukces pomarańczowego kota Scratcha? We wtorek 24 października 2023 r. odbyła się premiera OctoStudio, nowej aplikacji do kodowania stworzonej przez grupę badawczą Lifelong Kindergarten na uniwersytecie MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Tę samą, która […]

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OctoStudio App lets you animate, program and share! 

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OctoStudio App lets you animate, program and share! 

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The Flagship Clubhouse

October 25, 2023

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Boston STEM After School Program | The Flagship Clubhouse

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OctoStudio App Lets Youth Animate, Program and Share!

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We are excited to share the launching of a new coding app to support creative learning on mobile phones and tablets, called OctoStudio. OctoStudio makes it easy to create interactive animations, games…

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OctoStudio, MIT's mobile coding app, inspires global youth creativity 

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OctoStudio, MIT's mobile coding app, inspires global youth creativity 

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Hoodline

October 26, 2023

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OctoStudio: MIT’s Mobile Coding App Inspires Global Youth Creativity

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OctoStudio, an innovative mobile coding app, inspires creative learning worldwide by encouraging personal expression and computational skill development.

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Conheça o OctoStudio, novo aplicativo de computação criativa

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Conheça o OctoStudio, novo aplicativo de computação criativa

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Porvir

October 26, 2023

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Conheça o OctoStudio, novo aplicativo de computação criativa

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Em conversa com o Porvir, Natalie Rusk, pesquisadora do MIT nos Estados Unidos, avalia a evolução da aprendizagem criativa e detalha o funcionamento do aplicativo, que será lançado no Brasil em conferência em Minas Gerais

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🐙OctoStudio - Mobile App from the Creators of Scratch!

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🐙OctoStudio - Mobile App from the Creators of Scratch!

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Tech Age Kids

October 28, 2023

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Image credit: MIT Media Lab

OctoStudio is a new mobile app created by the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab - the folks who created the popular Scratch coding app. OctoStudio is a coding app designed for the smaller screens of mobile devices including mobile phones and it makes use of the sensors on a phone too.

OctoStudio Overview

The OctoStudio trailer video shows the kinds of applications that you can create. The hope is clearly that the app will be integrated into everyday life and used in social situations.

OctoStudio - Age range

The creators say that OctoStudio works well for children aged 7-12 though they also recommend using it as a family which is great way to include younger children.

The starting age for OctoStudio is recommended at 7 so older than ScratchJr (5-7) and younger than Scratch (8+). OctoStudio is very pictorial, it uses vertical stacking blocks like Scratch but there's a lot more use of visual cues which will help kids who aren't yet confident readers. Some of the things you can make with OctoStudio actually seem pretty tween and teen friendly (yeah grown ups too!) so it will be very interesting to see who the app ends up being popular with.

OctoStudio - First impressions

The app is available for Android and iOS devices. We've tried it on both. It's free and quick to download and install.

Accessibility and Inclusion

OctoStudio has support for more than twenty languages right from the start and it also uses lots of pictorial communication.

OctoStudio integrates with mobile screen readers and there's useful option to turn on sound effects for visual blocks. The blocks use a palette of high contrast pastel colors with black text.

The emoji characters are available in a choice of skin colors with default being brown skin. Thought has clearly gone into this. The use of emoji means that the choice of foods is much more international than the American fare found in Scratch.

OctoStudio - What can you do?

When you create a new project you are guided to:

🪴Choose a sprite (characters or object) in OctoStudio these are emojis (age appropriate ones!)

🖼️Choose a backdrop - there's a small selection

🧱Add code

This works really well to get you started quickly.

A 'when green flag' is added for you, but you can quickly select a 'when I shake' block to do something when you shake the phone or tablet.

There are some included examples that help beginners to see what's possible with the app.

The app is well suited for taking out and about on a mobile phone. Younger kids in the age range are more likely to have a tablet which is a bit less portable so expect them to want to borrow your phone! Older kids might have their own phone and the app doesn't require the latest phone so it's a great use for a hand me down device.

OctoStudio - Basic features

OctoStudio works really well on a touch screen device, it's really fast to drag and drop and move code around. You can pinch and zoom to quickly navigate around your code.

You can change the color and size of sprites, make them jump, record and play sounds, add text and lots of other features that we've come to expect from block-based coding apps. There's a sound editor and you can draw your own sprites in the paint tool. OctoStudio also adds micro-bit style physical computing interactions using the inputs and outputs that are already there on the phone.

Some features are simplified compared with Scratch so you can create some kinds of behavior more quickly. There are some fairly advanced features including variables and creating your own blocks.

Inputs and Outputs

OctoStudio gives your projects access to lots of inputs and outputs on your device. You can easily record and edit sounds and take photos to use as backdrops or sprites, a nice feature is shaped cropping which is a nice modern touch.

You can detect a shake or make the phone vibrate (buzz) and turn the phone flashlight on and off. There's a 'tilt to move' block which helpfully come with a forever block wrapped around it (to avoid a common mistake in Scratch!) Tilt to move is very satisfying! There's a block to detect a nearby magnet (if your device has a magnetometer).

A neat feature is sending messages using Bluetooth to nearby devices that are also running OctoStudio, There are five different colored shape messages that you can send. This makes OctoStudio a really social experience.

Sharing projects

You can share projects as an mp4 video, a gif (without sound) or as a project file that someone else with OctoStudio can open on their device.

Summary

As you'd expect from the Lifelong Kindergarten group, OctoStudio is well-designed and works well. We can definitely see this being popular with families and with groups of friends. It also has the all the features you'd need to teach a creative computing curriculum including physical computing, at home or in a school classroom.

Some of the features are straight-up improvements on features that are already in Scratch, I think there's going to be some frustration from kids who use both tools and want to mix the features. Maybe we'll see some of the features of OctoStudio make their way into Scratch in future.

Ready to download OctoStudio or want more info? There's a website at octostudio.org where your can download the app and an OctoStudio reference guide if you're the kind of family that likes to read the documentation!

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🐙OctoStudio - Mobile App from the Creators of Scratch!

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Image credit: MIT Media Lab OctoStudio is a new mobile app created by the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab - the folks who c...

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Summer Coding Camps with MIT Media Lab helped design a new app called OctoStudio

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Summer Coding Camps with MIT Media Lab helped design a new app called OctoStudio

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Tacoma Library

November 2, 2023

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This past summer, Tacoma Public Library partnered with Lifelong Kindergarten at MIT Media Lab to provide free coding classes for youth age 8 and up. The workshops were held at nearly every open location and allowed students to learn computational and problem-solving skills through an app called OctoStudio. The workshops also allowed MIT researchers to get input and feedback from their target audience before launching worldwide.

According to MIT Media Lab, "OctoStudio is a new coding app that transforms how young people use mobile phones and tablets, enabling them to create their own stories and games anytime, anywhere. With OctoStudio, young people can take photos and record sounds, bring them to life with coding blocks, and send their projects to friends and family."

Developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten at the MIT Media Lab, OctoStudio is the result of deep partnership and iterative design with community-based educators and young people all around the world, including in Tacoma. Tacoma, Washington, is the hometown of MIT researcher Jaleesa Trapp.

"We are grateful for contributions that came from the Summer Coding Camp Workshops with Tacoma Public Library," stated Trapp. "During the workshops, young people tested out features and even suggested new emojis that we were able to implement!"

Additionally, Tacoma City Council provided funding for the iPads used in the workshops, which were then donated to Tacoma Public Library to support ongoing STEM programs and digital literacy efforts.

OctoStudio is now available for free in app stores for both iOS and Android, and includes translations in more than 20 languages. Once downloaded, OctoStudio enables young people to create projects offline without the need for data or wifi.

For more information about OctoStudio, please visit octostudio.org.

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Summer Coding Camps with MIT Media Lab helped design a new app called OctoStudio

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MIT researcher Jaleesa Trapp and interns instruct families in the Coding Camp workshop at Mottet Library. This past summer, Tacoma...

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Announcing OctoStudio: A block-based programming app 

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Announcing OctoStudio: A block-based programming app 

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Perkins School for the Blind

November 3, 2024

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Skip to content

OctoStudio is a new block-based coding app that enables students to make simple animations and games using characters and sounds that they choose. OctoStudio was developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten group at MIT Media Lab and is available for free on iPhones, iPads, and Android smartphones and tablets.

OctoStudio is a fun creative tool designed for students ages 7 and up to learn to create interactive projects by tinkering with code blocks, while developing their creativity and problem-solving skills. OctoStudio is a mainstream app that has been designed for all students - including students who are low vision and students who use a screen reader.

Background

OctoStudio is similar in some ways to the Scratch coding environment; both are visual programming languages which use coding blocks that can be snapped together to make characters move, play sounds, interact, and more. One of the original Scratch founders, Natalie Rusk, is the research scientist who has been leading the development of OctoStudio. The creators of OctoStudio understand that Scratch is not accessible to students who use screen readers and have diligently worked - and continue to work - to make OctoStudio as accessible as possible.

Helpful OctoStudio Words

Sprite: In OctoStudio, a sprite is a character or object you can code to move, play sounds, speak, and more. To create a project, you choose an animal, person, ball, or anything else to be a sprite.

Backdrop: A backdrop is an image that sets the scene in an OctoStudio project. Your sprites appear in front of the backdrop on the Stage.

Stage: The rectangular area where sprites visually move and interact and the backdrops show up. The Stage is located near the top of the OctoStudio project editor.

Coding Blocks: You use coding blocks to tell your sprites what to do (such as move or play sounds). The coding blocks are shaped like LEGO bricks that snap together from top to bottom. The blocks are rectangular-shaped, with a notch at the top and a bump at the bottom.

Script or Stack: A script is a set of blocks that are connected together in a vertical stack. You can begin each script with a "when" block to tell it when to start running.

Getting Started with OctoStudio

Excited to get started? Linda Coccovizzoan assistive technology instructor who has been one of the lead accessibility advisors for the project, has created a quick video demonstrating OctoStudio on an iPhone running VoiceOver.

In order to better understand the video, it is helpful to know the layout of the screen. The app is played in portrait mode. This video starts with creating a new project by choosing a sprite and backdrop, and then goes to the project editor screen.

At the top of the project editor is a toolbar. Below the toolbar is the Stage, a visual image of the sprite on the backdrop. When the script is played, this is where your creation comes to life and the sprite will become animated! Next is a menu; if you have chosen multiple sprites, there will also be a sprite menu and tools for editing the selected sprite.

The main area of the screen is the Coding Area. Drag in and snap blocks together to code your sprite.

The bottom of the screen contains the Blocks Palette. The top row contains the blocks which can be dragged up to the Coding area. Below the blocks are the seven categories of blocks. The blocks are organized into seven categories or tabs: When to start, Motion, Words and sounds, Scene, Colors and light, Control, and More blocks.

OctoPlay video

Accessibility

OctoStudio is designed for iPhones and Android smartphones and is compatible with VoiceOver and TalkBack. OctoStudio can also be played on an iPad or Android tablet. Designed for kids, the app in general has many blocks that incorporate motivating, unique sounds. On smartphones, the app also provides haptic feedback for the "buzz" coding block.

Accessible

The buttons are accessible with a screen reader.

Drag-and-drop is fully accessible, including announcing the block that is being hovered over before stacking.

Students can drag or swipe over the Stage to hear the backdrop and sprite name announced. This visual image can be enlarged to be a full screen image, making it easier for students with low vision to see.

Standard screen reader earcons are included, such as the iOS triple tone when a block is selected and ready to be dragged.

Additional sonification has been added to assist a visually impaired student to understand what is happening.

Example 1: A "whoosh" sound is heard initially when the block is being dragged.

Example 2: When the stack is activated a "boing" sound is made when the Jump block is played and the sprite jumps or a "dial clicking" sound is made when the Turn block is played and the sprite turns.

Not accessible

Not all app features or games/activities that can be created using the app can be made accessible due to the visual nature of the images.

The menu items within a block are not currently accessible with a screen reader. These features are planned to be available for screen readers in later versions.
Example: The turn block has 3 menu options that can be changed: the angle, direction, and speed of the turn. Currently when the screen reader is on, these options within the block are not announced and cannot be changed yet.

Resources

by Diane Brauner, 11/3/23

Back to Paths to Technology's Home page

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Announcing OctoStudio: A block-based programming app - Perkins School for the Blind

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Imagine what you can create with accessible block-based coding app!

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OctoStudio: La aplicación móvil para programar y crear animaciones

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OctoStudio: La aplicación móvil para programar y crear animaciones

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Academy Pop

November 7, 2023

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En la actualidad, la tecnología se ha convertido en una herramienta fundamental para el aprendizaje y la creatividad de los niños y jóvenes. En este sentido, el Grupo Lifelong Kindergarten del MIT Media Lab ha desarrollado OctoStudio, una aplicación móvil de programación que permite a los usuarios crear animaciones y juegos en su teléfono móvil o tablet en cualquier momento y en cualquier lugar.

¿Qué es OctoStudio?

OctoStudio es una aplicación móvil gratuita de programación desarrollada por el Grupo Lifelong Kindergarten del MIT Media Lab. Esta aplicación permite a los usuarios crear animaciones y juegos interactivos utilizando bloques de programación. Además, OctoStudio ofrece una interfaz amigable y fácil de usar, lo que la hace ideal para niños y jóvenes que desean aprender a programar de manera lúdica y significativa.

¿Cómo funciona OctoStudio?

OctoStudio funciona de manera similar a Scratch, una plataforma de programación y comunidad en línea donde los usuarios pueden crear historias interactivas, juegos y animaciones. Sin embargo, OctoStudio está diseñado específicamente para pantallas más pequeñas y aprovecha las características únicas de los dispositivos móviles.

Para empezar a usar OctoStudio, los usuarios deben descargar e instalar la aplicación en su teléfono móvil o tablet desde la App Store o Google Play Store. Una vez instalada, los usuarios pueden explorar la herramienta y aprender a programar. Para crear un proyecto, los usuarios deben seleccionar "Mi proyecto" en la pantalla principal y combinar emojis, fotos, dibujos, sonidos y movimientos para crear animaciones, juegos y cualquier otra cosa que puedan imaginar.

Los usuarios pueden usar bloques de programación para dar vida a sus proyectos y grabar su proyecto como un video o GIF animado para compartirlo con amigos y familiares. Además, los usuarios pueden exportar el archivo de su proyecto para que otros lo reproduzcan.

¿Cómo se usa OctoStudio para programar desde celular?

Para programar desde celular con OctoStudio, los usuarios deben seguir los siguientes pasos:

Descargar e instalar la aplicación OctoStudio en su celular desde la App Store o Google Play Store.

Abrir la aplicación y seleccionar el idioma preferido.

En la pantalla principal de OctoStudio, explorar la herramienta y aprender a programar.

Para crear un proyecto, seleccionar "Mi proyecto" en la pantalla principal.

Combinar emojis, fotos, dibujos, sonidos y movimientos para crear animaciones, juegos y cualquier otra cosa que se pueda imaginar.

Usar bloques de programación para dar vida a los proyectos.

Grabar el proyecto como un video o GIF animado y compartirlo con amigos y familiares.

Exportar el archivo del proyecto para que otros lo reproduzcan.

¿Qué ventajas ofrece OctoStudio?

OctoStudio ofrece varias ventajas para los usuarios, entre las que se destacan:

Es una aplicación móvil gratuita de programación que permite a los usuarios crear animaciones y juegos interactivos en su teléfono móvil o tablet en cualquier momento y en cualquier lugar.

Ofrece una interfaz amigable y fácil de usar, lo que la hace ideal para niños y jóvenes que desean aprender a programar de manera lúdica y significativa.

Permite a los usuarios combinar emojis, fotos, dibujos, sonidos y movimientos para crear proyectos creativos y originales.

Ofrece bloques de programación para dar vida a los proyectos y grabarlos como un video o GIF animado para compartirlos con amigos y familiares.

Permite a los usuarios exportar el archivo de su proyecto para que otros lo reproduzcan.

¿Cómo descargar OctoStudio?

Para descargar OctoStudio, los usuarios deben seguir los siguientes pasos:

Ir a la página web oficial de OctoStudio en https://octostudio.org/es/.
Seleccionar la opción "Descargar" en la parte superior de la página.
Seleccionar la opción " Descargar para Android" o " Descargar para iOS", según el sistema operativo del dispositivo.
Seguir las instrucciones para descargar e instalar la aplicación en el dispositivo.

OctoStudio app: Tutorial en español de como usar OctoStudio

En resumen, OctoStudio es una aplicación móvil de programación que permite a los usuarios crear animaciones y juegos interactivos en su teléfono móvil o tablet en cualquier momento y en cualquier lugar. Ofrece una interfaz amigable y fácil de usar, lo que la hace ideal para niños y jóvenes que desean aprender a programar de manera lúdica y significativa. Además, permite a los usuarios combinar emojis, fotos, dibujos, sonidos y movimientos para crear proyectos creativos y originales, y ofrece bloques de programación para dar vida a los proyectos y grabarlos como un video o GIF animado para compartirlos con amigos y familiares. En definitiva, OctoStudio es una herramienta útil y divertida para fomentar la creatividad y el aprendizaje de los niños y jóvenes en el mundo de la programación.

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OctoStudio: La aplicación móvil para programar y crear animaciones

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En la actualidad, la tecnología se ha convertido en una herramienta fundamental para el aprendizaje y la creatividad de los niños y jóvenes. En este

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La nueva aplicación del MIT invita a aprender mediante historias animadas

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La nueva aplicación del MIT invita a aprender mediante historias animadas

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Chile Newspaper

November 12, 2023

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Bambini, giovani e cellulare, la sfida del Mit di Boston 

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Bambini, giovani e cellulare, la sfida del Mit di Boston 

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Scuola

November 13, 2023

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Ascolta la versione audio dell'articolo

Una nuova app di programmazione del gruppo Lifelong Kindergarten del MIT Media Lab consente ai giovani di tutto il mondo di utilizzare cellulari e tablet per esprimersi in modo creativo. La app, OctoStudio, verrà presentata in anteprima nazionale per l'Italia a Reggio Emilia dagli ideatori, il professor Mitchel Resnick e il Lifelong Kindergarten, nel contesto dei due giorni, il 16 e il 17 novembre, dedicati al lancio del progetto PER Play Explore Research di Fondazione Reggio Children e The LEGO Foundation.

La presentazione

La presentazione di OctoStudio si colloca nel contesto dei due giorni di presentazione del progetto PER Play, Explore, Research di Fondazione Reggio Children, reso possibile da The LEGO Foundation, in qualità di finanziatore. Il progetto PER Play, Explore, Research, sarà un giro del mondo per promuovere il rapporto tra il diritto al gioco e il diritto all'apprendimento per tutti, insieme al diritto a un'educazione di qualità, e partirà giovedì 16 novembre alle 17.30 al Centro Internazionale Loris Malaguzzi. Interverranno Luca Vecchi, sindaco di Reggio Emilia e presidente di Anci Emilia-Romagna, Carla Rinaldi, presidente di Fondazione Reggio Children, Sidsel Marie Kristensen, ceo di The LEGO Foundation, Vanna Iori, Istituto Toniolo - già professore ordinario di Pedagogia all'Università Cattolica di Milano e Mitchel Resnick, professore LEGO Papert di Ricerca sull'Apprendimento al Media Lab del Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) di Boston, direttore del team di ricerca Lifelong Kindergarten, membro del Comitato Scientifico di Fondazione Reggio Children. Condurrà l'incontro il giornalista Eugenio Bruno, del Sole 24 Ore.

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Le conferenze

Sarà la prima di sette conferenze internazionali del progetto PER che si terranno in due anni in Europa, Sud America, Nord America, Africa, Oceania e Asia, rivolte a insegnanti, educatori, ricercatori, genitori e policy maker a cui seguiranno esperienze, workshop, pubblicazioni e progetti per combattere la povertà educativa, sensibilizzare e diffondere l'importanza del rapporto tra gioco e apprendimento.

Primo workshop creativo

Il primo workshop creativo in presenza del progetto PER si terrà venerdì 17 novembre, alle 17, sempre al Centro Internazionale Malaguzzi di Reggio Emilia, dove il professor Mitchel Resnick e il gruppo di ricerca Lifelong Kindergarten presenteranno al pubblico di educatori, genitori, insegnanti per la prima volta in Italia la nuova app di programmazione, OctoStudio. App gratuita e rivolta ai più giovani, che offrirà una nuova esperienza di apprendimento creativo sul cellulare attraverso il gioco.

Utilizzo creativo dei dispositivi mobili

In tutto il mondo, sempre più bambini e adolescenti hanno accesso ai dispositivi mobili, ma molti passano ore a guardare passivamente video e a scorrere i social media. OctoStudio, invece, invita i giovani a utilizzare telefoni e tablet per esprimersi in modo creativo: i bambini possono scattare foto e registrare suoni, dar vita a progetti con blocchi di coding, inviarli ad amici e familiari e, nel frattempo, ad apprendere anche abilità computazionali e di risoluzione dei problemi.
Pubblicata il 24 ottobre scorso, OctoStudio si basa su decenni di ricerca del gruppo Lifelong Kindergarten del Mit Media Lab sulle tecnologie e l'apprendimento creativo, che ha già inventato Scratch, il linguaggio di programmazione per bambini più popolare al mondo, utilizzato da decine di milioni di giovani.OctoStudio è progettato appositamente per i bambini e le famiglie delle comunità in cui l'accesso ai computer e a Internet è limitato, ma i telefoni cellulari sono diffusi. Il processo di progettazione ha visto coinvolgere educatori in Brasile, Cile, India, Corea, Messico, Sud Africa, Uganda. Per garantire un accesso diffuso, OctoStudio è gratuito, non richiede connessione di rete o addebito dati, non raccoglie dati personali e non traccia le persone che lo utilizzano.

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Bambini, giovani e cellulare, la sfida del Mit di Boston

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Venerdì a Reggio Emilia la presentazione dell'App creativa "Octostudio" da parte degli ideatori, Mitchel Resnick e il Lifelong Kindergarten. Come iscriversi

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Gioco e apprendimento: il progetto di Reggio Children e Lego 

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Gioco e apprendimento: il progetto di Reggio Children e Lego 

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Reggio Online, Italia

November 13, 2023

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Home " Eventi " Gioco e apprendimento: il progetto di Reggio Children e Lego

Al centro Malaguzzi una due giorni per grandi e piccoli. Il 16 novembre prima conferenza internazionale e lectio di Mitchel Resnick del Mit di Boston. Il 17 presentata in anteprima nazionale una nuova app di programmazione per bimbi, oltre a laboratori con gli insegnanti

REGGIO EMILIA - Un giro del mondo per promuovere il rapporto tra il diritto al gioco e il diritto all'apprendimento per tutti, insieme al diritto a un'educazione di qualità. È questo l'obiettivo del progetto PER che sta per "play, explore, research" di Fondazione Reggio Children, nata dall'esperienza educativa di Reggio Emilia, con The Lego Foundation in qualità di finanziatore.

Il progetto partirà iniziando dall'Italia con il doppio appuntamento a Reggio Emilia il 16 e 17 novembre al centro Malaguzzi. Sarà la prima di sette conferenze internazionali che si terranno in due anni nei cinque continenti. Agli incontri dedicati a insegnanti, educatori, ricercatori, genitori e policy maker seguiranno esperienze e workshop, pubblicazioni e progetti per combattere la povertà educativa, sensibilizzare e diffondere l'importanza del rapporto tra gioco e apprendimento.

Il programma del lancio del progetto prevede, giovedì dalle 17.30 gli interventi istituzionali. Il giorno successivo, alle 17, il professor Resnick e il gruppo di ricerca Lifelong Kindergarten presenteranno in anteprima a insegnanti, educatori e genitori la loro nuova app di programmazione, gratuita e rivolta ai più giovani, OctoStudio, che offrirà una nuova esperienza di apprendimento creativo sul cellulare attraverso il gioco.

Per gli insegnanti la partecipazione è riconosciuta come corso di aggiornamento, per partecipare agli appuntamenti è necessaria l'iscrizione online che prevede un breve questionario obbligatorio ai fini della ricerca: https://bit.ly/PER-PlayExploreResearch.
Reggio Emilia Fondazione Reggio Chlldren

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Gioco e apprendimento: il progetto di Reggio Children e Lego

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REGGIO EMILIA - Un giro del mondo per promuovere il rapporto tra il diritto al gioco e il diritto all'apprendimento per tutti, insieme al diritto a un'educazione di qualità. È questo l'obiettivo del progetto PER che sta per "play, explore, research" di Fondazione Reggio Children, nata dall'esperienza educativa di Reggio Emilia, con The Lego Foundation in ...

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Bimbi e uso creativo del cellulare: un’App segna la svolta. VIDEO

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Bimbi e uso creativo del cellulare: un’App segna la svolta. VIDEO

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Reggio Online

November 16, 2023

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Bimbi e uso creativo del cellulare: un’App segna la svolta. VIDEO

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Studiosi e ricercatori nel settore dell’educazione da tutto il mondo sono oggi e domani al centro Loris Malaguzzi. Al centro degli incontri, un progetto messo a punto dal Mit di Boston dedicato all’uso creativo del cellulare per i più giovani e presentato in anteprima nazionale nella nostra città. “In tutto il mondo, sempre …

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Smartphone ai bambini, i consigli dell’esperto del MIT: “Non serve connessione né addebito dati. Così i più piccoli possono apprendere in modo non passivo” 

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Smartphone ai bambini, i consigli dell’esperto del MIT: “Non serve connessione né addebito dati. Così i più piccoli possono apprendere in modo non passivo” 

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Orizzonte Escuola

November 17, 2023

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E' partito il progetto "Per - Play Explore Research" sostenuto da The Lego Foundation con Fondazione Reggio ChildrenNovember 20, 2023: 

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E' partito il progetto "Per - Play Explore Research" sostenuto da The Lego Foundation con Fondazione Reggio Children 

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E' partito il progetto "Per - Play Explore Research" sostenuto da The Lego Foundation con Fondazione Reggio Children 

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Contenuto

È partito giocando e parlando di gioco e apprendimento a Reggio Emilia il progetto internazionale PER Play, Explore, Research di Fondazione Reggio Children, reso possibile da The LEGO Foundation, in qualità di soggetto finanziatore, iniziato dall'Italia con un doppio appuntamento al Centro internazionale Loris Malaguzzi a Reggio Emilia il 16 e 17 novembre: una conferenza internazionale e diversi workshop che hanno coinvolte oltre 750 persone, tra bambine, bambini e adulti.

PER Play Explore Research è un giro del mondo per promuovere la relazione tra il diritto al gioco e il diritto all'apprendimento per tutti, insieme al diritto a un'educazione di qualità. I bambini sono i principali beneficiari del progetto PER, volto a contrastare le povertà educative, coinvolgendo insegnanti, educatori, ricercatori, genitori e policy maker nella visione di un'infanzia non come età della fragilità, bensì delle tante potenzialità e dei diritti fin dalla nascita. In trenta mesi, il progetto sarà in Europa, Sud America, Nord America, Africa, Oceania e Asia con declinazioni specifiche ed esperienze da sviluppare nel tempo, iniziando con conferenze di presentazione e workshop.

Giovedì 16 novembre il progetto PER è iniziato con la presentazione coordinata da Eugenio Bruno, giornalista del Sole 24 Ore, a cui sono intervenuti Luca Vecchi, Sindaco di Reggio Emilia e presidente Anci Emilia-Romagna, Carla Rinaldi, presidente Fondazione Reggio Children, Sidsel Marie Kristensen, ceo di The LEGO Foundation, Vanna Iori, Istituto Toniolo - Università Cattolica di Milano e Mitchel Resnick, professore di Ricerca sull'Apprendimento al MIT Media Lab di Boston, direttore del team Lifelong Kindergarten. Era presente Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, terza generazione della famiglia che ha fondato LEGO. Venerdì 17 novembre si è tenuto il primo workshop di PER, con il lancio nazionale della nuova app di programmazione creativa per cellulare rivolta ai bambini, OctoStudio, da parte del professor Mitchel Resnick e del Lifelong Kindergarten.

Un inizio magico e giocoso

La conferenza è stata aperta da una performance di Alessandro Maida, attore circense, cofondatore delle compagnie Magda Clan Circo e CirqueCentrique, che ha camminato magicamente su una grande sfera, lasciando il pubblico incantato. Al termine, un breve saluto, ricordando che "il gioco è anche fatto di regole e di impegno".

Hanno detto

Carla Rinaldi, presidente Fondazione Reggio Children "Agire per l'educazione e il gioco, è agire per la pace"
La presidente di Fondazione Reggio Children Carla Rinaldi ha presentato il progetto con The LEGO Foundation: "È nato nel solco di una ricerca profonda sul giocare bene, come dice la parola LEGO, e delle tante tappe della relazione con Reggio Emilia. PER è un progetto di ricerca e di condivisone sulla relazione tra gioco e apprendimento che si svilupperà in tutto il mondo con la nostra rete di partner internazionali".
"Ci siamo interrogati tutti se fosse possibile, in queste giornate tragiche per il mondo, parlare di gioco, che è piacere, divertimento, vita, quando c'è un'infanzia negata in più di 50 Paesi in conflitto nel mondo. - ha detto Rinaldi - A molti bambini è stato tolto il diritto non solo di giocare, ma di vivere. È un dolore questa perdita umana, un lutto, ci sentiamo in lutto. Può sembrare un'utopia oggi parlare di apprendimento creativo, gioco ed educazione, ma proprio per questo, siamo obbligati ad agire e a rivendicare i diritti dell'infanzia al gioco, all'apprendimento, alla vita emotiva, all'educazione di qualità, andare oltre la sola compassione. Agire per l'educazione e per il gioco significa agire per la pace. Agire per un'educazione gioiosa, appassionata, che scava nelle motivazioni di ogni bambino per preparare meglio il suo futuro. Per accogliere questa dimensione necessaria che diamo inizio con The LEGO Foundation ad un progetto che insieme abbiamo fortemente voluto e che inauguriamo con un grande protagonista dell'apprendimento creativo, il Lifelong Kindergarten del MIT Media Lab".

Luca Vecchi, sindaco di Reggio Emilia "Amicizia rafforzata con Fondazione LEGO e MIT"
Il sindaco di Reggio Emilia e presidente Anci Emilia-Romagna, Luca Vecchi, ha affermato: "Si rafforzano e si confermano le relazioni internazionali di amicizia e collaborazione di Reggio Emilia con The LEGO Foundation e il MIT Media Lab di Boston con il Progetto PER e il lancio nazionale della app OctoStudio, grazie al coinvolgimento promosso da Fondazione Reggio Children e dalla sua presidente Carla Rinaldi. L'educazione di qualità per l'infanzia, la solidarietà, la ricerca, centrali nell'esperienza reggiana, si sposano, grazie al Progetto PER, con un'altra caratteristica importante, la creatività. La vediamo nella storia del lavoro e della conoscenza che incontriamo al Parco Innovazione, al Centro internazionale Loris Malaguzzi e che vedremo all'ex Caffarri, che sarà l'incubatore del progetto sostenuto da The LEGO Foundation. Centrale è, da Reggio Emilia, la possibilità di promuovere e diffondere il diritto ad un'educazione di qualità per tutte e tutti, e di poter essere presenti anche nelle periferie della terra".

Sidsel Marie Kristensen, CEO di The LEGO Foundation: "Mettere i bambini al centro"
"Sappiamo che l'apprendimento attraverso il gioco contribuisce allo sviluppo fondamentale e olistico dei bambini fin da piccoli, e per questo è importante per noi mettere i bambini al centro di tutto ciò che facciamo con i nostri partner - ha detto Sidsel Marie Kristensen, CEO di The LEGO Foundation - Il progetto Play, Explore Research sarà una potente piattaforma per riunire educatori, ricercatori e responsabili politici per far progredire l'apprendimento attraverso il gioco per i bambini a livello globale. La cosa ancora più entusiasmante è che il progetto coinvolgerà anche i bambini e le loro famiglie nel contribuire alla ricerca e all'advocacy sull'apprendimento attraverso il gioco. I bambini si impegneranno in un ambiente davvero unico, che rafforza le relazioni tra pari, l'apprendimento interattivo, la passione e la motivazione, aiutandoli a sviluppare competenze essenziali per la vita e conoscenza per affrontare il futuro. Questo approccio innovativo dà loro voce e possibilità di sperimentare, imparare e crescere, e questo mentre noi, gli adulti, impariamo da loro".

Vanna Iori, Istituto Giuseppe Toniolo:"Animare l'azione educativa significa darle un'anima"
Per la professoressa Vanna Iori del Comitato di indirizzo Istituto Giuseppe Toniolo - Università Cattolica di Milano Sacro Cuore, intervenuta sul tema del gioco e della relazione con le povertà educative e la vita emotiva, "animare l'azione educativa significa darle anima". "E presuppone preparazione, ricerca, sperimentazione - ha continuato -, per stimolare la crescita della persona nella pluralità delle sue dimensioni esistenziali. Le attività ludiche rafforzano le dinamiche relazionali e arricchiscono gli apprendimenti. L'esperienza del gioco riveste infatti un ruolo importante, in stretta relazione alle acquisizioni dei saperi formali, nelle esperienze formative con bambini e ragazzi, ma anche con gli adulti. L'educazione è costitutivamente relazione e unisce cuore e mente. La centralità dell'animazione è un prezioso contributo per lo sviluppo delle diverse competenze perché collega l'intelligenza emotiva con quella cognitiva, accresce l'estro creativo, aiuta l'espressione di idee e vissuti capaci di rafforzare i contenuti e i modi dell'apprendimento".

Mitchel Resnick: "Crescere come pensatori creativi in un mondo di cambiamenti continui e imprevedibili"
A Mitchel Resnick, professore di Ricerca sull'Apprendimento al MIT Media Lab di Boston, direttore del gruppo di ricerca Lifelong Kindergarten, membro del Comitato Scientifico di Fondazione Reggio Children, era stato chiesto da Fondazione Reggio Children di adottare una parola della Carta "Educazione di qualità in risposta alle emergenze educative", lanciata Fondazione Reggio Children nel 2022 dopo la pandemia e l'inizio di nuovi conflitti, e su questa incentrare il suo intervento.Resnick​ ha scelto di parlare di "comunità"​ partendo da Scratch, il linguaggio di programmazione online per bambini più popolare al mondo,​ creato con Lifelong Kindergarten e che ha raggiunto 43 milioni di bambini di tantissime scuole e i loro insegnanti​. ​Ha portato come esempi l​'attività di​ giovani "scratchers" su temi sociali​: la mobilitazione per un mondo di pace dopo lo scoppio della guerra in Ucraina o l'impegno per salvare l'India dall'inquinamento o gli appelli contro l'uso fuori controllo di armi negli Stati Uniti o per diffondere informazioni durante l'emergenza pandemica.

Cittadini consapevoli e creativi

E un progetto che promuove il potenziale e le competenze di bambine e bambini, i loro 100 linguaggi, l'idea di educazione come processo democratico e partecipativo, l'importanza dell'apprendimento ludico non solo in giovane età, ma attraverso un processo che dura tutta la vita. Mira a dialogare con i sistemi educativi di tutto il mondo, muovendosi in armonia con l' Obiettivo di Sviluppo Sostenibile 4 dell'Agenda 2030: "Garantire un'istruzione di qualità inclusiva ed equa e promuovere opportunità di apprendimento permanente per tutti".

Fondazione Reggio Children e The LEGO Foundation hanno collaborato negli ultimi anni per promuovere l'avanzamento dell'apprendimento attraverso il gioco, sviluppando anche progetti condivisi. Con PER Project condividono "un approccio educativo che contempla la relazione tra apprendimento e gioco, che fa leva sulla motivazione, sugli interessi dei bambini, sull'apprendimento cooperativo, sullo scambio tra pari, sulla promozione di accessi multipli alla conoscenza attraverso molti linguaggi diversi, sulla relazione empatica tra tutti gli esseri viventi e materiali". Questo può, secondo l'esperienza dei due promotori, e secondo la letteratura scientifica, "offrire una nuova prospettiva agli insegnanti e agli educatori, compresi i genitori e gli altri adulti coinvolti nella comunità educante. Una prospettiva che possa permettere ai bambini di attivare la loro curiosità, e la loro autonomia, e farli crescere come cittadini consapevoli e creativi".

La ricerca nell'ambito del progetto PER

La ricerca sul rapporto tra gioco e apprendimento sarà portata avanti nel progetto PER seguendo sul campo lo sviluppo delle esperienze che verranno avviate nel mondo, con il supporto di The LEGO Foundation insieme ad alcuni tra i più significativi progetti della Fondazione Reggio Children. Tra questi il Dottorato di Ricerca in Reggio Childhood Studies, di Fondazione Reggio Children e Desu-Unimore, con una borsa di studio dedicata al tema gioco e apprendimento. Coinvolti inoltre il progetto scintillae-play and learning in the digita age su gioco e apprendimento nell'era digitale, realizzato da Fondazione Reggio Children con The LEGO Foundation e il progetto su educazione e sostenibilità Remida-Centro di Riciclaggio Creativo che troveranno sede nello spazio oggetto di recupero e riqualificazione ex "Caffarri" di Reggio Emilia, che verrà allestito con il contributo di The LEGO Foundation. Come riferimento valoriale e per la creazione di reti il progetto PER si ispira alla carta sull'educazione di qualità in risposta all'emergenza educativa "Educazione di qualità, una sfida globale", lanciata Fondazione Reggio Children nel 2022 dopo la pandemia.

Info

Fondazione Reggio Children www.frchildren.org fb https://www.facebook.com/frchildren
ig @fondazione_reggiochildren
The LEGO Foundation https://learningthroughplay.com/
Scratch https://scratch.mit.edu/
OctoStudio https://octostudio.org/it/

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E' partito il progetto "Per - Play Explore Research" sostenuto da The Lego Foundation con Fondazione Reggio Children

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Si è parlato di gioco e apprendimento il 16 e il 17 novembre al Loris Malaguzzi ad una conferenza internazionale e diversi workshop che hanno coinvolto oltre 750 persone, tra bambine, bambini e adulti.

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Wonderful Idea

December 7, 2023

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As well, these three topics (selfies, city walk and food images) demonstrate just a few of the possibilities for choosing objects and images to look at through a mirrored viewer. Each of these themes allow learners to look at see themselves and the world around them in new ways.

I'm inspired by Mitchel Resnick's "4 Ps of Creative Learning" and as we continue to explore the new OctoStudio app, we hope to find "passion and projects" in the things around us, "play" by transforming everyday objects things into amazing geometric patterns and hopefully "peers" when others collaborate with us on new ideas. So if you all try out some OctoStudio kaleidoscope experiments, please share so we can continue to learn together.

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OctoStudio Kaleidoscope Experiments - Wonderful Idea Co.

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As part of the ongoing Tinkering Inventive Playsets (TIPs) prototyping, the Tinkering Studio and the rest of the LEGO Playful Museum Network are exploring kaleidoscopes. Over the last weeks, we have become interested in seeing if we can combine our explorations of kaleidoscopic patterns with the

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OctoStudio, novo app de computação criativa desenvolvido pelo MIT Media Lab, será lançado na CBAC 2023

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OctoStudio, novo app de computação criativa desenvolvido pelo MIT Media Lab, será lançado na CBAC 2023

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Scratch Brasil

October 24, 2023

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O OctoStudio é um novo aplicativo de computação criativa que transforma como... Ler mais

O OctoStudio é um novo aplicativo de computação criativa que transforma como crianças e jovens usam celulares e tablets. O aplicativo desenvolvido pelo grupo de pesquisa Lifelong Kindergarten do MIT Media Lab, que também criou o Scratch, possibilita a criação de histórias, animações e jogos a qualquer hora, em qualquer lugar.

Muitas crianças e adolescentes usam celulares e tablets apenas para consumirem vídeos e redes sociais. O OctoStudio os convida a darem vida às suas fotos e sons, utilizando programação em blocos, e compartilharem seus projetos com amigos e família.

O OctoStudio está sendo lançado nos Estados Unidos no dia 24 de outubro e, no Brasil, será lançado na 3ª Conferência de Aprendizagem Criativa - CBAC 2023, que será realizada de 12 a 15 de novembro, com a presença de Natalie Rusk e Thaís Xisto, pesquisadoras do Lifelong Kindergarten do MIT Media Lab, que participarão de palestras, mesas e oficinas. Saiba mais sobre o OctoStudio.

A CBAC 2023 acontecerá presencialmente em São João del-Rei - Minas Gerais e será uma oportunidade incrível para todos os participantes interessados nas possibilidades da computação criativa se inspirarem e trocarem experiências com criativos de todo o Brasil e do mundo.

Ao longo dos três dias de evento, a Conferência contará com a presença de renomados pesquisadores, incluindo Leo Burd (MIT Media Lab e RBAC), Ann Berger Valente (MIT Media Lab e RBAC), Sebastian Martin (Tinkering Studio), representantes da Fundação Scratch e da Fundação Microbit, além de outros convidados especiais. Eles trarão falas inspiradoras em palestras, mediarão oficinas, e ainda participarão de mesas, apresentações de trabalhos e mostras interativas que compõem a programação. Inscreva-se gratuitamente.

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OctoStudio, novo app de computação criativa desenvolvido pelo MIT Media Lab, será lançado na CBAC 2023 - Scratch Brasil

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O OctoStudio é um app de computação criativa para celulares e tablets. Foi desenvolvido pelo MIT Media Lab, que também criou o Scratch

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La nueva aplicación del MIT invita a aprender mediante historias animadas

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La nueva aplicación del MIT invita a aprender mediante historias animadas

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Litoral Press

December 11, 2023

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La nueva aplicación del MIT invita a aprender mediante historias animadas
Desde su lanzamiento en 2007, más de 100 millones de jóvenes han usado Scratch para crear historias y animaciones interactivas, volviéndolo uno de los lenguajes de programación más populares entre los escolares alrededor del mundo. ¿El problema? Para crear proyectos en Scratch se necesitan pantallas grandes --como la de los computadores portátiles o de escritorio-y no sirven los teléfonos móviles.
Por eso, ante la creciente expansión de los celulares, que en ciertos casos se han convertido en la única tecnología a la que muchos tienen acceso, el Media Lab del Instituto de Tecnología de Massachusetts (MIT) sintió la urgencia de desarrollar una nueva interfaz de codificación, también de uso general y fácil de emplear, pero que permitiera ser utilizada en pantallas pequeñas, que se llevan de un lado a otro.
Así fue como nació OctoStudio, su nueva aplicación de programación para teléfonos móviles, que aprovecha los sensores integrados a los celulares para crear juegos y animaciones. "Es una evolución de Scratch, pero da mayor sentido de pertenencia al poder estar con tu propio aparato, ya sea tablet o celular, haciendo creaciones", comenta Rodrigo Fábrega, presidente de la Fundación Cruzando y parte del grupo de investigación Lifelong Kindergarten del MIT Media Lab, desde donde surgió esta iniciativa.
La aplicación es gratuita, está disponible en español y aunque se dio a conocer hace unos días, son varios los escolares alrededor del mundo quienes la han estado probando a modo de piloto, entre ellos, algunos estudiantes chilenos. Abducción de personajes Es el caso de los alumnos de 3 a 7 básico del Colegio Alberto Blest Gana de San Ramón, quienes hace un año integraron OctoStudio a su asignatura de creatividad digital. Por ejemplo, con un grupo de ellos "fuimos al Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes y cada uno tomó fotos de las obras que más le interesaban. Un alumno que tomó la imagen de un cuadro con una ventana después la programó para que se viera como que llovía, que había nieve o que pasaba el sol. Se puede programar que pase un perro caminando por atrás", ejemplifica Fábrega.
Nathaly Ortiz, profesora de artes visuales y creatividad digital del colegio, cuenta que "hubo hasta abducciones de los personajes (de las obras) por parte de los ovnis". "Sabemos que una persona aprende más cuando lo que se aprende es algo que le interesa. La teoría además dice que cuando eres capaz de hacer algo, entonces el conocimiento que produjiste se transforma en uno inolvidable", dice el investigador del MIT. El director del colegio, Ricardo Román, celebra que estén utilizando OctoStudio.
Los estudiantes "pueden realizar proyectos tomando imágenes y sonidos del ambiente, mezclarlos con imágenes de internet y crear animaciones, para lo cual deben investigar sobre el proyecto: calcular distancias, tiempos y ángulos para que los objetos reaccionen ante movimientos del celular. Con estas investigaciones y programaciones decididas por los propios estudiantes, tienen la motivación para hacerse preguntas y reflexionar sobre lo que aprenden", explica.
Dado que permite generar proyectos en cualquier momento y lugar, Fábrega también invita a usar la app en familia. "Se puede ir en auto tomando fotos a los letreros de tránsito, para luego crear uno nuevo", señala. OctoStudio se probó en Chile y ya está disponible de forma gratuita y en español: La nueva aplicación del MIT invita a aprender mediante historias animadas M. C. n La idea es que los mismos jóvenes las fabriquen a través de esta app de programación, que aprovecha los sensores integrados a los celulares para crear juegos y animaciones. OctoStudio se puede descargar en las tiendas de aplicaciones de equipos iPhone y Android. En la foto, un alumno del Colegio Alberto Blest Gana mientras creaba contenido. CEDIDA La nueva aplicación del MIT invita a aprender mediante historias animadas.

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La nueva aplicación del MIT invita a aprender mediante historias animadas Desde su lanzamiento en 2007, más de 100 millones de jóvenes han usado Scratch para crear historias y animaciones interactivas, volviéndolo uno de los lenguajes de programación más populares entre los escolares alrededor del mundo. ¿El problema?

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Coding is the language of the future and the future is now

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Coding is the language of the future and the future is now

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Global Teacher Prize

December 13, 2023

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Phuti Ragophala is a retired school Principal at Pula-Madibogo Primary in Mankweng Capricorn District South, Polokwane Limpopo Province in South Africa. Phuti Ragophala says

"Coding is the language of the future and the future is now."

I am Phuti Ragophala, 2023 recipient of the Presidential National Order of Baobab. I retired but not relaxed!

Every year, during the first week of December, it's World Computer Science Education Week, where everyone should learn how to code. Coding projects actually cut across all ages. I started engaging my community children in Coding some years back using different applications.

Already they know how to code using Grasshopper, Scratch , Rangers tokens and Make Code Arcade . So this year, I engaged them in coding using Minecraft AI and Octo Studio applications. It takes only an hour to do it hence its Hour of Code.

There are several things that I realised about integrating teaching and learning with coding applications

-Coding applications cuts across all subjects

-Introducing coding in teaching and learning can significantly enhance student engagement and inject fun into the classroom environment.

- Coding offers a creative and interactive approach to education, promoting problem-solving skills and critical thinking.

- It allows students to actively participate in their learning journey by creating projects and experimenting with code.

-Coding also provides an opportunity for personalised exploration, as students can develop projects related to their interests, making it more enjoyable and relevant to their lives.

-Furthermore, coding nurtures important future-ready skills, such as logical reasoning and collaboration, while exposing students to exciting career prospects in the digital age.

-After completing their projects, certificates of participation pop out automatically. That in itself motivates learners to work more and hard

-Let us remember that today's generations learn by creating knowledge from the teacher and not absorbing it as we did in the past.

-As such, I urge all teachers and school principals to flip over their classrooms from traditional way of teaching to modern.

If we don't teach learners the way they understand, we are depriving them of their brighter future.

According to me, a cellphone is one of the most resourceful resource for learners to use in learning.

As teachers, we need to flip over our classrooms from traditional teaching and learning to modern

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Coding is the language of the future and the future is now. Phuti Ragophala - South Africa

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"If a child cannot learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn" Ignacio Estrada

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🐙📱 OctoStudio Explorations and Reflections

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🐙📱 OctoStudio Explorations and Reflections

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Tinkering Together blog

March 7, 2024

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We celebrated the launch of Octostudio a few months ago! ✨ 🐙 Since then, the OctoStudio community has been growing and we've seen so many inventive and playful experiences emerge from educators and learners around the world. If you want to stay in the loop and see what's new in the OctoStudio world you can check out the website: octostudio.org and sign up for the OctoStudio newsletter.

In February, the Tinkering Studio and OctoStudio team facilitated a month-long "Octo Sparks" invitation to tinker with patterns and code. February was just the beginning, so it's not too late to join in! Check out the Tinkering Studio's page with ideas for tinkering with OctoStudio + Patterns, and watch the recorded livestream for some seriously inspiring invitations to tinker:

OctoStudio + Patterns is one among a whole set of OctoStudio explorations that combine real world materials and tinkering with code. Take a look at the OctoStudio Explorations page for more ideas.

Our Facilitating Computational Tinkering project team thinks a lot about how to create the conditions for creative learning, and we sometimes draw from our own experiences as learners and makers to inform what we design. Hear from Steph from the Tinkering Studio about how she's thinking about her relationship to code and creativity as their team works to how to invite learners into playful coding experiences. ⬇️

" Every coding class I took as a student followed the same structure: weeks and weeks of set assignments with fixed outcomes. Then, for the final project at the very end of the course, a breath of fresh air: at long last, we'd be given the space for some creativity.
This format - of front-loading instruction to give us the tools for coding before eventually getting a creative prompt - seemed logical and fixed to me. I thought that instructional approaches to coding had to come before you got to express yourself and play, even as I noticed that my engagement waned when building towards fixed outcomes and skyrocketed when making personalized projects to share my own ideas. On the Tinkering Studio team, and especially since the launch of OctoStudio, I've had the chance to interrogate this approach. Our work on the Facilitating Computational Project in conversation with collaborators at the Lifelong Kindergarten group and Creative Communities research group at CU Boulder has helped me challenge the view that you have to start step-by-step before things can get creative. Instead, we center our R&D sessions around how to support learners in using code as a tool for creative expression. We value all of the prior experiences as a person that they bring to the table - not just their experience as a coder. With this lens, we've been playing with OctoStudio in the lead up to its public launch and are so excited to be able to invite everyone into these explorations! OctoStudio is a really powerful tool, especially for storytelling and creative expression. We're still surprising ourselves with new ways to combine code and physical materials. We'll continue building out these OctoStudio Explorations, but we hope this set of starting points is enough to spark ideas of how to creatively combine code with physical materials to support learners in expressing their ideas."

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🐙📱 OctoStudio Explorations and Reflections

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Tinkering with patterns and code, and thinking about creative coding pathways

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Exploring Spatial Concepts and Community Mapping with OctoStudio

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Exploring Spatial Concepts and Community Mapping with OctoStudio

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Unleashing Creativity

March 2024

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As a bilingual school, we are committed to providing students with more opportunities to use Chinese, and this extends to the field of technology. Even if you are not a Chinese teacher, we welcome you to join this presentation. We believe that by utilizing tools like OctoStudio, students can not only expand their programming and spatial concept skills but also gain more practical experience in Chinese language learning. Together, we can open wider doors for students in language and technological development. In this presentation, we will explore how to integrate fundamental programming concepts and skills with the latest application, OctoStudio, to inspire students' interest in spatial concepts, help them understand the purpose of community facilities, and enhance their Chinese language skills through personalized maps. Join us as we delve into the world of OctoStudio and discover how it empowers students to grasp spatial concepts, understand community facilities, and strengthen their Chinese language skills within personalized maps.

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Unleashing Creativity: Exploring Spatial Concepts and Community Mapping with OctoStudio - 21st Century Learning Conference

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As a bilingual school, we are committed to providing students with more opportunities to use Chinese, and this extends to the field of technology. Even if you are not a Chinese teacher, we welcome you to join this presentation. We believe that by utilizing tools like OctoStudio, students can not only expand their programming and [...]

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Tuto Coding

April 2024

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OctoStudio est une application mobile pour apprendre à coder. Développée par le MIT Media Lab (à l'origine de Scratch), elle permet de créer des jeux et des applications en utilisant certaines fonctionnalités spécifiques aux appareils mobiles.

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Tuto Coding : mes premiers pas en codage avec OctoStudio - Geek Junior -

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OctoStudio est une application mobile pour apprendre à coder. Développée par le MIT Media Lab (à l'origine de Scratch), elle permet de créer des jeux et des applications en utilisant certaines fonctionnalités spécifiques aux appareils mobiles.

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OctoStudio: Tolle App zum Programmieren lernen 

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OctoStudio: Tolle App zum Programmieren lernen 

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App Camps

April 17, 2024

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Anne Looks ist studierte Medienwissenschaftlerin und hat lange in der Verlagsbranche gearbeitet. Ihre Leidenschaft ist digitale Produktentwicklung und New Learning. Bei App Camps entwickelt sie Unterrichtsmaterialien, veranstaltet Webinare und hin und wieder schreibt sie etwas, meistens für @app_camps auf Instagram.

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OctoStudio: Tolle App zum Programmieren lernen

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🐙 Mit der kostenfreien App OctoStudio könnt ihr einfach interaktive Animationen und Spiele mit einem Mobiltelefon oder Tablet erstellen.

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OctoStudio Teaches Children to Code by Tinkering

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OctoStudio Teaches Children to Code by Tinkering

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Edutopia

May 7, 2024

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Giving children projects with low floors, high ceilings, and wide walls allows them to creatively explore the world around them.

In his influential book Lifelong Kindergarten, Mitchel Resnick writes about projects with low floors, high ceilings, and wide walls. Seymour Papert developed the idea behind the first two: Low floors emphasize the importance of easy entry points, where barriers to engaging in activities or concepts are significantly reduced. High ceilings encourage learners to push their boundaries by offering opportunities for deep exploration and mastery. Resnick's concept of wide walls opens a variety of possibilities for learners with diverse interests: "Children should be able to grow with their tools," he wrote. Lego, the Scratch programming language, and Minecraft each have a low floor, a high ceiling, and wide walls for creative learning.

These are the principles that the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab has used to develop OctoStudio, a new, free coding app for children that works on mobile devices and tablets. Like Scratch, color-coded blocks can be interlocked in seconds and then react when a mobile device is tilted, moved, or tapped. As a low-floor tool, it is easy to learn. I spoke with Eric Schilling, one member of the OctoStudio team. "OctoStudio doesn't do everything for you," Schilling noted. "There's a high ceiling and wide walls to tinker with it, too." Tinkering is playful experimentation that can produce creativity.

3 OctoStudio Projects for the Elementary Classroom

There are myriad ways to utilize OctoStudio in the classroom, as Schilling and Ryoko Matsumoto from The Tinkering Studio, a prototyping space at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, shared with me. Rather than teaching coding as standalone lessons, The Tinkering Studio developed these projects as low-floor, high-ceiling, and wide-walls experiences where children learn through making and sharing projects. Each project can be adapted for your elementary classroom.

Wonder Walks to Introduce Science Topics: Using the low floor of importing images and narration on mobile devices, Schilling shared a fun lesson called "A Wonder Walk." It builds on the idea of using KWL charts, a common introductory lesson in many elementary classrooms where teachers ask what students already know (K), wonder about (W), and will learn (L). "A Wonder Walk is an exploration of the space around you," he said. Rather than chart paper or a whiteboard, turn the wonder and curiosity of a KWL chart into an opportunity for children to learn how to code while exploring the world around them. When walking around nature, have students take a photo and then tap a code block to add narration, where they record their questions over the image.
Courtesy of OctoStudio
A Wonder Walk turns screen time into a nature walk or, as Matsumoto describes it, a "field trip with a purpose." Schilling shared an example that can be adapted for any wondering. First, a child takes a picture of a tree stump. In OctoStudio, tapping that image allows you to hear that child say, "I wonder why that tree was cut down." Another interactive image inquires, "I wonder why the moon is out during the daytime."

Interactive Windows to the World: Tinker with a View is another project that can be mapped to elementary social studies content standards, in which students share research on the world outside. Start by bringing the class outside to take photos of their surroundings, either nature or the local community. You can also import images of faraway places. Young students can then snap together a couple of code blocks to animate the images. Next, using physical materials, have students cut out and decorate cardboard window frames. Placing the cardboard window frame over the screen culminates the activity, turning digital screens into windows of the world! More ways to adapt this project are in this presentation.

Tinkering With Books: There are many approaches that elementary teachers take to bring books to life, from fan fiction writing to acting out as characters in reader's theater. OctoStudio can be used to create a low-floor, high-ceiling, and wide-walls opportunity to deepen reading experiences. For instance, Bring a Book to Life projects ask young students to take a picture of a character and a backdrop of their choosing from a picturebook and add that to an OctoStudio project. Next, narration, sound effects, and interactive elements are added.

One idea uses the board book Don't Push the Button! by Bill Cotter. In the book, a purple monster named Larry tries to resist all temptations to push a red button. Children can take a picture of Larry and the red button. By simply adding a coding block to the red button sprite, the backdrop can be changed to coordinate with the narrative in the board book.

In a similar project, The Book with a Hole, by Hervé Tullet, is brought to life. As the title suggests, the book has a literal hole in its center, which can fit a smartphone when opened on a table or desk. Children can easily code interactions that change the objects that appear as the pages are turned.

In addition to picture books with fictional narratives, nonfiction projects can bring a science text to life, as students can make animated projects illustrating what they've learned.

OctoStudio is more than coding on a phone; rather, it is a tool for introducing interest-driven, project-based learning to children. Best of all, it is completely free. There are no accounts to create, no user data is collected, and it is available in more than 20 languages. With a low-floor, high-ceiling, and wide-walls tool like OctoStudio, what will your students create?

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OctoStudio Teaches Children to Code by Tinkering

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Giving children projects with low floors, high ceilings, and wide walls allows them to creatively explore the world around them.

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OctoStudio: A World Of Fun And Creative Possibilities For Kids

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OctoStudio: A World Of Fun And Creative Possibilities For Kids

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Skool of Code

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Explore the world where young minds transform their mobile phones and tablets into gateways of limitless creativity. That's precisely what OctoStudio offers-your passport to a world of interactive animations and games that can be crafted on the go, whenever and wherever inspiration strikes.

Introduction to Octostudio

OctoStudio is a free coding app developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab. It is designed to transform how young people use mobile phones and tablets to create their own stories and games. The App offers several creative possibilities for children, including the ability to create animations, games, and interactive projects using coding blocks. Children can take photos, record sounds, and bring them to life with coding blocks, allowing them to create their artwork, musical instruments, and more. OctoStudio is completely free of charge, without any ads or in-app purchases, and is available in more than 20 languages. It is designed for students ages 7 and up, including those with low vision and students who use screen readers, making it an inclusive creative tool for a diverse range of learners. The App also encourages global collaboration, enabling children from different cultures to connect and collaborate on projects. OctoStudio is available for iPhones, iPads, and Android smartphones and tablets, and can be used without needing an internet connection.

What are the creative possibilities of OctoStudio?

OctoStudio offers a range of creative possibilities for children to explore and develop their skills. Here's what you can do:

Photography and Sound Recording: Children can take photos and record sounds, bringing them to life with coding blocks.

Coding with blocks: OctoStudio uses coding blocks, similar to the popular Scratch coding language, allowing children to create interactive projects and develop their creativity and problem-solving skills.

Customizable projects: Young people can create projects that are meaningful and relatable to their interests, experiences, and surroundings, such as musical instruments, games that react to the tilt of the phone, or collaborative projects that use Bluetooth to beam signals between phones.

Accessible for all: OctoStudio is designed for students ages 7 and up, including those with low vision and students who use screen readers, making it an inclusive creative tool for a diverse range of learners.

Global collaboration: The app is available in over 20 languages, allowing children from different cultures to connect and collaborate on projects.

Teaching and learning resources: Educators and creators can find a growing collection of ideas for tinkering with OctoStudio, including full-fledged projects and smaller sparks of inspiration.

Octostudio and Scratch

OctoStudio and Scratch are both coding platforms designed for young people to create their own stories and games. OctoStudio is a mobile app developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab, while Scratch is a web-based platform developed by the same group. OctoStudio is designed for use on mobile phones and tablets, while Scratch was designed for use on laptops and desktop computers.

Both platforms use coding blocks to create interactive projects, but OctoStudio is more pictorial and uses more visual cues, making it easier for younger children who are not yet confident readers to use. OctoStudio also makes use of the sensors on a phone, allowing children to create projects that react to the tilt of the phone or use Bluetooth to beam signals between phones. Scratch, on the other hand, offers more advanced features, including the ability to create more complex projects and games.

OctoStudio is designed to be more accessible for children with low vision and those who use screen readers, making it an inclusive creative tool for a diverse range of learners. OctoStudio is also available in over 20 languages, allowing children from different cultures to connect and collaborate on projects.

In summary, while both OctoStudio and Scratch offer coding blocks to create interactive projects, OctoStudio is designed for mobile devices and is more pictorial and accessible, while Scratch offers more advanced features and is designed for use on laptops and desktop computers.

How does Octostudio help children develop creative skills ?

OctoStudio helps children develop creative skills in several ways:

1. Problem-solving and creative-thinking skills: In the process of creating projects with OctoStudio, children develop important problem-solving and creative-thinking skills, while learning computational ideas.

2. Expression and collaboration: The app invites young people to express themselves creatively, experiment, collaborate, and share ideas with one another, fostering an environment for creative learning experiences.

3. Meaningful and relatable projects: Children can create projects that are meaningful and relatable to their interests, experiences, and surroundings, such as integrating photos into animated stories about the local environment or creating interactive games that reflect their cultural experiences.

4. Inclusive design: OctoStudio is designed for students ages 7 and up, including those with low vision and students who use screen readers, making it an inclusive creative tool for a diverse range of learners.

5. Global collaboration: The app is available in over 20 languages, allowing children from different cultures to connect and collaborate on projects, expanding opportunities for young people to create projects anytime, anywhere.

In summary, OctoStudio provides a platform for children to develop creative skills through problem-solving, expression, collaboration, and the creation of meaningful and relatable projects, while also promoting inclusivity and global collaboration.

SkoolOfCode's Commitment to Progress in Education

At SkoolOfCode, we don't just teach coding to kids; we nurture a passion for learning, creativity, and innovation. Our commitment to progress in education is at the heart of everything we do, and it sets us apart as a leader in the field of STEM-based coding classes for kids.
A Progressive Approach to Education:
Our educational philosophy is rooted in progress. We understand that the world is constantly evolving, driven by technological advancements and innovation. To prepare the next generation for success, we take a forward-thinking and progressive approach to education.
Staying Ahead of the Curve:
In the fast-paced world of technology, staying ahead of the curve is paramount. SkoolOfCode places a strong emphasis on keeping our curriculum and teaching methods up to date. Our dedicated team of educators, who are experts in computer sciences, continuously research and integrate the latest coding trends, tools, and techniques into our programs.
A Bright Future with SkoolOfCode:
SkoolOfCode stands as a highly prestigious and progressive institute for learning. Our commitment to progress is not just a tagline; it's a promise to our students and their parents. We are dedicated to fostering a love for coding, learning, and innovation that will serve our students well throughout their lives.

Recognizing the transformative potential of Octostudio, SkoolOfCode explored the journey to integrate this cutting-edge platform into its curriculum. This move was not just about keeping pace with change; it was about staying ahead of the curve and leading the way in holistic STEM-based coding education.

Join us at SkoolOfCode, where we embrace the future with open arms. Our progressive approach to education ensures that children receive a high-quality coding education that prepares them for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow's world. Together, we are building a brighter future, one line of code at a time.
By -Dr. Kadam Bhambari, an Educator at SkoolofCode with Ph.D. and MTech in Electronics. She is an expert in Microbit, Arduino, and Artificial intelligence.

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Octostudio: Unleashing Creativity in Kids | SkoolofCode

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Explore Octostudio with SkoolofCode: a creative, educational journey for kids 6-16. Dive into fun coding adventures and discover how we make learning exciting!

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Have news to share? Submit your suggestion with the link to the publication. 📎

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Have news to share? Submit your suggestion with the link to the publication. 📎

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OctoStudio Teaches Children to Code by Tinkering

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OctoStudio Teaches Children to Code by Tinkering

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Edutopia

May 7, 2024

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Giving children projects with low floors, high ceilings, and wide walls allows them to creatively explore the world around them.

In his influential book Lifelong Kindergarten, Mitchel Resnick writes about projects with low floors, high ceilings, and wide walls. Seymour Papert developed the idea behind the first two: Low floors emphasize the importance of easy entry points, where barriers to engaging in activities or concepts are significantly reduced. High ceilings encourage learners to push their boundaries by offering opportunities for deep exploration and mastery. Resnick's concept of wide walls opens a variety of possibilities for learners with diverse interests: "Children should be able to grow with their tools," he wrote. Lego, the Scratch programming language, and Minecraft each have a low floor, a high ceiling, and wide walls for creative learning.

These are the principles that the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab has used to develop OctoStudio, a new, free coding app for children that works on mobile devices and tablets. Like Scratch, color-coded blocks can be interlocked in seconds and then react when a mobile device is tilted, moved, or tapped. As a low-floor tool, it is easy to learn. I spoke with Eric Schilling, one member of the OctoStudio team. "OctoStudio doesn't do everything for you," Schilling noted. "There's a high ceiling and wide walls to tinker with it, too." Tinkering is playful experimentation that can produce creativity.

3 OctoStudio Projects for the Elementary Classroom

There are myriad ways to utilize OctoStudio in the classroom, as Schilling and Ryoko Matsumoto from The Tinkering Studio, a prototyping space at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, shared with me. Rather than teaching coding as standalone lessons, The Tinkering Studio developed these projects as low-floor, high-ceiling, and wide-walls experiences where children learn through making and sharing projects. Each project can be adapted for your elementary classroom.

Wonder Walks to Introduce Science Topics: Using the low floor of importing images and narration on mobile devices, Schilling shared a fun lesson called "A Wonder Walk." It builds on the idea of using KWL charts, a common introductory lesson in many elementary classrooms where teachers ask what students already know (K), wonder about (W), and will learn (L). "A Wonder Walk is an exploration of the space around you," he said. Rather than chart paper or a whiteboard, turn the wonder and curiosity of a KWL chart into an opportunity for children to learn how to code while exploring the world around them. When walking around nature, have students take a photo and then tap a code block to add narration, where they record their questions over the image.
Courtesy of OctoStudio
A Wonder Walk turns screen time into a nature walk or, as Matsumoto describes it, a "field trip with a purpose." Schilling shared an example that can be adapted for any wondering. First, a child takes a picture of a tree stump. In OctoStudio, tapping that image allows you to hear that child say, "I wonder why that tree was cut down." Another interactive image inquires, "I wonder why the moon is out during the daytime."

Interactive Windows to the World: Tinker with a View is another project that can be mapped to elementary social studies content standards, in which students share research on the world outside. Start by bringing the class outside to take photos of their surroundings, either nature or the local community. You can also import images of faraway places. Young students can then snap together a couple of code blocks to animate the images. Next, using physical materials, have students cut out and decorate cardboard window frames. Placing the cardboard window frame over the screen culminates the activity, turning digital screens into windows of the world! More ways to adapt this project are in this presentation.

Tinkering With Books: There are many approaches that elementary teachers take to bring books to life, from fan fiction writing to acting out as characters in reader's theater. OctoStudio can be used to create a low-floor, high-ceiling, and wide-walls opportunity to deepen reading experiences. For instance, Bring a Book to Life projects ask young students to take a picture of a character and a backdrop of their choosing from a picturebook and add that to an OctoStudio project. Next, narration, sound effects, and interactive elements are added.

One idea uses the board book Don't Push the Button! by Bill Cotter. In the book, a purple monster named Larry tries to resist all temptations to push a red button. Children can take a picture of Larry and the red button. By simply adding a coding block to the red button sprite, the backdrop can be changed to coordinate with the narrative in the board book.

In a similar project, The Book with a Hole, by Hervé Tullet, is brought to life. As the title suggests, the book has a literal hole in its center, which can fit a smartphone when opened on a table or desk. Children can easily code interactions that change the objects that appear as the pages are turned.

In addition to picture books with fictional narratives, nonfiction projects can bring a science text to life, as students can make animated projects illustrating what they've learned.

OctoStudio is more than coding on a phone; rather, it is a tool for introducing interest-driven, project-based learning to children. Best of all, it is completely free. There are no accounts to create, no user data is collected, and it is available in more than 20 languages. With a low-floor, high-ceiling, and wide-walls tool like OctoStudio, what will your students create?

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OctoStudio Teaches Children to Code by Tinkering

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Giving children projects with low floors, high ceilings, and wide walls allows them to creatively explore the world around them.

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Transforming screen time: Kids can use smartphones to enhance their creativity - The Boston Globe 

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Transforming screen time: Kids can use smartphones to enhance their creativity

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Transforming screen time: Kids can use smartphones to enhance their creativity

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Boston Globe

October 24, 2023

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Ana Carolina called over her 13-year-old cousin Davyd to see the project on the phone, and she explained how she had used angles to control the parrot's motion. Davyd was impressed. "When my teacher talks about angles, it makes no sense to me," he said. "You should come and teach my class!" Ana Carolina couldn't wait to show her project to her mother: "She's going to love this animation."

Ana Carolina's parrot animation created using mobile app OctoStudio.

I share Ana Carolina's story as a counterpoint to the ways that many children and teens around the world are using mobile phones. Countless young people use phones primarily for watching videos and scrolling through social media, and parents and educators are concerned - with good reason.

But there are alternatives. With appropriate apps and support, mobile phones can provide opportunities for young people to imagine, create, and share projects, as Ana Carolina did in her parrot animation project.

These types of creative activities are more important now than ever before. With the pace of change accelerating, young people will face unpredictable challenges throughout their lives - and the proliferation of artificial intelligence technologies will further accelerate the disruptions. To deal with the uncertainties of this complex world, young people need to develop their abilities to think and act creatively.

Unfortunately, mobile technologies are too often designed to deliver entertainment, information, or instruction, treating young people as consumers, not creators.

In many traditional childhood activities, children develop their creative abilities by making things: building towers with wooden blocks and Lego bricks, drawing pictures with crayons and markers, making musical patterns with drums and bells.

Why not take the same approach with new technologies? That's what we do in the Lifelong Kindergarten research group at the MIT Media Lab: We develop technologies that, in the spirit of the blocks and finger paint of kindergarten, enable young people to playfully create things they care about.

In the past, our group developed the Scratch programming language, which enables young people to create their own interactive stories, games, and animations, and then share their creations with one another in an online community. More than 100 million young people around the world have created projects with Scratch since the software launched in 2007. I'm continually amazed and delighted by the diverse range of creative projects that young people create with Scratch - including science simulations, interactive newsletters, how-to tutorials, remixes of classic video games, collaborative stories, and calls to action for social causes.

Young people can create Scratch projects on laptops and desktop computers, but not on mobile phones. We designed Scratch for larger screens, so that young people could easily put together graphical programming blocks and see the resulting games and animations all on the same screen. For a long time, we weren't sure whether it would be possible to design an easy-to-use general-purpose coding interface for the smaller screens of mobile phones.

But as phones got into the hands of more and more young people - and, in many parts of the world, became the only digital technology they would ever have access to - we felt a growing sense of urgency to develop ways for them to design and create projects on phones.

My longtime collaborator Natalie Rusk became especially motivated to address this problem after talking with an educator in Uganda named Solomon Bwire, who was organizing workshops for children during the pandemic. In Solomon's community, very few children had access to computers, but many had access to mobile phones. Searching online for a free coding app for phones, Solomon found that someone had created one, but it was hard to use, it was full of bugs, and it crashed often. When Solomon met with Natalie as part of an Africa Code Week initiative, he emphasized the importance of developing an easy-to-use coding app for phones.

Natalie began working with Paula Bontá, Kreg Hanning, and others in our Lifelong Kindergarten group to design a new coding app with an interface better suited to small screens and taking advantage of the special features of mobile phones, such as built-in sensors.

We named the app OctoStudio, with an octopus as the featured character.

Young people have used prototypes of the app to create a wide variety of games and animations. And since it's on a phone, they've been able to create projects anytime and anywhere, whether they're riding on a bus or waiting for a doctor's appointment. Using the sensors in phones, they have created projects that don't just live on the screen but engage with the physical world. Some examples: turning a phone into a musical instrument by programming it to play different sounds when someone shakes or tilts it; attaching a phone to a stuffed animal and programming it to say different phrases whenever someone hugs it; creating new types of collaborative projects that "beam" signals from one phone to another.

We've shared OctoStudio prototypes with several dozen educators around the world, including Solomon in Uganda and others in Brazil, Chile, South Africa, India, Korea, and the United States. The educators tried out the prototypes with young people in their communities, provided feedback, and suggested new images and examples to add to the app that reflected the interests and cultural experiences of people in their communities.

In Chile, a group of schoolchildren walked on a hillside and took photos of plants and animals with their phones, then used the OctoStudio app to integrate the photos into animated stories about the local environment. In Uganda, two friends used the app to create an interactive game in which an animated chicken moves across the screen as you tilt the phone - and speaks in Swahili when the chicken finds water. In Brazil, Lifelong Kindergarten graduate student Thaís Xisto, who grew up in Brazil, organized workshops including the one where Ana Carolina created her parrot animation.

We also tried out the OctoStudio prototypes at Clubhouse after-school learning centers, a global network of 120 sites specifically for young people from marginalized communities. "The majority of my youth don't have Wi-Fi at home," says Dolores Hernandez, who introduced OctoStudio prototypes to youth at a Clubhouse in San Antonio, Texas. "They don't have laptops or desktops. But most of them have access to a cell phone, and that means they also have access to this app. And what that is going to do is spread the love for creating."

After several years of iteratively revising the prototypes, we launched OctoStudio publicly in app stores this week, free of charge and including translations in more than 20 languages. We hope it will serve as a model for how young people can make creative use of mobile phones. As we saw in Ana Carolina's case, young people are most likely to engage creatively when they work on projects based on their personal interests and experiences (as Ana Carolina's project was inspired by the parrots she saw from her window), learn new skills in the process (as Ana Carolina experimented with the mathematics of angles), and create things that they want to share with others (as Ana Carolina did with her cousin and mother).

We also hope that OctoStudio will also help to shift the ways that parents and educators think about mobile phones. Many parents and educators are focused on how to limit the time their children spend interacting with phones. But it's important to distinguish between the different ways that children engage with the devices: an hour spent as a consumer is very different from an hour spent as a creator.

Rather than trying to minimize screen time, I think parents and teachers should try to maximize creativity time.

Mitchel Resnick is professor of Learning Research at the MIT Media Lab, where he directs the Lifelong Kindergarten research group.

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Transforming screen time: Kids can use smartphones to enhance their creativity - The Boston Globe

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Too many apps treat young people as passive consumers, not free-thinking makers. But there are alternatives.

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Mobilizing creative learning with OctoStudio 

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Mobilizing creative learning with OctoStudio 

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MIT News

October 24, 2023

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MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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Mobilizing creative learning with OctoStudio

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OctoStudio, a new coding app from the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab, enables young people around the world to use mobile devices to express themselves creatively.

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Octostudio, une application mobile de code gratuite

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Octostudio, une application mobile de code gratuite

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ClasseTICE

January 22, 2024

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Avec OctoStudio, les enfants peuvent créer des animations et des jeux interactifs sur leur téléphone portable ou leur tablette à tout moment, où qu'ils se trouvent. " Prends des photos et enregistre des sons, donne-leur vie avec des blocs de code et envoie tes projets à ta famille et à tes amis."
OctoStudio est développé par le Lifelong Kindergarten, le groupe du MIT Media Lab qui a créé Scratch, le langage de code le plus populaire au monde pour les enfants. OctoStudio est entièrement gratuit.

Présentation

Animer des blocs de code.

Donner vie à des idées :

enregistrer et modifier des sons ;

dessiner et créer ses personnages ;

prendre des photos ;

assembler des blocs pour animer.

Partager des vidéos et des GIFs de ses projets.

Développer ses compétences créatives en réalisant des projets personnalisés.

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ClasseTICE 1dLe numérique au service des apprentissagesOctostudio, une application mobile de code gratuite

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Avec OctoStudio, les enfants peuvent créer des animations et des jeux interactifs sur leur téléphone portable ou leur tablette à tout moment, où qu'ils se trouvent. "Prends des photos et enregistre des sons, donne-leur vie avec des blocs de code et envoie tes projets à ta famille et à tes amis."