Scratch - Educational approved sample projects

[StAwash]

Hi there!

 

I need to block Scratch projects (we can all guess why!), and I know how using Smoothwall.

The problem is, the teacher wants to be able to use the projects hosted on the site as examples of what could be achieved using Scratch.

 

I was thinking, provide a good handful of projects that students can access, curated by either the internet (here, probably) or by the teacher herself. These projects would be allowed through the filtering, however the majority of games and music playing applications which has made its way onto the site would now be blocked.

 

I want this to be a fairly automated process, but I am aware that will take me a long time to implement (open up Smoothwall API's at some point, if there are any, and really get stuck in!).

 

 

That's the plan. The question becomes, are there any curated lists of projects on Scratch for me to keep unblocked? Would this be better offloading onto the teacher? And bring all the questions etc. that would come with such a complicated stupid project like this!

[mavhc]

Leave it to the teacher

 

Just get them to save the online projects and upload them from school data store.

 

Go to project, See Inside, File>Save to your computer

 

Or provide a list of urls you can import into an allow list

[paulkerton]

Hi there!

 

I need to block Scratch projects (we can all guess why!), and I know how using Smoothwall.

The problem is, the teacher wants to be able to use the projects hosted on the site as examples of what could be achieved using Scratch.

 

I was thinking, provide a good handful of projects that students can access, curated by either the internet (here, probably) or by the teacher herself. These projects would be allowed through the filtering, however the majority of games and music playing applications which has made its way onto the site would now be blocked.

 

I want this to be a fairly automated process, but I am aware that will take me a long time to implement (open up Smoothwall API's at some point, if there are any, and really get stuck in!).

 

 

That's the plan. The question becomes, are there any curated lists of projects on Scratch for me to keep unblocked? Would this be better offloading onto the teacher? And bring all the questions etc. that would come with such a complicated stupid project like this!

 

Do you not have a classroom management tool for teachers? There are so many excellent reasons to keep scratch unblocked, I would suggest you need one.

[StAwash]

Do you not have a classroom management tool for teachers? There are so many excellent reasons to keep scratch unblocked, I would suggest you need one.

 

Classroom management tool such as ABTutor?

 

The big problem is not that they play games during IT class, but that they play games when ever they get their hands on a computer. The IT teacher is actually quite good, shuts down games quickly, and doesn't over-rely on ABTutor at all.

 

Maths on the other hand... They let the kids go wild on the computers and wonder why I am angry at getting 3 broken keyboards, 2 missing mice, and the side removed off a computer. Many teachers just seem to think that kids on computers, even if quiet, are working.

 

The biggest problem (which we already have a solution in mind anyway - more down below) is consequences. The school has moved to a digital learning environment for consequences so that students can keep up with their studies that other peers would be learning, over say completing the same tired booklet.

Had two safeguarding issues just in the last 2 days alone as some student found a scratch music player hosted online. If this is being used in consequences though, I've no doubt in my mind that it is being used all over the school whenever a student has access to a laptop or anything. And LS give out laptops like candy.

 

 

The solution for consequences is to lock them computers down to the bones, and only allow them onto approved sites. This is taking much longer to implement due to upper IT management getting moved around and systems being handed over. I really don't want to get into that one! Too much politics for my blood.

[paulkerton]

The big problem is not that they play games during IT class, but that they play games when ever they get their hands on a computer. The IT teacher is actually quite good, shuts down games quickly, and doesn't over-rely on ABTutor at all.

Yes, like ABTutor - We have Lightspeed Classroom, and teachers have the ability to create a list of sites that are specifically blocked, or specifically allow. I assume ABT has the same:

 

Ie; Allow all sites except these or

Allow nothing except these

 

And they can save lists, many of them have the top two sites as:

https://scratch.mit.edu

https://www.youtube.com

 

I would certainly put it in the hands of the teachers, else computer science might be annoyed when they're doing "Coding 101" in the future!

 

The solution for consequences is to lock them computers down to the bones, and only allow them onto approved sites. This is taking much longer to implement due to upper IT management getting moved around and systems being handed over. I really don't want to get into that one! Too much politics for my blood.

 

Ahh. Well for this, we have a super-locked down group the students are put into once they're added to the "they're in trouble" spreadsheet!

 

We then monitor it on and off and see what mischief they're up to in consequences, which allows us to find gaps and block them. Honestly works better than I thought.

Edited July 14, 2022 by paulkerton

[StAwash]

Yes, like ABTutor - We have Lightspeed Classroom, and teachers have the ability to create a list of sites that are specifically blocked, or specifically allow. I assume ABT has the same:

 

Our ABT licence is up for renewal next year, so I will have a look at this Lightspeed Classroom.

Biggest problem is I don't trust the teachers to pick their own noses, let alone sort this list out for themselves. It needs to be done at a (competent) IT level.

 

Piss-up, brewery, and organised come to mind when I think of this place now-a-days.

Ahh. Well for this, we have a super-locked down group the students are put into once they're added to the "they're in trouble" spreadsheet!

 

We then monitor it on and off and see what mischief they're up to in consequences, which allows us to find gaps and block them. Honestly works better than I thought.

I do like this idea... Try and catch outliers and the like.

 

Trouble is, consequences is being re-arranged so only the bad of the bad go there now, so not much use unless it changes... Thanks for the idea though!