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CCP – Final Report Template –Revised 08-10-2023

Creative Computing Project – Final Report

PSC-IT and ISTE-E Standards Addressed in the Project
6.2/6b Managing Technology & Learning
Candidates manage the use of technology and student learning strategies in a variety of
environments such as digital platforms, virtual environments, hands-on makerspaces, or in the
field. (PSC-IT 6.2, ISTE-E 6b)

6.3/6c Design & Computational Thinking

Candidates create learning opportunities that challenge students to use a design process and/or
computational thinking to innovate and solve problems. (PSC-IT 6.3, ISTE-E 6c)

6.4/6d Creativity
Model and nurture creativity and creative expression to communicate ideas, knowledge, or
connections. (PSC-IT 6.4, ISTE-E 6d)

In this document you will reflect on the implementation of your Creative Computing Project.
This project could be part of your normal teaching or part of an extra circular activity in either a
formal (k-12 school) or informal (library, community center, etc.) learning setting. Projects
should include some type of computation (e.g., Scratch, Makecode, another programming
languages, or CS Unplugged Activity.)

Suggestions include (but are not limited to):

o Teaching digital storytelling with Scratch
o Doing a CS Unplugged activity to teach about the steps of an algorithm
o Using the Makecode website to teach block-based coding
o Using your SparkFun Inventor’s kit to teach students how to breadboard (e.g., make
their first LED blink and/or control the servomotor.)
o Creating a robotic pet

This activity could be done with a whole class, or a small number of students depending on your
teaching environment.

Name: Casie Downey

Grade level: 4th

Subject(s): Social Studies

Date of implementation: November 2, 2023

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CCP – Final Report Template –Revised 08-10-2023

Description of Your Creative Computing Project

This section should include a detailed description of your Creative Computing Project. What was
your inspiration? Why did you choose this project? What materials did you need? What type of
context did it take place in? (e.g., traditional classroom, after school program, makerspace, etc.)

The inspiration of this project are the causes of the American Revolution. Each student will be
using their own classroom laptop, in a traditional classroom setting during our Social Studies
block. Prior to this lesson, students will be assigned a cause of the American Revolution. They
will then use scratch to describe the cause they were assigned.

Use of Technology and Student Learning Strategies (ISTE-E 6b)

This section should document how you managed the use of technology and student learning
strategies as part of your Creative Computing Project.

ISTE Portfolio Questions

1. What rules, guidelines, and parameters, regarding the use of technology, do you have
for your learners when they are working independently in alternative classroom
settings?
Students will be grouped up for this assignment. They will be required to work
collaboratively to create a scratch based on their cause of the American Revolution such
as the Boston Tea Party, The Stamp Act etc. They will have five Social Studies blocks (45
minutes a day) to complete the scratch assignment.

2. Do you guide learners to reach out to their peers for support and troubleshooting?

Learners can reach out to their classmates for troubleshooting and support. There are
about five students in the class that are familiar with scratch. Majority of the students
know to close out of the browser or restart the laptop if they are having trouble with
the laptop or program.

3. What ways do/can they troubleshoot their needs, independently?

Students can troubleshoot their needs by restarting the computer and closing out of the
browser they are using. Some students know how to troubleshoot scratch.

4. How do you manage the use of technology in these alternative classroom settings?

Per school policy, students are not permitted to use classroom laptop unless a teacher is
present. As a school district, we all have the same rules for students using classroom
laptops.
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CCP – Final Report Template –Revised 08-10-2023

Design Process (ISTE-E 6c)

In this section you should document the five (5) steps of the design process that you used as part
of your creative computing project. Design processes could include:
 Creative Learning Spiral (Imagine, Create, Play, Share, Reflect),
 Creative Play (Inspire, Imagine, Create, Play Share),
 Engineering Design Process (Ask/Define, Understand, Plan, Create, and Improve), or
 Design Thinking (Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test)

ISTE Portfolio Question

1. How do you implement a recognized design-thinking process into your instruction?

Name of Design Process: Scratch Design Process

Define the Students will come together to discuss the cause they have been
Problem assigned and what they need to research about it.
Collect At this step students will research their cause of the Revolution they
information were assigned. They will be required to include information on how and
why they cause happened, and the result of it. This step is done
independently
Brainstorm and At this step students will come together with their group and brainstorm
Analyze ideas how they want to create their scratch
Develop a plan At this step students will create a plan on how they want to accomplish
creating their scratch. They will be expected to assign different jobs for
their group members to be able to accomplish their goal.
Create The group will create their Cause of the Revolution using scratch
Present Each group will present their final scratch to the class.
Feedback Students will receive feedback from their peers in a form of discussion
with their classmates after they have presented their scratch to the class.
Students will also submit their scatch creation to the teacher, so they can
receive feedback from the teacher.
Note: Please use this table to list the steps of your design process and include a detailed description for each step
within the context of your Creative Computing Project.

Evidence of one or more computational artifacts (ISTE-E 6c)

This section should provide evidence of one or more computation artifacts developed as part the
implementation of the Creative Computing Project. This evidence should include one or more
photos of student’s project and a written description.
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CCP – Final Report Template –Revised 08-10-2023
This is a picture of one of the scratches that one of my
student’s created about the Boston Tea Party. The link to
the completed project is: The Boston Tea Party on Scratch
(mit.edu)

This is a picture of one of my students working on the scratch, in the background his
groupmates were discussing what to include in their scratch.

Focus on process, not product

(ISTE-E 6c)
What went well in your design process? What
could be improved in your design process?

What went well in the design process is that was

very explicit and easy for my students to follow.
We only completed at most two steps a day.
Prior to this project, I created a PowerPoint
explaining each step and the rules and
expectations of each.

Failure (ISTE-E 6C)

What type of failures did you experience with the project? This could include failures that you
had with planning and teaching your Creative Computing Project in addition to failures that you
observed with students.

There were several types of failures with this project. Because of time restrain, I was only able
to give my students seven school days (45 minutes each and two extra days than originally
planned) to work on the project. Majority of my students were unable to finish the scratch
assignment. Many of my students did not work well with others, or it was hard for them to stay
focus and work on the scratch. Some of my students struggled to understand how to use
scratch, even after a how to lesson with our media specialist.

Computational Thinking (ISTE-E 6c)

Using language such as abstraction, decomposition, pattern recognition, algorithms, and
debugging/testing, describe the computational thinking that you observed as part of your
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CCP – Final Report Template –Revised 08-10-2023
Creative Computing Project. If you could redesign you lesson, what would you do to encourage
more computational thinking?
One element of computational thinking that I observed was algorithms. I gave a set of
steps for the students in order to complete the task. Many of the groups still met with their
groups and created steps in order to accomplish the step that the class was working on. I also
observed debugging and testing during the lesson. I had several groups that had to start over or
tweak their code in scratch when they observed it not working.
If I could redesign the lesson, I would only display the steps and have students
brainstorm what the current step could entail and how to solve the problem that was
presented at the step. I think if I gave students a problem like what to do a certain steps in the
design process, it would encourage them to problem solve.
ISTE Portfolio Question

1. How do you provide opportunities for your learners to apply the components of
computational thinking?
I provide learners the opportunity to apply components of computational thinking by having
students decomposing their assigned cause of the Revolution by decomposing the
information they find during the collect information step. They will be expected to include
the name of their cause such as the Boston Tea Party, be then they will be expected to
describe why it happened and the result. They will also be expected to use the component
of abstraction by focusing on they important components of the cause when designing their
scratch during the create step.

ISTE NOTE 1: To meet this criteria you must show how you provide opportunities for your
learners to engage in the Design Thinking or Computational Thinking process, just presenting
on what it is, is not enough.

ISTE NOTE 2: Please specifically identify each of the steps of which process you identify in your
artifact, as well as how the details of the lesson/activity as it fits into the Design Thinking or
Computational Thinking process, in your artifact.

Nurturing Creativity (ISTE-E 6d)

Explain how you intentionally modelled and nurtured creativity and creative expression to
communicate ideas, knowledge, or connections as part of your project. Consider using the 4P
framework (Projects, Peers, Passion, and Play).

I intentionally modelled how to communicate ideas, knowledge or connections by explicitly

explaining the rules and expectations for each step of the design process. I nurtured creativity
and creative expression by allowing students to create a scratch using any sprite, background,
or dialogue in their scratch. I explained to them that as long as the person watching the scratch
knew what their cause of the revolution was, it was okay to be as creative as possible.

ISTE Portfolio Questions

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CCP – Final Report Template –Revised 08-10-2023
1. How do YOU demonstrate creativity and creative problem solving for your learners, and
how to you provide them with opportunities to obtain feedback and showcase their
final work?

2. What opportunities are you providing for your learners to express their own creativity?

Students are provided the opportunity to express their own creativity by creating a
scratch. They are allowed to use the graphics, dialogs, videos and codes as long as they
are school appropriate.

3. How do your learners share their work with others?

Students will share their work with others by presenting in front of the class.

4. Do you provide opportunities for peer feedback?

Students will be able to give peer feedback by having a class discussion after they have
presented their scratch.

5. Do you encourage this creativity using technology resources and/or tools?

I encourage this creativity by using technology resources and tools by allowing students
to use scratch as part of an ELA choice board activity. Students are also expected to use
digital resource when researching on an informational topic in writing.

Final Thoughts
Use this section for any additional reflection that you have about the Creative Computing
Project or how you see creativity could be better infused into the learning process. (2-3
paragraphs)

Overall, majority of my students loved this project. Many of them ask me if we will be
using scratch in Social Studies again. I think when I broke down each design process step into a
PowerPoint and explained the rules and expectations to each really help with behavior
management. Prior to each class, I would review our rules and expectations to make sure
everyone was on the same page. Majority of my students were able to stay focused and work
on their project collaboratively with their groupmates.

I think this lesson could have been better if I was able to give my students more time to
work and assign groups instead of having them pick a group to work with. Many students did
not complete their scratch for their assigned cause. If I incorporate scratch into my classroom
like this again, I think I would find more time to give to my students to work on scratch.