Online Learning Webs:
Designing Support Structures for Online Communities
by
MASSACHUSEfTS INTI1tTE
OF TECHNOLOGY
Champika Fernando
OCT 3 0 201
B.S. Computer Science, University of Toronto (2006)
LIBRARIES
Submitted to the Program in Media Arts and Sciences,
School of Architecture and Planning,
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Science in Media Arts and Sciences
at the
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
September 2014
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2014. All rights reserved.
Signature redacted
Author
Program in Media Arts and Sciences
August 27, 2014
Certified by
Signature redacted
Mitchel Resnick
LEGO Papert Professor of Learning Research
Academic Head, Program in Media Arts and Sciences
Thesis Supervisor
Signature redacted
Accepted by
Pattie Maes
Alex W. Dreyf os Professor of Media Technology
Interim Academic Head, Program in Media Arts and Sciences
Online Learning Webs:
Designing Support Structures for Online Communities
by
Champika Fernando
,Submitted to the Program in Media Arts and Sciences,
School of Architecture and Planning,
on August 22, 2014, in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of
Master of Science in Media Arts and Sciences
Abstract
This thesis explores how we can design online learning communities to better support
connections to the people and resources beginners need when learning to program. I
describe and analyze the design and implementation of the Scripts Workshop, a learning
environment that supports members of the Scratch online community who are stuck on a
programming problem in a Scratch project. The Scripts Workshop considers the People,
Activities and Spaces needed to support these users in getting un-stuck. I conclude by
describing a set of design principles for building learning webs within online communities,
derived from the Scripts Workshop experiment.
Thesis Supervisor: Mitchel Resnick
Title: LEGO Papert Professor of Learning Research, Program in Media Arts and Sciences
This thesis is based on research supported by the National Science Foundation under grant
number 1002713 and 1027848. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions, or recommendations
expressed in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the
National Science Foundation.
2
Online Learning Webs:
Designing Support Structures for Online Communities
by
Champika Fernando
The following people served as readers for this thesis:
Signature redacted
Thesis Reader
Pattie Maes
Alex W. Dreyfoos Professor of Media Technology
Program in Media Arts and Sciences, MIT
Signature redacted
Thesis Reader
Karen Brennan
Assistant Professor
Graduate School of Education, Harvard University
Signature redacted
Thesis Reader__
Justin Reich
Richard L. Menschel HarvardX Research Fellow
Office of the President and Provost, Harvard University
3
Acknowledgements
Considering the focus of this thesis is on the people and resources that support learning, it
seems particularly pertinent to begin by thanking all the people who supported me as I
struggled through this very foreign process of writing a thesis.
Thank you first to my patient and ever-supportive advisor Mitch Resnick. So much of what
I've learned over the past few years I've learned through conversations and collaborative
design meetings with Mitch. Mitch - thank you so much for being a source of inspiration,
support, and friendship.
Thank you to my readers Pattie Maes, Karen Brennan, and Justin Reich, who not only
tolerated my tardiness, but also took the time to give me thoughtful and constructive
feedback in spite of it. Thank you all for being so generous with your time and advice
throughout the process and particularly in the final stretch.
Thank you to the Scripts Workshop design team Ricarose Roque, Sarah Otts, Mark Goff, Eric
Schilling, and Amos Blanton whose work this thesis is based on. Weekly meetings have
never been so fun.
Ricarose Roque, who in addition to leading the Scripts Workshop team, provided
invaluable advice, resources, moral support, and friendship along the way. Thank you
Ricarose!
Thank you to the Scratch Mentors and Script Helpers who participated in the Scripts
Workshop. And, to all the members of the Scratch community - you never cease to surprise
and inspire me.
Stephanie Gayle - thank you for not letting me give up and for giving me that stack of thesis
quality paper months ago - it came in handy.
To the members of the Scratch Team and the Lifelong Kindergarten research group - your
kindness, creativity, and passion have inspired me and I feel so fortunate to be a part of this
community.
4
Contents
1
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 9
1.1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Thesis Overview ................................................................................................................................. 12
Theoretical Inspirations ............................. ................................ .........................................
14
2.1
Learning Webs ........................................................................................................................................ 14
2.2
Constructionism ..................................................................................................................................... 16
2.3
Social Perspectives on Learning......................................................................................................18
D esign Inspirations....................................................................................................................19
3.1
Scratch Online Community ................................................................................................................ 19
3.2
Stack Overflow ........................................................................................................................................ 23
Existing Scratch Support Spaces.......................................................................................
26
4.1
Scratch Team Created Resources....................................................................................................27
4.2
Scratch Team Designed, Community Supported Spaces......................................................28
4.3
Community Designed, Community Supported Spaces .......................................................... 30
4.4
Limitations ................................................................................................................................................ 32
Scripts W orkshop ....................................................................................................................... 34
5.1
People..........................................................................................................................................................34
5.2
Activities .................................................................................................................................................... 41
5.3
Spaces..........................................................................................................................................................49
5.4
Possibilities and Lim itations.............................................................................................................59
Im plications: Scratch Com m unity ....................................................................................
62
6.1
Identity ....................................................................................................................................................... 62
6.2
Com m unication.......................................................................................................................................64
6.3
Diversity of Interest..............................................................................................................................66
Im plications: Beyond Scratch ............................................................................................
5
68
68
7.1
Relationships and Inspiration .....................................................................................................
7.2
Technologies for communication ................................................................................................... 68
7.3
Policy ........................................................................................................................................................... 69
7.4
Massive Open Online Courses .......................................................................................................... 69
7.5
Internet as Learning W eb...................................................................................................................70
Bibliography...................................................................................................................................... 71
6
List of Figures
Figure 1-1: (left) Google search results for "Learn to code", (right) screenshots from online
programming apps (Codeacademy, Code Avengers, Code Combat)......................................10
Figure 1-2: (left) Google search results for "Programming help". (right) Homepage of the
popular Stack Overflow programming Q&A community............................................................11
Figure 3-1: The Scratch online community (behind) and the Scratch programming editor
(front)................................................................................................................................................................20
Figure 3-2: An example of comments on a Scratch Project ................................................................. 21
Figure
Figure
Figure
Figure
Figure
Figure
Figure
3-3: The backpack within the Scratch editor for moving assets between projects .... 21
3-4: Scratch discussion forums (back) and an example of a Scratch studio (front)...22
3-5: Scratch community guidelines.................................................................................................23
3-6: The Stack Overflow homepage............................:....................................................................24
4-1: An illustration of the Scratch resource ecosystem..........................................................27
4-2: Scratch help section (left) and in-editor tip-bar (right)................................................28
4-3: Scratch Welcoming Committee................................................................................................29
Figure 4-4: Examples of the variety of types of Scratcher created tutorials................................31
Figure 4-5: Scratcher created community of tutorials and helpers.................................................31
Figure 4-6: Comments from Scratchers wanting to contribute to the Tutorial Madness
stu d io ................................................................................................................................................................. 3 2
Figure 5-1: Comments within the Scripts Workshop reflect people looking to get help........35
Figure 5-2: Comments within a typical "Helper Studio" reflect people looking to provide
help.............................................................................................................................................36 Figure 5-4:
Figure 5-4: Script Helpers discussing importance of quick help.......................................................37
Figure 5-5: Unsupportive interaction between a Script Helper and Scratcher .......................... 39
Figure 5-6: Scratch Mentor modeling supportive help ......................................................................... 40
Figure 5-7: Scratch Mentor providing feedback on how to improve a tutorial project..........43
Figure 5-8: Creative tutorial project, provides two sprites, and suggests you write the script
for the third.....................................................................................................................................................44
Figure 5-9: Positive remarks from community on a Scripts Workshop tutorial project........45
Figure 5-10: Scratcher looking for help is left hanging in the discussion forums ..................... 46
Figure 5-11: In providing support a Script Helper points to another Scratcher who may be
useful ................................................................................................................................................................. 47
Figure 5-12: Script Helpers responding poorly to a request for help.............................................48
Figure 5-13: Scratch Mentor modeling supportive help.......................................................................49
Figure 5-14: Main Scripts Workshop space with listing of projects looking for help .............. 50
Figure 5-15: Scratch Team and Scratch Mentors participating in the Scripts Workshop, as
listed in the 'curators' tab of the Scripts Workshop......................................................................50
Figure 5-16: Script Helpers as listed in the 'curators' tab of the Scripts Workshop.................51
Figure 5-17: A Scratcher looking for help in the Scripts Workshop................................................52
Figure 5-18: The same Scratcher from figure 5:17, now providing help in the Scripts
W o rk sh o p ........................................................................................................................................................
7
52
Figure 5-19: Example of a Script Helper proving help on a Scratchers project..........................54
Figure 5-20: Advice from a Scratch Mentor on how to provide help .............................................. 55
Figure 5-21:
Figure 5-22:
Figure 5-23:
Figure 5-24:
Scratch Mentor describing challenges of online support...........................................55
Scratch Mentor describing challenges of programming support...........................56
Scratch Mentor describing challenges of pedagogical support...............................56
'What it takes to be a Scratch Helper': A project that explains the
requirements of a Scripts Helper..........................................................................................................57
Figure 5-25: A chart of individual Script Helpers areas of expertise. Names have been
greyed out........................................................................................................................................................59
Figure 6-1:
Figure 6-2:
Figure 6-3:
Figure 6-4:
Scratch user profile page ............................................................................................................ 63
Scratch user profile with helper identity information...................................................64
Backpack for moving sprites, scripts, sounds, and costumes between projects.65
A project comment with and without the ability to add scripts................................66
8
El
Introduction
Over the past year there has been a groundswell of national interest in teaching and learning
computer programming. This is illustrated by the attention and success garnered by last
December's Hour of Code campaign. The campaign was launched by Code.org (a group backed
by the tech industry), and invited students across the United States to spend at least one hour
learning to code during Computer Science Education Week 2013. The campaign was promoted
by everyone from tech giants like Google and Facebook, to actors and pop stars like Ashton
Kutcher and Shakira. Even the President of the United States encouraged students to participate,
suggesting, "Don't just buy the latest video game; make it. Don't just download the latest app;
help design it" [1]. At the end of the week Code.org reported that 1 in every 5 students in the
United States had participated [2].
Participating in the Hour of Code meant completing one or more structured tutorials, which
Code.org provided on their site. Most of these were games or puzzles that teach basic concepts
and are meant to be done on your own. But the excitement around programming goes well
beyond Hour of Code. Today, typing "Learn to code" into Google returns millions of hits. Most
of these are geared towards beginners and also focus on tutorials, programming challenges,
games, and step-by-step projects (Figure 1-1).
9
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programming apps (Codeacademy, Code Avengers, Code Combat)
For many beginners the structure provided by these activities may be beneficial. But there is a
huge leap between these activities and using code, as the President suggests, to create something
you've designed and imagined yourself - wherein lies the real power of programming. The
problems you run into when working on real-world projects are not as well defined as these
puzzles and almost always require reaching out to other people and resources for support. A
second search for "Programming help" on Google returns thousands of results that focus on
connecting you with communities of 'expert programmers' who can ostensibly quickly answer
your programming questions as you work on projects (Figure 1-2).
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popular Stack Overflow programming Q&A community
For professional programmers, community Q&A sites like Stack Overflow are incredible sources
of support. However, visiting any one of these sites you quickly realize they aren't spaces
designed for beginners or kids. They value efficiency and accuracy, often at the cost of
pedagogy, which results in a culture that can be intimidating and unwelcoming to beginners. This
feeling is encapsulated in a post from a beginner in the popular programming help community,
Stack Overflow:
I'm a relatively new programmer so some things that are simple to many are complex or at least
not immediately obvious to me. Whenever I post a question except for one or two responders,
most people seem to love giving sarcastic and mocking answers. Why is the community like
that? I think there should be perhaps a beginner tag so that the people who don't want to deal
with that don't have to. [3]
These two search results illustrate a gap in current online spaces for learning to program.
Beginners have an abundance of tools available to them but don't have many clear pathways for
connecting to resources and social support as they tackle messy problems on real projects.
11
This is not a problem unique to online learning spaces. As Brennan [4] points out, support for
social dimensions of learning have been underutilized in computing education. People and
relationships are inseparable from learning and there has been much research in the learning
sciences that points to this [5]. In the design of online learning environments we have an
opportunity to rethink how we teach and learn computational thinking to better take advantage of
the Internet's capacity to connect learners with a variety of people and resources for support.
In a 1971 essay titled "Deschooling Society", Ivan Illich suggests that our general approach to
designing educational systems is fundamentally flawed.
The planning of new educational institutions must not start with the question, "What should
someone learn?" but with the question, "What kinds of things and people might learners want to
be in contact with in order to learn?"
In this thesis I explore this question through the design of an online learning environment that
facilitates kids connecting with the things and people needed to help them as they work on
personally meaningful programming projects. I focus specifically on the context of kids because
most of the work being done around social online learning today focuses on adults. I'll introduce
the design and implementation of the Scripts Workshop, a learning environment within the
Scratch online community that aims to support kids who are stuck on programming problems by
connecting them with resources, skilled peers, and mentors. The overarching goal of this work is
to influence the conversation around the design of online learning communities and inspire other
designers of these spaces to consider more social approaches to learning.
1.1
Thesis Overview
In Chapter 2, I give an overview of the pedagogical inspiration and theoretical framework for my
12
thesis. I'll describe Ivan Illich's learning webs (Resources, Skill Models, and Mentors), which
provide the inspiration for this thesis. I'll also describe ideas from Constructionism and Social
theories of learning that guide this work.
In Chapter 3, I describe the design of two online communities, the Scratch online community and
Stack Overflow, which are sources of design inspiration and insight for this thesis. Though I'm
critical of Stack Overflow as a community for beginners and kids, there is a lot that can be
learned from their design choices in supporting professionals and experts.
In Chapter 4, I survey and describe existing ways that members of the Scratch online community
find support. I'll also explain the limitations of the current options.
In Chapter 5, I describe and analyze the design and implementation of the Scripts Workshop in
terms of the People, Activities, and Spaces involved. I'll conclude with 4 design principles that
can be taken from the Scripts Workshop experiment. I'll also describe some of the limitations of
the workshop, which provide the basis for Chapter 6.
In Chapter 6, based on the work in the Scripts Workshop, I propose design changes within the
Scratch online community to enable better systems of community support.
In Chapter 7, based on the work in the Scripts Workshop, I propose future work outside the
scope of Scratch but within other areas of online learning.
13
Theoretical Inspirations
"The planning of new educational institutions must not start with the question, 'What should
someone learn?' but with the question 'what kinds of things and people might learners want to be
in contact with in order to learn?"'
Illich [6]
The above quote describes the overarching pedagogical and design philosophy that guides my
thesis. In addition to this networked, social approach to learning, I take a community-based
constructionist approach; where people are engaged in making tangible objects within a
community of practice. In this chapter I give an overview of the theoretical and pedagogical
influences of this work.
1.2
Learning Webs
In support of his goal of connecting learners with the people and things that can help them learn,
Illich suggests four networks that learners should have access to.
"The child grows up in a world of things, surroundedby people who serve as models
for skills and values. He finds peers who challenge him to argue, to compete, to
14
cooperate, and to understand;and if the child is lucky, he is exposed to confrontation or
criticism by an experienced elder who really cares. Things, models, peers, and elders
arefour resourceseach of which requires a different type of arrangementto ensure that
"
everybody has ample access to it.
Illich [6]
In this thesis, I focus on three of these four networks, which I define below along with the terms
I'll use to refer to them throughout this thesis.
Resources (Things)
These are the tools, objects, and spaces that a learner should be in contact with in the process of
learning. In terms of spaces, Illich [6] suggests that the "quality of the environment and the
relationship of a person to it will determine how much he learns". In terms of tools and objects,
he describes the importance of having artifacts whose inner-workings are apparent and accessible
as a source of learning.
Skilled Peers (Models)
These are people with more expertise (but not necessarily pedagogical experience) who are
available and willing to demonstrate how to do what the learner wants to do. Illich [6] points out
that though skill demonstration can be recorded and automated, the real-human aspect is
preferable and more effective for many learners. I'll note that I'm collapsing two networks that
Illich makes distinct, "models" and "peers". He describes the first as "skill teachers" or people
with an expertise over the learner. He describes the second as peers who "pursue a common goal
based on common interest and ability". Instead, I focus on peers as skill teachers. In the Scratch
online community there exists a range of experience, expertise, within peer groups around
particular interests. Therefore, there is potential to see peers not just as peers but also as skill
models.
15
Mentors (Elders)
Illich [6] describes these as people as "professional educators". Their role is to provide
pedagogical guidance in the learning experiences of others. Mentors require a knowledge of
human learning, an awareness of educational resources, and 'wisdom' based on experience.
Though Illich likely imagines this role as one filled by adults, in this thesis, I explore the
potential for kids to take on this role based on their experience in the Scratch online community
and demonstration of the qualities listed above.
1.3
Constructionism
The Scratch programming language and online community, in which the Scripts Workshop is
implemented, are heavily inspired by Seymour Papert's theory of Constructionism. Papert
defines Constructionism in a National Science Foundation proposal entitled Constructionism:A
New Opportunityfor Elementary Science Education.
"From constructivist theories of psychology we take a view of learning as a reconstruction rather
than as a transmission of knowledge. Then we extend the idea of manipulative materials to the
idea that learning is most effective when part of an activity the learner experiences as
constructing a meaningful product."
Papert [7]
Papert and his colleagues and students at MIT were some of the first to start thinking about how
kids could program computers to control robots, compose music, create games and do other
creative activities [8]. They designed the LOGO programming language in 1967 as a means for
that vision. LOGO allowed children to program a small turtle on the screen. Since then, it has
served as a model for many other educational programming languages including Scratch.
In this thesis I take inspiration from the following "big ideas behind constructionism" as outlined
16
by Papert [9]:
Learning by Doing
Papert suggests we learn better when learning is part of doing something we find interesting.
Taking inspiration from this idea, in Scratch, instead of working on programming problems or
puzzles, kids learn to program as they create personally meaningful projects. When working on
programming projects like these, one invariably runs into difficult and not so well defined
problems that provide rich opportunities for learning. Many Scratchers give up at these difficult
roadblocks, however, those that find success, do so by asking for help from family, friends, or
the community[10]. In the Scripts Workshop, we focus on creating a support network for
Scratchers who have reached these roadblocks. They are connected with other Scratchers who
work through the problem with them so that they can continue with their projects.
Hard Fun
Though it's important that a learner enjoy what they're doing, Papert points out that it does not
mean it should be easy. Learners enter the Scripts Workshop when they are stuck or struggling
with a problem on their Scratch project. The idea is they are motivated to work through it
because they enjoy what they are working on. In the Scripts Workshop they find a community
who can support them through that challenging process.
You Can't Get it Right Without Getting it Wrong
Papert suggests the only way to 'get it right' is by carefully looking at what happened when it
went wrong. The Scripts Workshop aims to connect learners with the people and resources to
help them do that.
17
1.4
Social Perspectives on Learning
For much of history, teaching and learning happened within the context of apprenticeships.
Though that's less so the case today, in the learning sciences there continues to be much research
to support the social aspects of learning. Vygotsky, one of the earliest proponents of the social
aspects of learning, put forth the concept of the zone of proximal development (ZPD), which
essentially accounts for what a child can do without help and what he or she can do with help. He
defines it as: "the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent
problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving
under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers" [11]. Later, Lave & Wenger
[12], studied communities of people that share a common craft or profession such as butchers
and tailors. They coined the term 'community of practice' (CoP) to describe a model of learning
whereby members of a community develop individually by sharing their knowledge and
experiences. Newer members entering the community interact with more experienced members
to learn the practices and tools of the community. More recently, Bruckman [13] studied young
people in an online constructionist environment called MOOSE Crossing, where she found that
kids looked to the community as a source of both emotional and technical support.
18
Design Inspirations
In this chapter I describe the design inspirations for this thesis. I start by describing the design of
the Scratch Online Community where the Scripts Workshop is implemented and end with a
description of the Stack Overflow programming community, the design of which also informs
my thesis.
2.1 Scratch Online Community
Scratch is a popular block-based visual programming language that allows young people to
create interactive media such as stories, animations, and games. The Scratch online community
connects Scratchers (as Scratch users call themselves) allowing them to share, discuss, and remix
one another's projects (Figure 3-1). There are similar commercial and research-based projects
such as HopScotch and Alice[ 14] among many others. However, Scratch is unique in the size,
diversity, and activity of its online community. There are more than 3 million registered users
from all over the world, from ages 7 to 70, sharing 10, 000 new projects a day. The online
community was created to provide Scratchers with a community where they can support,
collaborate, and critique one another, as well as build on one another's work. It aspires to appeal
to people who may not have seen themselves as programmers and to be accessible for people of
all ages, backgrounds, and interests [151.
19
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Figure 2-1: The Scratch online community (behind) and the Scratch programming editor (front)
Social Interactions to Support Learning
Within the Scratch online community there are multiple features designed to support social
interactions for learning. These include the ability to view or remix the code of any shared
project on the site as well as the ability to comment (Figure 3-2), on projects to leave feedback or
constructive criticism.
20
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Figure 2-2: An example of comments on a Scratch Project
In addition, Scratchers can use the backpack (Figure 3-3) feature to borrow pieces of code, or
other assets from someone else's project and use them in their own.
Backpack
Sprite
script
Script
Sprite
Script
Sorilef
Sprrlt
Script
Sound
mal
Figure 2-3: The backpack within the Scratch editor for moving assets between projects
21
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There are also discussion forums for having conversations on a variety of topics and studios,
which are collections of projects and comments curated by a group of Scratchers (Figure 3-4).
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Figure 2-4: Scratch discussion forums (back) and an example of a Scratch studio (front).
Culture
The Scratch online community strives to be a friendly, welcoming, and productive space for
beginners and experts of all ages, with diverse backgrounds, and a diversity of interests. This is a
tall order for any online community and becomes more and more difficult as the community
grows in size. The design of spaces and features within the community are heavily motivated by
this goal. Members of the community are also expected to play a significant part in maintaining
and supporting the culture. This is reflected in the Scratch community guidelines (Figure 3-5).
22
Be respectful. When sharing projects or posting comments, remember that people of many
different ages and backgrounds will see what you've shared.
Be constructive. When commenting on others' projects, say something you like about it
and offer suggestions.
-
Share. You are free to remix projects, ideas, images, or anything else you find on Scratch
and anyone can use anything that you share. Be sure to give credit when you remix.
Keep personal Info private. For safety reasons, don't use real names or post contact info
like phone numbers or addresses.
Help keep the site friendly.
ff you think a
project or comment is mean, insulting, too
violent, or otherwise inappropriate, click "Report" to let us know about it.
Figure 2-5: Scratch community guidelines
2.2 Stack Overflow
The Stack Overflow site is one of the more popular Q&A sites for programmers [161. It is geared
towards professional and enthusiast programmers looking for answers to their programming
questions. Though this is not the target audience of the Scripts Workshop, Stack Overflow serves
as a good example of the way a site can design its software and technology to shape the culture
of its community. In describing the culture of Stack Overflow, co-founder Joel Spolsky [ 17],
suggests that everything about a community either draws people in or turns them away. In
examining the homepage of Stack Overflow (Figure 3-6) he suggests, "if you're not a
programmer, you see this page, you don't understand a single thing and you leave, which is what
we want".
23
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Stack Overfow is a question and answer
site for professional and enthusiast
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Figure 2-6: The Stack Overflow homepage.
People often wonder why Stack Overflow is so strict about its protocol for asking and answering
questions. Spolsky says they intentionally don't support conversations. "If it's fun, it shouldn't
be happening on our site" [17]. This is because their goal is not to support relationships or
learning, their goal is to create reusable artifacts. He goes on to say that their main focus is not
on the experience of users asking questions, or even the experience of users answering questions.
Instead, they focus on the experience of users that come to Stack Overflow just to read answers
or make use of previously asked and answered questions. By not allowing conversations,
displaying an intimidating homepage, and closing questions because they are duplicates or
poorly worded they support their goal of creating a set of re-usable artifacts.
24
In the Scripts Workshop, we attempt to build on the success of Stack Overflow's community
driven model but focus instead on supporting beginners and meaningful connections for learning
first.
25
Existing Scratch Support Spaces
In this chapter I survey existing avenues of support within the Scratch community. As a
participant in the Scratch community there are several spaces to get support while creating
projects. This varies from spaces and content created and maintained by the Scratch team, to
spaces designed by the Scratch team but mostly maintained by the community, to spaces and
resources designed and maintained by the community. Figure 4-1 attempts to illustrate the
current landscape of resources.
26
-I
Scratch Team designed space, Scratch Team created content
Scratch Team designed space, Community created content
Community designed space, Community created content
Size of circle represents relative amount of content.
Items to the left are more closely tied to the main site nav and editor
Figure 3-1: An illustration of the Scratch resource ecosystem.
3.1 Scratch Team Created Resources
The Scratch team has produced and curated a set of tips, starter-projects, and tutorials that are
meant to help in getting started. The tips exist within the programming editor and the tutorials
and starter projects are organized in a central "Help" section of the site (Figure 4-2). They are
created by learning researchers and designers, so these resources are well designed, appropriate,
and useful; however, they are limited in number and scope. There are currently ten video
27
tutorials, twenty-four starter-projects and twelve how-to tutorials. These resources attempt to
cover themes that are popular in the community such as animation, games, interactive art, music
and dance, stories, and video sensing. Because of their visibility and usefulness these resources
get a lot of use. They provide great starting points for project creation but it would be impossible
for the Scratch team alone to support the breadth and depth of things Scratchers are interested in
doing or get stuck on while they are doing those things
Ssp-by-SW~
ft
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Start Moving
Try out the
step-by-step Intro
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Drag a move block into the Scripts area.
Explore these
Watch the Getting
starter projects
Started video
I
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Here are some guides to help you learn Scratch:
Getting Started Guide
This step-by-step guide (PDF) provides an
easy Introduction to Scratch.
Then
click on that block to make the cat move
N,
T7i
aon.>
Scratch Cards
Each of these cards shows something you
can do InScratch.
Figure 3-2: Scratch help section (left) and in-editor tip-bar (right)
3.2 Scratch Team Designed, Community-
Supported Spaces
In order to provide support beyond the finite resources the Scratch Team has developed, there are
also explicit spaces designed for the community members to support one another.
28
Discussion Forums
The discussion forums allow Scratchers to connect on a variety of topics. The "Help With
Scripts" forum welcomes Scratchers to post their requests for programming help and wait for a
response from the community. Brennan[10] found there was a 95% response rate to 1449 topics
(mostly representing questions) created from January to July 2012 with a median of 4 responses
per topic. The forum is very active, with a median first response time of 22 minutes. However,
this activity comes from a small (less than 10%) part of the community. One challenge with the
forums that Scratchers reported in interviews with Brennan[10] was the ability to connect with
someone who is able to help them in a way that is accessible.
Welcoming Committee
The welcoming committee is not a space for explicit programming support, but it is one of the
first places many new Scratchers go and it reflects a space within the community that serves as a
form of social support. Scratchers within the welcoming committee promote the cultural values
of the Scratch community and are an initial connection for new Scratchers (Figure 4-3).
Scratch Welcoming Committee!
Projects(100+)
curators
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Updted 31 May 2014
Wecome to Scratchl
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projects section and leave e
conment Inthecomments
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Figure 3-3: Scratch Welcoming Committee
29
-.
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by Mtysi-Losee
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3.3 Community-Designed, CommunitySupported Spaces
This is perhaps the most interesting of the existing support spaces. There are thousands of
community-created projects tagged "tutorial", dozens of YouTube videos and several websites
created by Scratchers wanting to support their peers and share what they know. They're created
by all levels of Scratchers - from experienced to those who just joined a week or two ago.
Wiki
The Scratch wiki is a collaboratively written wiki written primarily by and for Scratchers. It
consists of content curated and edited by approved contributors. It started as the Scratch
Programming Wiki - a separate website created by a member of the community to help
Scratchers with programming. As its popularity grew the Scratch Team saw its value and
decided to host it on the main scratch.mit.edu site. Today the wiki includes more than 100
tutorials created by Scratchers. However, with titles like "Shooting projectiles" and "Extensive
scrolling engine", these tutorials serve mostly those interested in creating games and use
language that assumes a certain level of technical experience. For those who need more
guidance, the format of the wiki doesn't provide an opportunity to interact with the author or ask
questions.
Helper Projects and Studios
The thousands of projects tagged "tutorial" represent a range of interests - from drawing, to
animation, to games, and vary from general "how to do variables" to very specific "how to draw
a pony facing you" (Figure 4-4). They also vary greatly in terms of their usefulness and
understandability. Further, because they aren't highlighted anywhere on the site many of them
are never discovered and have only a few views from the community.
30
How to draw a pony facing you
Scratch Tutorial 3: Variables
by LPSpuppygirl
by tuK&13
J
N1..
SACK LEA
,
f
ru
Kl r
(
p..
Figure 3-4: Examples of the variety of types of Scratcher created tutorials
Scratchers have also used studios to create spaces meant for helping fellow Scratchers. An
example of this is "Tutorial Madness" (Figure 4-5) which is managed by fifteen Scratchers and
contains more than 100 tutorials.
Tutorial Madness!
Projects(100+)
kunfol
Commenis(1001)
112SS
Actiity
Crators
lA1
Ma ,;
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by V-x iPJVI
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by Fo Nlii
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by WabastoGmi
Updated 27 MAy 2014
smsemlaa
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-Notice: Curators will not be
accepted for now. I'm sony, but I
can't keep submitting people in.
We il appredatethewonderful
fact that you al want to Join, but I
don't want to Ourate bomb
1*-M.
Poemon tutona
by 1tyangwi
How to make
by poknaid
Quick Cat Tutorbats
How
a cat, go...
Platformnkh
by toyaigwa
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A thetitle Implies, All tutorials can
go hero 0 Myou want one of your
tutorids in here as soon as
possible, just link us the tutoria in
thecommentssection, and I look
forward to seeing them( This is
not Just drawing tutorils, so
don't bearaid to link protects
about varltais, cloud data.
sounds, et.
by vowe
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,.by htysty"o
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studio. I you are invited to ojrste.
Figure 3-5: Scratcher created community of tutorials and helpers
31
;w
"olow"a)
A look at the comments, more than 1000, with the majority being requests to contribute, reflects
the enthusiasm felt about helping others in the community (Figure 4-6). The enthusiasm and
diversity of activity within these spaces is inspiring however it's unclear how useful they are to
other Scratchers. They aren't organized or easily found within the community - and the quality
varies drastically.
Foofy101
Can you please add my anime eye tutorial? Thankls
http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/24270840/
02 July 2014
Reply
WMakmtderGirl
I have a "How to Put Music In To Scratch Projects herel ->
http://scratch.nit.edu/projects/24103877/
26 June 2014
Reply
1 OnechwI3
I have a how I draw cat eyes tutorial her -->
http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/23908059/ Can somebody add it for me? By the
way, nice dancing N. :3
21 June 2014
Reply
1Ayangwi
I MADE MORE POKEMON TUTORIALSIIIIlItIIIIIII BETTER THAN EVER
09 June 2014
Reply
Figure 3-6: Comments from Scratchers wanting to contribute to the Tutorial Madness studio
3.4 Limitations
Many kids thrive in the Scratch online community and are able to find resources that provide
32
support and inspiration as they create and share projects. In interviews with Scratchers conducted
by Brennan [10] most kids described the ability to connect with other creators in the online
community as an important and useful resource towards their own participation as creators.
However, we also know that many Scratchers don't ever make those connections and don't get
past the creation of a single project. Since these Scratchers are inactive or end up leaving the
community, it's difficult to tell their story or understand their feeling of disconnectedness.
Even active members of the Scratch community run into challenges finding the resources they
need in the community. The size of the community is both a challenge and an advantage in this
regard. With a larger community there are more potential sources of support, however, it is also
-
significantly harder to find the right sources in the crowd. Another challenge is communication
many Scratchers are unable to articulate the problem and support they need[10].
33
Scripts Workshop
In this chapter I introduce the Scripts Workshop, an experimental learning environment that
connects the people, spaces, and activities required for effective community-driven support
within the Scratch online community. The design of the workshop is based on principals of
social and constructionist learning as described in Chapter 2 and influenced and informed by
existing Scratch community practices described in Chapter 3. The Scripts Workshop is
developed on top of existing features in the Scratch community and actively avoids
implementing new platform structures. In product development this is sometimes referred to as a
minimum viable product (MVP) strategy. It allowed us to test and iterate our design with
minimal resources. The following sections provide a description and analysis of the main
spaces, people, and activities within the Scripts Workshop experiment. Section 5.4 concludes
with 4 community design principals that can be derived from this experiment as well as an
outline of its limitations.
4.1 People
The people involved in the Scripts Workshop can be divided into 4 major roles: Learners, Script
Helpers, Scratch Mentors, and Scratch Team. In the workshop, learners connect with Script
Helpers and Scratch Mentors who are supported by the Scratch Team. These roles are derived
from Illich's requirement that learners have access to a network of skill models (Script Helpers)
34
and pedagogues (Scratch Mentors) that is supported by administrators (Scratch Team). The
following sections examine these roles within the context of the workshop and each other.
Learners
Many of the community-designed and community-supported spaces in Scratch have a surplus of
Scratchers wanting to help and a deficit of Scratchers looking for help. For a short time, the
Scripts Workshop was featured prominently on the homepage of Scratch in order to direct more
Scratchers seeking help to the space by reducing the current barriers to finding these community
support spaces. Over the course of 3 months more than 100 projects went through the workshop
30 of them were from Scratchers who had only been in the community for a few months and
several of them included first projects. In the Scripts Workshop the number of people seeking
help often outnumbered those providing help, which gave those providing help ample
opportunity to interact with real learners and real problems, something that is missing in other
Scratch community support spaces (Figure 5-1). In the discussion forums Scratchers often
request help without context and the helper studios tend to be spaces occupied by those wanting
to help (Figure 5-2).
http://scratch.mit.edu/proects/25127031 trying to add a scrolling map. and a
save system can anyone help?
31 July 2014
Reply
http://scratch.mit.edu/pro ects/24401011/ im trying to tun this into a scroll for
ages. can anyone please help me?
31 July 2014
Reply
http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/25165670/ Could someone please have a look at
this ?
30 July 2014
Reply
Figure 4-1: Comments within the Scripts Workshop reflect people looking to get help
35
can I possibly curate I love helping peoplel
10 July 2014
J
Reply
can ijoin iam a friendly good scratchers
30 April 2014
Reply
Can I help? I love helping new Scratchers!
05 April 2014
Reply
Figure 4-2: Comments within a typical "Helper Studio" reflect people looking to provide help
Script Helpers
The Script Helpers were selected by application. There is an abundance of enthusiasm around
helping that doesn't correlate with ability to help, and the application process introduced a
necessary threshold to participation that was meant to filter those with at least some experience
and demonstrated ability to help. The application involved creating and submitting a tutorial
project that Scratch Mentors (described below) would review and either accept or provide
feedback on for improvements. The tutorial project wasn't necessarily a good indicator of
someone's ability as a Script Helper; rather, it was an assurance that they had some minimal level
of experience as a creator in Scratch and an invested desire in sharing that skill.
It's important to note that the Script Helpers didn't have any special privilege in their role as
helpers. That is, in keeping with Illich's [6] design, where anyone with a skill to share may share
it, the Scripts Workshop was open to everyone. If a Scratcher saw a project in the workshop that
they felt they could provide help on, they were welcome to do so whether they were a Script
Helper or not. Instead of privilege over helping, the Script Helpers instead had a responsibility
36
for helping. They were visible, active, and skilled, members of the community who participated
in the space. They also received explicit support from Scratch Mentors in developing their ability
as helpers. Script Helpers' interactions within the Scripts Workshop act as models for other
Scratchers entering the space, with the desire to help but lack of experience and ability.
Over the course of three months, 46 Script Helpers were accepted into the Scripts Workshop.
Most of these were Scratchers who had some experience and skill expertise in Scratch, were
excited about supporting others, but lacked experience in how best to do so. In fact, many of
them felt the goal of providing support was to do so as fast as possible which sometimes meant
just solving the problem without providing any explanation (Figure 5-4).
Well, the more we have, the more quickly we will be able
to respond to problems. Some people can be very impatient, so this
is a good thing....
03 May 2014
Reply
yeah you are right.
03 May 2014
Reply
Figure 4-3: Script Helpers discussing importance of quick help
Scratch Mentors
While the Script Helpers focused on helping Scratchers with their projects, the Scratch Mentors
focused on helping Script Helpers better help Scratchers. They did this by modeling good
strategies for help and also acting as moderators for the Scripts Workshop spaces. Scratch
Mentors, play a role akin to what Illich [6] describes as 'Professional Educators', and are focused
on supporting the learning experiences of others. Though Illich imagined this role filled by
37
people with professional experience as educators, we explored the capacity of young people to
take on these responsibilities. The Scratch Team invited 5 older teens to serve as Scratch
Mentors, all of whom were selected based on their active participation in the community,
specifically, helping others with a demonstrated empathy for beginners.
For example, all 5 Scratch Mentors were also part of the Scratch Welcoming Committee
described in Chapter 3, so they had experience interacting with newcomers and beginners and
promoting a supportive and respectful culture. They were seasoned members of the community
who contributed and participated in multiple spaces from the wiki to the discussion forums and
other social spaces.
In the Scratch forums or wiki Scratchers who answer forum posts or create wiki articles don't
have much explicit support in these roles. In the Scripts Workshop, Scratch Mentors model
strategies for supporting Scratchers, provide Script Helpers with feedback on critique as they
help Scratchers, and create resources and facilitate conversations that reflect on what it means to
support someone's learning.
Below is an example of a poor interaction between a Script Helper and a learner in the Scripts
Workshop:
38
Fli, can you please help me with this:
http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/23927778/#player ? Its already here, but the
person who commented hasn't replied to my comments yet, and I'd like to figure
this out as soon as I can... ThanksI
23 June 2014
Reply
You can't expect people to be on all the time.
23 June 2014 Reply
I know. I'm just asking for someone that is
online right now to help me. I'm not accusing that person.
23 June 2014
Reply
Figure 4-4: Unsupportive interaction between a Script Helper and Scratcher
This particular Script Helper had several interactions like this. Below is an intervention from a
Scratch Mentor:
39
Si, it is great that you help so much in the Scripts Workshop, thanks a lot for that
I think your work could even be improved if you could follow the following steps:
Everytime you write a comment, read throug it again before posting. Ask
yourself: Is this post necessary? If your answer is yes, ask yourself if anything in
it could hurt another Scratcher - if so, change that. Then add some nice words
here and there. I think this might avoid problems on the Scripts Workshop Studio
03 May 2014 Reply
S
Yes, I've been practicing that. Thanks for
reminding me anyway.
Sr
Reply
)
03 May 2014
03 May 2014
Reply
Figure 4-5: Scratch Mentor modeling supportive help
Scratch Team
There were 5 of us from the Scratch Team who led the design of the Scripts Workshop. The role
we played would most closely match what Illich [5] referred to as the "administrators and
designers" of learning webs, whose skills and attitudes he compares to that of museum or library
staff. Their main goal is to stay out of the way while facilitating encounters among students and
the things and people that will support their learning.
The 5 of us on this team, together, represent a skill set that encompasses UX design, webdevelopment, programming, learning research, education, community moderation, and perhaps
most importantly, we are all active members of the Scratch online community. Having some
expertise in all these areas was important to the design of the Scripts Workshop. We met weekly
40
to discuss the design of the space and (after launch) to discuss how it was being used, what was
working or not working, and what we should change.
When the Scripts Workshop first launched we participated in order to help model the type of role
we expected the Scratch Mentors to play. We also invited the Scratch Mentors to participate in
some of the planning of the Scripts Workshop. We hoped that their participation in the design
and plan for the Scripts Workshop would allow them to better understand and support the goals
of the space, as well as empower them as managers of the space. After the initial launch we
reduced our participation to a minimum, only making ourselves available to Scratch Mentors if
they wanted our support in a specific decision or interaction.
4.2 Activities
There are two main activities that are supported through the Scripts Workshop: creating
resources and providing help on projects. These are adapted from activities that already occur in
the Scratch community. This section describes those two activities and their goals.
Community-Supported Creation of Resources
Within the Scratch community, Scratchers produce text-based tutorials in the wiki and projectbased tutorials that they share on the site. In the Scripts Workshop we build on the idea of using
Scratch projects as a medium for resources. They are not an ideal medium by any means. For
example, showing the Scratch UI or blocks in a project (which tutorials often do) requires taking
screenshots with third party software a process that is challenging for many young Scratchers
and tedious in general. However, we feel that projects are a better medium for resources than text
because they are interactive and more accessible for both helpers and learners. In the Scripts
Workshop we attempt to provide Scratchers support in creating more useful and accessible
resources.
41
As described above, Script Helpers apply to participate in the Scripts Workshop through the
creation and submission of a "helpful project". We defined a helpful project as anything that
explains a concept in Scratch or contains a set of reusable scripts or sprites with instructions on
how to use them. Scratchers submitted projects and Scratch Mentors reviewed them and
provided feedback and suggestions for improvement. Once they got to a place where a Scratch
Mentor felt it was something that would be helpful, easily understandable, and usable by another
Scratcher, the project was added to a growing collection of "helper projects" which served as
models for others who wanted to apply. By receiving design constraints and goals from Scratch
Mentors, Scratchers produced projects that were more relevant and useful for programming in
Scratch than what you might see by just typing "programming tutorial" in the Scratch search bar.
With access to a set of example projects in the Scripts Workshop, Scratchers had a model to
work from and were able to borrow concepts and ideas in their own projects. Through feedback
and suggestions from Scratch Mentors, Scratchers were able to refine their projects (Figure 5-7).
Through this process we ended up with a set of projects that ranged in topic from variables,
dragging, sensing, lists, and cloning among others; as well as a set of projects with reusable
scripts and sprites. Some projects even developed creative techniques that prompted the learner
to participate. Figure 5-8 is an example of a project, which provides the viewer with two reusable animated sprites, and a third image, which they invite the viewer to program herself.
42
rem
f rwrueri
Ths is very very helpful and you explained the script very weill Just one little
suggestion: Could you describe your usable script in the project notes? That
would be even more helpful I think.
30 April 2014
Reply
Donel
30 April 2014
Reply
Awesomel I could already add the project to the
Scripts Studio, but I though maybe you would like it to look a bit
more interesting for people who look at the studio gallery - so
maybe you'd like to make a background or something like that first?
01 May 2014
Reply
OKI
01 May 2014
Reply
Figure 4-6: Scratch Mentor providing feedback on how to improve a tutorial project
43
(reuseable sprites,
by Jamiemouse
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scripts and maybe more
costumes to make this a
better dragon. You can
even change the colors
and designst
Figure 4-7: Creative tutorial project, provides two sprites, and suggests you write the script for
the third.
The studio where these projects lived was highlighted on the site, which meant the projects
received many more views than the average project labeled "tutorial" on the site. In addition
many of these projects received positive and thankful comments from viewers. Just as
recognition from the community leads to confidence and motivation as a creator, we hope that it
does the same here for helpers (Figure 5-9).
44
Realy helped!
09 August 2014
Reply
Nice tutorial! Very specific, informative, and well-written
30 June 2014
H
Reply
Thank youl:)
30 June 2014
Reply
Wow! I thought the scripts would be like this: when green flag clicked forever
- glide 0 secs to x:(mouse x) y:(mouse y) or something like that. Great tutorial!
14 June 2014 Reply
Thanks (And no,
14 June 2014
it's a bit more complex than glide.)
Reply
Figure 4-8: Positive remarks from community on a Scripts Workshop tutorial project
Community-Supported Help on Projects
In the Scratch Community, the discussion forums are one space where Scratchers go to get help
from another Scratcher. However the forums are text heavy, and questions are often asked
without context, and responses often use language that's not understandable to the asker, leading
to confusing conversations that are usually left hanging (Figure 5-10).
45
I,
New to Scratch
5 posts
Hi, When i use a "When it switches to backdrop" (set to no 4) it does not show
I have remade the sprite and done many things
" Remade it
Copied the code
and many more
Please help[
Pt s
are the project and post link so we can look into it.
Scratcher
100 posts
how do i do that?
New to Scratch
5 posts
Go to the project page and click the share button in the top right comer
Scratcher
500+ posts
Done
Thanks
I NEED HELP STILL DOE!
New to Scratch
5 posts_
_
_
Figure 4-9: Scratcher looking for help is left hanging in the discussion forums
There are of course other resources available in the Scratch community (as described in Chapter
3); however, for a newcomer in the community (or even an old-timer) they aren't so easy to
navigate and understand.
46
In the Scripts Workshop we shift the focus to helping Scratchers with a specific problem within
the context of a project they're working on. The workshop is an entry point for getting help on a
problem. Within the workshop a Scratcher connects with a Script Helper, who will either help
them directly or will act as a guide for the vast ecosystem of resources that exist in Scratch, by
connecting them to other relevant sources like tutorials, example projects, or other Scratchers.
(Figure 5-11)
JCaieoc
Hello. I'm making a scanner/printer and I'm having trouble getting the program to
recognize so many different shades of colors. Are their and shortcuts I could
use?? http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/25589964/
6 days ago
Reply
JCW=s
@JCalex sorry. are their any shortcuts
6 days ago
Reply
phyno
@JCalex yes, frodewin is an expert on this, (I believe :P)
5 days ago
Reply
Figure 4-10: In providing support a Script Helper points to another Scratcher who may be useful
Scratch Mentors also participate in helping projects in the Scripts Workshop - the goal is for
them to model behavior of what it looks like to be empathetic towards learners and provide good
help. In addition they provide Script Helpers with feedback on their interactions with Scratchers
in order to help them refine their techniques for helping (Figure 12, 13).
47
Hey guys, I know that in this, you're supposed to make a project with your
question, but right now my 'project' is no more than an idea. So if you don't
answer this, it's fine. But my question is: I want to make a game where things fall
from the sky and you must catch them. Simple. But I don't know how to
randomize the amount of time in between the things falling. If you could show me
a script or something, that would be epic, but if you don't that's completely fine.
01 May 2014
Reply
Not a problemi Instead of using wait 1 secs, put the
pick random 1 to 10 from the operators section into the number 1 in
the wait block. Clear?
01 May 2014
Reply
Oh... I thought you are supposed to see the project
before saying it...
01 May 2014
.W
Reply
Well...the
point of this studio is for people who have
projects they need help with, so I'm not really sure if this is the right
place for this. Maybe you could post this in the "Help with Scripts"
section of the forums.
01 May 2014
Reply
Figure 4-11: Script Helpers responding poorly to a request for help.
48
Ithink it is absolutely okay to ask such a question,
don't worry :) As others already said, there is a useful block in the
category "operators" (the light green blocks) that choses a random
number that is between two other numbers that you can chose.
01 May 2014
Reply
Thank you, but I don't want to make a bunch of
Sprites that all have that same script. What I mean is that if I made
one sprite with that script, it would work and could repeat. But I
want to have multiple balloons go up, and still only use one sprite.
Is that possible?
01 May 2014 Reply
SZ
Yes, it is possible with clones. Maybe this wiki article
helps: http://wiki.scratch.mit.edu/wik/Clones
01 May 2014
Reply
Figure 4-12: Scratch Mentor modeling supportive help
4.3 Spaces
There are three main spaces that define the Scripts Workshop. These are: the workshop - a
communal space for connecting, project comments - a space for contextual conversations, and
helper forums - a space for reflection. The following sections describe and analyze these three
spaces.
Workshop Studio
The workshop studio is a Scratch Studio that highlights projects looking for help and people who
are able to help. Unlike many of the existing support spaces within Scratch, upon entering you
immediately see that it's a space for beginners or people seeking help and not just a place for
experts (Figure 5-14).
49
Scripts Workshop
Projct(29)
:1 Followre
Comments(1964)
Curators
Activity
Allow anyone to add projects
n
0
Report this studio
tu
Testing
by S N-spreVTmfwv
Left 4 Dead Survival
by thmensitivecononut
UNER CONSTRUCT!..
by
*erbsn
Mage
Buoyancy Sirnutxtion
by ducnb-ns
Viiae
uwnepr kw.Ip)
by RobotSperk
Cyase
Destruction 2: The rim...
by u~stsoUt
Platforming
Updated 1 Jul 2014
APW
by sheeiowe
Welcome to the Scripts
Workshop!
Looking for help on your project?
Stud on a glitch? Have a
question? Share your project in
this studio and a Scripts Team
member will help you. Follow
these steps:
1. in your project notes, describe
what you need help with or write
your question.
2. Pastea
by Dr~nott
rte':
link to your project in
the Comments and we'll add your
project to this Studio.
DON"T PLAYi
by %mwoww"
FOR S...
00
w
Cheaftwdate
battaW
Mushroom Farm Defe..
by EviCookc M
by k*n"7
by Loud*1e=iiones
Figure 4-13: Main Scripts Workshop space with listing of projects looking for help
You can also easily identify people in the space who can help on the curators tab (Figure 5-15, 516).
2i
E
an
EH7
Figure 4-14: Scratch Team and Scratch Mentors participating in the Scripts Workshop, as listed
in the 'curators' tab of the Scripts Workshop
50
Figure 4-15: Script Helpers as listed in the 'curators' tab of the Scripts Workshop
Unlike other spaces, which are text heavy, the workshop uses the familiar and thus more
welcoming elements of projects and people to define the space. The comments tab is where
Scratchers can submit a link to their projects and request help. There aren't long or confusing
conversations here, only short interactions asking for help which makes the space less
intimidating and lowers the barrier for participation. The communication within this space is also
moderated by the Scratch Mentors who promote and model patience and empathy.
The design of the workshop studio acts as a signal to beginners and learners that it is a space for
them and provides clear and easy examples for how they can participate. In addition, the
workshop space acts as a model for all those Scratchers with an enthusiasm for helping who want
to develop their skill in doing so. As described in the "Script Helpers" section above, the
workshop space is open to anyone who wants to provide support whether they are a Script
Helper or not. Thus, these enthusiastic aspirational helpers can go from observing, to practicing
51
participation within this space and receive feedback from Scratch Mentors and others as they do
it (Figure 5-17, 5-18).
EvilCookie36
Hello, I need help on my game, Cheatt.
It won't work (obviously). Here's the link:
http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/24653156/
15 July 2014
Reply
@EvilCookie36 Added
16 July 2014
Reply
EviCookieSS
@yellow25 Thanks!
18 July 2014
Reply
Figure 4-16: A Scratcher looking for help in the Scripts Workshop
LoudHeadphones
Oh yes I forgot to tell you that my Mushroom Farm Defender no longer needs help
so you can take it off! :D Thanks EvilCookiel
26 July 2014
Reply
EvICookdM
@LoudHeadphones Your welomel
27 Jy
2014 Reply
LoudHeadphones
*EvilCo kie3G :D
27 Juiy 2014 Reply
Figure 4-17: The same Scratcher from figure 5:17, now providing help in the Scripts Workshop.
52
The workshop space acts as a starting point for those seeking help, and the people within the
workshop act as knowledgeable guides to the world of Scratch resources that is otherwise
overwhelming or un-navigable by a beginner.
Project Notes & Comments
Many of the conversations in the discussion forums are out of context and confusing to follow
and often lead to frustration by participants. In many cases it seems a conversation will just drop
off and it is unclear whether the conversation starter's issue was resolved or whether they just
decided not to return to that thread in the forum. In the Scripts Workshop, a Scratcher frames
their request for help in the project notes and help is provided in the project comments. This
places the 'object' the learner and helper are referring to "right in front of them", making it easier
to talk about. It also makes it significantly easier to start, follow-up, or end a conversation around
a project. Projects in the Scripts Workshop aren't removed from the workshop until the learner
confirms that they don't need anymore help (Figure 5-19).
53
iieiio i tam on trio s:cripts Team. I think your problem is that on the bottom of your
define ''Set Basics* script you have a block that's walting until Eldertalk =3. AlM
you need to do is remove that block!
08 August 2014 Reply
SAlright.
Let me try that.
k)9
August 2014 Reply
SYAY IT WORKED THANK YOU!!
OQ Auinrt 7014
R4anlv
SNo problem! Is that all you needed help with?
09 August 2014
Reply
Yup! Or you can test it.
09 August 2014 Reply
LjI
did! It works great! :) Since you dont need any
moare help, P'it have it removed from the Script Wourkshop.
09 August 2014 Reply
Figure 4-18: Example of a Script Helper proving help on a Scratchers project
54
El
Helper and Mentor Forums
A key space within the Scripts Workshop is the forums where Scratch Mentors and Script
Helpers share stories, strategies, and questions among themselves. These forums provide a space
for Scratch Mentors and Script Helpers to reflect on the process of helping and support one
another in that process. They also use this space to help organize themselves in order to better
work as a team. Having a space where they can communicate helped to encourage a sense of
community among them.
In the Scratch Mentor forums one Scratch Mentor shared her thoughts on how someone should
be helped, drawing on her experiences as a "homework helper" outside of Scratch:
How should they be helped?
I've been homework mentor in my school... Our strategy was the following (which
worked most of the time):
* Get clear about the instructions, what do you want to achieve? (most of the time,
people didn't understand the instuctions because they didn't read them correctly)
* And then: How will you achieve it? I'm sure you have some ideas, collect them.
(Makes them think about solutions, not only waiting for someone to answer)
* Then think about them again, what can you exclude? (Kind of scientific way of doing
it But it's really cool to reflect about one's own ideas)
* If you really don't know the answer, ask me again (so we think about the ideas
together and find the right solution)
Figure 4-19: Advice from a Scratch Mentor on how to provide help
She also shared her insights into the challenges faced when helping. For example, the technical
challenges presented by working online:
But from my experiences I can say, that it's not that easy on the intemet - you are far
away from the one you are talking to, and sometimes you aren't even online at the
same time. Also, it's hard to describe programming and it's easier to provide the
scripts.
Figure 4-20: Scratch Mentor describing challenges of online support
55
Or the challenges of helping with programming:
Most of the time I give some ideas, like: "You could use this and that block" or "You
need a script for this, that and that" (so that they have to figure out themselves how to
put the script together) or else I link a wiki-article, if there's a good one...
But that's not so good for long and complicated scripts: What I do then is make the
scripts and add comments to them and then I try to reflect with the user what I did, but I
can imagine that some people just say "Yes I understood that" although they didn't
understand it or just didn't want to think about it.
Figure 4-21: Scratch Mentor describing challenges of programming support
Or managing learner expectations without discouraging them:
Another experience: Sometimes, people are asking: How do I make a multiplayer game
like Minecraft. Often they are new Scratchers without any projects. How do I explain to
them that they'll probably not be able to do that in the way they imagine it, without
discouraging them? Most of the time I'll link a wiki article or a project here, just for
them to get an idea of what they plan.
Figure 4-22: Scratch Mentor describing challenges of pedagogical support
This led to discussion among mentors about how to convey these ideas and the suggestion came
up to create a Scratch Helper Guidebook. After more discussion this turned into a collaborative
Scratch project made by the Scratch Mentors to convey what it means to be a "helper" (Figure 524).
56
r.
n.
aScatch
HStpt3
0
a~~~ ScrptsHeler
In the Script Helpers forums one Script Helper shared his story of helping:
I helped helloyowuzzup on their project Scratch's Singathon. They basically had
everything ready, but they hadn't done much programming. They needed help with the
menu to flip through the different songs. In the project notes they said that their own
scripting was confusing them, so I decided it would be best if I just made a remix for
them with a functional menu.
Before I started on the remix, however, I made sure I understood exactly what they
wanted. I had a fairly lengthy back-and-forth to make sure I did it right. During this
back-and-forth, they said that they didn't understandsomething that I had said. After
they said so, I did my best to explain things more simply, and that way I was able to find
57
out exactly what they wanted most efficiently.
When I startedremixing, Ifound out the project was horribly cluttered; not with scripts,
but just in general. There were a lot of sprites, and they were all showing in random
places. The scriptsthat were there were very repetitive. Accordingly, I started with just
some simple organization, and then I went on to putting together the menu. That part
wasn't hard. After Ifinished it, they were VERY thankful, which made me feel good
about helping them.
He goes on to summarize the take-away from his experience as:
It's not just aboutfixing the problem; it's also about making sure they have a good
experience and get exactly what they want, and, as (in most cases) more experienced
Scratchers, showing them what Scratch is all about. And, hopefully, the Scratcher will
be very thankful, making it enjoyable for you as well!
The Script Helpers forum was also used as a space self-organize. One Script Helper suggested
that it would be easier if he knew what skills all the other Script Helpers could help with so he
could more easily point to them as a resource. He decided to make a chart and invited all the
Script Helpers to fill it out (Figure 25).
58
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1
.
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Variables
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Animation
Sensing Blocks____
m
-pentors
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ntrol blocks
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ta manipulation
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odty
-
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are ideas
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.
e
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OS
inphic
lones and Variables
Ghost effect
. Random bug fixs
an
sta
Nth
* Looks
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m
" Data
.
-
*
.
ding and stamping out minor bugs
W9th
ones and how they work
Decrypting doud vaiables
Ineractive Art
Animation
basic
m*wa~lleeto
* Bitmap
. Lag redudng
.
gaming
. variables
. animation
. slide shows
. Platforming
. Top-down games
. Bug flxes/Troubleshooting
. Scrolling
. Vector art
Effects
En Rendering
Vector Art
-
movement
j variables
* simplistic drawing
SImprovement ideas
plgtformers
raycesters
3D engines
vector and bitmap
veicity
. code affiency
* string manipulation
. trigonometry
scrolling
Figure 4-24: A chart of individual Script Helpers areas of expertise. Names have been greyed
out.
4.4 Possibilities and Limitations
The Scripts Workshop illustrates the possibilities for more effective community support for
learning within the Scratch online community. Specifically, we can highlight 4 major takeaways:
1. Focusing on supporting projects instead of questions helped make otherwise abstract
conversations more concrete.
2. By creating spaces and highlighting people that model good strategies and techniques for
helping, the Scripts Workshop provides Scratchers who want to help, with an opportunity
to observe and then participate.
3. Defining and supporting roles focused on mentorship and pedagogy helped to seed and
59
promote a culture focused on learning and not just answering questions.
4. Creating spaces for reflection also strengthened the focus on learning and provided
opportunities for helpers to support one another as they develop and share strategies and
stories.
The Scripts Workshop also highlights some limitations:
Identity
Scratchers struggled with the idea that Script Helpers provided help, but so could anyone else.
The fact that this was a distinct role, that required an application, review, and acceptance
process, signaled to them that there should be some unique privileges that came along with it.
This conflicted with the general idea of promoting helping as practice and value embedded in the
community.
Communication
Another limitation is introduced by the block-based nature of the Scratch programming
language. Script Helpers and learners would struggle through conversations where they tried to
use text to explain how to edit, shift, add, or remove graphical blocks. Sometimes they would
remix and share a project to overcome this. These projects would clutter their own profile pages
and so they'd delete them soon after and the learner would lose access to them.
Diversity of Interest
Many of the projects submitted to the Scripts Workshop were by newcomers to the Scratch
community. However they lacked diversity of interest. The majority of projects submitted were
games. Though this could be because Scratchers are more likely to run into scripting issues when
creating a game than other types of projects like animations or interactive stories - I'm skeptical
of that. A community support space should strive to better reflect the diversity of interests of the
60
community.
Some aspects of these limitations can be addressed through more substantial platform changes or
additions. I'll propose and describe these in Chapter 6.
61
El
Implications: Scratch Community
The design of an online community greatly influences its practices. Design decisions within the
Scratch online community are made with careful consideration as to the implications it will have
on its core values of creating and sharing in a supportive and diverse community. In this chapter,
based on the learnings from the Scripts Workshop, I suggest and describe design changes within
the community to encourage and better scaffold Scratchers supporting one another. I'll structure
these suggestions according to three key limitations we saw within the Scripts Workshop:
Identity, Communication, and Culture.
5.1 Identity
Within the Scratch Community's 3 million plus registered users, it's difficult to identify who
might be willing and able to provide help. The Scripts Workshop defined a space where
Scratchers who were willing to help congregated; however, their ability to help varied. Since
many young Scratchers are excited to provide help, we had a large number of applications to
become Script Helpers but very few that qualified. In a later iteration we moved to an invite
model based on previously demonstrated ability and interest in supporting others. This would
work well in the limited scope and size of the Scripts Workshop but doesn't scale well to support
a community as large as the Scratch Community. To do this, we need better ways of identifying
Scratchers who have both the ability and willingness to help. We also want to ensure that helping
62
doesn't become an activity that is reserved for a selected few.
Currently Scratch profiles focus on identity in the community as creators. For example, the
content on a Scratcher's profile page lists their shared projects and studios, favorite projects, and
followers (Figure 5-1). Many Scratchers who participate in the community as helpers and create
tutorial projects or remix projects as a form of helping, create separate accounts to draw a more
clear line between their identity as creators and helpers. If instead, their profile also listed
tutorials or resources they've created, projects they've helped troubleshoot, and skills they are
willing to share (Figure 6-1) - it would better highlight not just how they participate in the
community as a creator but also as a helper or skill model. It would also provide Scratchers with
the willingness to help, clearer pathways to build up and demonstrate their ability to help.
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Figure 5-1: Scratch user profile page
63
EPride1embow
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Figure 5-2: Scratch user profile with helper identity information
If stored and indexed explicitly this data could also be used to move towards a stronger networkof-skills model allowing Scratchers to better find helpers within the community - for example,
being able to search based on skills or tutorials, or highlighting the most loved, favorited, or
viewed tutorials on the homepage.
By tying these forms of participation more closely with a user's profile, it will also increase the
perceived importance of them and foster a community that values not just creating but also
supporting others in creating.
5.2 Communication
In the Scripts Workshop we saw Scratchers struggle with communicating their ideas while
helping others on a project. Part of this is developmental and can be attributed to the young age
of many Scratchers, but part of it is also due to a lack of appropriate tools that support
communicating about projects.
In the Scripts Workshop, Script Helpers helped debug scripts through conversations in the
64
project comments. In contrast to the discussion forums, this helped to better contextualize the
conversations around specific projects. Still, Scratchers continued to struggle with the abstraction
required to talk about scripts using just text-based comments. The block-based design of the
Scratch programming language makes it more accessible to beginners, but it also adds
complexity when trying to discuss the scripts they construct. In the physical world, kids
collaborating or helping each other on a project can more easily communicate by using nonverbal cues like pointing to specific areas or "showing" instead of "explaining". To facilitate
conversations about projects in the online space Scratchers need better tools for talking about
them. In the discussion forums, Scratchers are able to assemble graphical scripts (albeit with
some difficulty) in their posts. Through the Backpack (Figure 6-6) Scratchers can collect and
share sprites, scripts, costumes, and sounds between projects.
Backpack
Sprye
Scrit
Script
site
Script
Sprite
Scr-te*
Sound
^
w
Costwme
Googls* 2
Figure 5-3: Backpack for moving sprites, scripts, sounds, and costumes between projects.
Since its release with Scratch 2.0 in 2013 the Backpack has made it easier to build off the work
of others in the community by borrowing bits and pieces of a project instead of remixing the
entire thing. Focusing on supporting one another, the Backpack could be extended to allow
Scratchers to drag scripts out of the backpack and drop them into a comment, fully integrated
with the text. This would help them to talk about and debug bits and pieces of a project instead of
remixing the entire project. This would give Scratchers a richer and more concrete language for
talking about projects (Figure 6-7).
65
Comments (1479)
JiggI.Visuay23
On the shopping cart sprite you have to have a show
block after when green flag pressed. I think that should work.
23 July 2014
Comments (1479)
Leave a comment
I
You have 500 charac~ar bft
.,
JIggIeVisu*23
Try this script on your shopping cart sprite
I added a show block at the start to make it visible.
23 July 2014
Figure 5-4: A project comment with and without the ability to add scripts
5.3 Diversity of Interest
Scratch has demonstrated the value of interest-based approaches to computer programming and
computational fluency[18]. A core element of the Scratch programming language and
community is reflecting a diversity of interests as a way of engaging people who may not
typically be interested in programming. The homepage (http://scratch.mit.edu) of the Scratch
online community is actively curated to feature projects that highlight a range of interests and
66
styles, which include dress-up projects, music projects, political surveys, and animations among
others. In designing support spaces for this community it is important then that these spaces also
reflect and support the diversity of interests of the community. This is an area where both the
existing community support spaces and the Scripts Workshop fail. As a next iteration of the
Scripts Workshop we are looking at creating sub-spaces for support based on interest. We can
think about using these spaces to better support groups who are traditionally underrepresented in
computing by connecting to their interests [18] and providing a context with strong social
support and guidance. By creating multiple spaces for support based on interest we can also
focus on smaller sub-communities at a scale where it would be easier to define culture and apply
features of the Scripts Workshop.
67
Implications: Beyond Scratch
In this chapter I will describe implications of this work beyond Scratch as well as future research
possibilities.
6.1 Relationships and Inspiration
An important aspect of learning is relationships. When reflecting on childhood learning
experiences people often refer fondly to the people who inspired them, whether it be teachers,
friends, or family members. In Illich's [6] learning webs the interactions are framed as exchanges
with not much indication of building longer lasting relationships. However, relationships are an
inseparable part of communities, and relationships are powerful tools for learning. In the
physical world these connections are often unplanned or serendipitous. In the design of online
learning webs we should consider how relationships fit or don't fit and what we can do to
support connections between learners and people who will not only share their skills but be a
source of inspiration and more personal mentorship.
6.2 Technologies for communication
The way we connect and communicate over the Internet is changing rapidly. Today there are
68
tools like Skype and Google Hangouts to communicate in face-to-face in real-time using video
over the network. Wearable and mobile technologies also provide new ways to think about how
and when we connect with one another. In this thesis learners communicated through
asynchronous text-based methods; however, there are opportunities to explore how we can
utilize these new technologies to improve connections and communication for the purpose of
learning. It would be a mistake to assume that these newer technologies are always a better
choice over older ones. For example, real-time video communication is appealing because it's
closer to the way we communicate in the physical world, but it also requires planning and
coordination. There are also considerations to be made about the most effective methods of
online communication for kids. As we design and develop new online learning environments it is
important to explore and understand the challenges and opportunities for communicating
virtually and what types of communication are best for what types of learning interactions.
6.3 Policy
As we think about designing online learning environments for young learners we inevitably have
to revisit policies around kids interacting online. At the moment many of the policies, though
meant to protect children from the perils of the Internet, also exclude them from taking
advantage of its potential as a powerful tool for connecting and learning. Today, most online
learning environments focus on adult learners; however, reform in policy could lead to a burst of
new environments that support kids learning online.
6.4 Massive Open Online Courses
The increasing interest in teaching and learning online goes beyond the field of computer
science. As we think about learning in the online space we have again opportunities to reconsider our instruction-focused methods of pedagogy that for years have remained unchanged.
69
One of the most prevalent systems of online learning today comes in the form of Massive Open
Online Courses (MOOCs). There are MOOCs offered in subjects that include computer science,
engineering, business, education, and more [19]. MOOCs are divided into three categories:
network-based (also referred to as cMOOCs or connectivist MOOCs), task-based, and contentbased (like Coursera and Udacity, also referred to as xMOOCs and the most popular of the three)
[20]. Though most applications combine aspects of all three of these categories they generally
have more properties of one. xMOOCs more closely imitate learning in schools and the goal is
often to reach broader and larger audiences by making content ava'ilable online. cMOOCs are
much less common but focus on the networked aspects of both the Internet and learning. The fact
that there are relatively fewer cMOOCs may be in part because of the uncertainty of how to
design them well to support social interactions of potentially large groups of people or strangers.
MOOCs have only been around for a few years, but as they continue to evolve, it is important to
research ways of better combining the positive learning aspects of all three types while
addressing the question of who and what learners should be connected to (and how) for a
different subject areas.
6.5 Internet as Learning Web
The Internet itself is essentially a giant network of people and things - many of which are useful
for learning. Sites like Facebook act as a "social-layer" to the web - connecting friends, family,
and colleagues for sharing stories, photos, and other personally meaningful artifacts. It's possible
to imagine a "learning-layer" to the web - connecting mentors, skilled-experts, and peers for
joint-inquiry, skills exchange, and sharing information and resources along various subjects and
areas of interest. Google Helpouts is a new video-based platform and marketplace for skill
sharing that takes a step in this direction. An ideal learning-layer would also provide
opportunities to connect people based on location in order to support communities of learners
both offline and online, and would support learners of all ages.
70
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