Online Resources
We review many websites and online programs as we choose curriculum for LabSpace. Many of these resources are available to everyone for free. So, we’d like to pass them on to you to use at home or in your classrooms.`
Programming
- Scratch https://scratch.mit.edu is a drag and drop programming language developed by MIT for children ages 8-16. It requires minimal typing skills and has built in tutorials. Additional curriculum can be found at https://csfirst.withgoogle.com/s/en/home Here you will find leveled and structured curriculum based around themes like music, art, storytelling and, of course, game design. Short videos lead you step by step through projects and allows lots of room for creativity. The videos also highlight different ways in which programming is used in fields like medicine, art, and music, as well as more traditional settings. Scratch requires internet access, but you can download the program here if you’d prefer. https://scratch.mit.edu/download
- CodeHs https://codehs.com/course/catalog?ms=false&hs=false&tab=all – This has a paid and free version. It has text based languages like Python and Java.
- Google Resources https://edu.google.com/teaching-resources/?modal_active=none&topic=coding-and-computer-science Programming as well as lessons on using word processing tools and spreadsheets.
- MIT App Inventor https://appinventor.mit.edu/ is a drag and drop programming language for programming Android Apps. Ages 10+ or younger working with an adult. There are tutorials on their website. LabSpace offers an intro class periodically.
Animation
- Pixar in a Box https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/pixar Pixar in a Box is a behind-the-scenes look at how Pixar artists do their jobs. You will be able to animate bouncing balls, build a swarm of robots, and make virtual fireworks explode. The subjects you learn in school — math, science, computer science, and humanities — are used every day to create amazing movies at Pixar. This collaboration between Pixar Animation Studios and Khan Academy is sponsored by Disney. If you have questions or ideas, email us at [email protected]. If you have a Kahn Academy account. Khan Academy https://www.khanacademy.org/ is an amazing resource to learn almost anything. If you don’t have a Khan account, you should sign up.
Digital Art Software
Game Design
Science Education
1. D’Art of Science – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmEqw-OimZo They have a 20 session video series on physics topics. It give a science background on a subject and then a DIY project that utilizes the science. The science explanations are geared to middle/high school, but the DIY’s would make these accessible to younger students.