Aimed at primary-age students, this open-ended course will introduce youngsters to coding concepts using Scratch Junior, a block-based programming system designed especially for youngsters. Students will learn to:

• Use a simple touchscreen interface to create animations and tell digital stories

• Recognize loops, conditionals and other simple computing concepts using software and fun kinesthetic games

• Modify and customize fun cartoon characters

• Use the Chromebook's camera and microphone to insert themselves into stories

Dive into coding with a full day of fun and games using MIT's Scratch software platform. Follow along with Mr. Tomec as we:

• Learn basic coding concepts including loops, variables and if statements.

• Build and customize a simple video game

• Design our own graphics and animations

• Record custom sound effects using our own voices

• Participate in group brainstorming sessions using collaborative software

• Design and code an interactive biography presentation

• Compete in an interactive Kahoot quiz show

This workshop is designed as a follow-up for classes where students have already been exposed to coding. Moving beyond gaming, we'll explore Scratch's rich potential as a tool for multimedia storytelling. Students will:

• Explore how digital tools can take traditional stories in new directions

• Learn to use simple coding commands to synchronize the movements of multiple characters

• Learn how to combine comic-book-style voice balloons, sound effects and digital voice recordings to create rich multimedia stories.

• Options to create a curriculum-linked story as an assessment piece. 

In an online world where it's increasingly difficult to discern fact from reality, it's never been more important for kids to understand the power of digital image editing. This workshop aims to open students' eyes to the power and the peril of this powerful technology by analyzing photo forgeries and creating a few of their own. Students will:

• Explore famous photo frauds and how they were perpetrated

• Learn the basic tools used in all image-editing software

• Learn how to use selection, masking, and green screen techniques to create complex photo collages.

• Explore how to use cloning tools and other enhancements to create idealized images that bend reality.

• Create a fake UFO sighting and digitally insert themselves into historical photos. 

Video is increasingly supplanting text as a mechanism for teaching and learning, but the vast majority of students never receive training in how to create digital media and use it effectively. In this workshop, students will work with sample footage and shoot their own footage while learning techniques for effective visual storytelling. Students will learn:

• How to edit and reorder video clips into a coherent narrative

• How to effectively incorporate text elements into a video presentation

• Layering overlapping video and audio elements to create rich presentations

• Green screen filming and editing techniques

• Special effects tricks to add pizzazz to their movies

Students will use simple software and their Chromebook's built-in camera to create engaging and funny movie clips using Lego mini-figures, clay, chalk, whiteboard markers and other classroom materials. Students will learn:

• Techniques for creating lifelike animations using everyday objects

• How to add sound effects, voices and transitions to their videos using video-editing software

• How to use their own bodies as tools in surreal "human stop-motion" projects

This open-ended workshop will introduce a few of the powerful digital art tools available on the Chromebook platform. Students will ...

• Learn how to digitally paint, sketch and construct colorful works of screen art

• Experiment with both vector and bitmap art tools, learn the difference between them, and when to use each format

• Insert themselves into digital self-portraits and memes using photo-editing software

Students will use Chromebook-friendly digital tools to create both traditional and modern music compositions. Along the way, they'll learn:

• How to use digital sequencing software create awesome beats

• How sampling works, and how to create their own samples

• How to record and edit their own voices and other environmental audio using the Chromebook's built-in microphone