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UNF’s NEFSTEM joins the Scratch Education Collaborative

Students utilizing robotic technology in a classroomThe University of North Florida’s Northeast Florida Center for STEM Education (NEFSTEM) recently joined the Scratch Education Collaborative, an international network of organizations focused on supporting learners from historically marginalized communities in developing their confidence with creative computing using the Scratch computer programming platform.

The Scratch program allows students to program their own interactive stories, games, and animations while allowing the sharing of these creations with others in the online community. Scratch helps young people develop modern technological skills like learning to think creatively, reason systematically and work collaboratively.

During the next year of the collaborative, NEFSTEM staff, led by Dr. Brian Zoellner, UNF associate professor of secondary education, will attend Scratch Foundation-hosted workshops focused on topics like creative coding, equity, and community building; leading gatherings for Scratch Education Collaborative members to connect and collaborate with each other and the Scratch Team; and helping each organization develop an Equity Toolkit that will support them as they grow and scale their support for the learners in northeast Florida.

Learn more about the UNF College of Education and Human Services’ NEFSTEM program at https://www.unf.edu/coehs/NEFSTEM/