Encouraging innovative education through the OctoStudio platform
In an exciting development, the Lifelong Kindergarten research group at the MIT Media Lab has released OctoStudio, a new mobile coding app that promises to revolutionize the way schoolchildren and users of all ages create animations, games, and interactive projects.
OctoStudio, the successor to the popular Scratch platform, allows users to combine photos, drawings, emojis, sounds, and coding blocks to bring their ideas to life. With features like responsive projects that can detect phone movements such as tilting or shaking, use sounds, control the flashlight, and even collaborate across devices using Bluetooth "beam" blocks, OctoStudio offers endless possibilities for creativity and learning.
Designed with educators worldwide, OctoStudio comes with introductory videos, sample projects, and supports offline use. It is completely free with no ads or data collection, available in more than 20 languages. The app aims to develop creative thinking and problem-solving skills in a playful, meaningful way for young people.
One of the first projects created using OctoStudio is an animated birthday card made by a young girl and her mother. Using family photos and a personalized singing greeting, the girl brought her creation to life, resulting in a heartwarming gift for her grandmother.
Meanwhile, in Uganda, two friends have created an interactive game featuring an animated chicken. The chicken moves across the screen when the phone is tilted and speaks aloud in Swahili when it finds water. This project, like many others, demonstrates the potential of OctoStudio to inspire and educate users around the world.
In Chile, schoolchildren are using OctoStudio to integrate photos of plants and animals into animated stories about their local environment. These projects showcase the app's versatility and its ability to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of the world around us.
OctoStudio was made publicly available today, opening up a world of possibilities for creative expression and learning. Whether you're a schoolchild, a parent, or an educator, OctoStudio is an essential tool for the digital age, empowering us to create, learn, and grow.
[1] https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/octostudio/ [2] https://www.edutopia.org/blog/octostudio-app-transforms-mobile-coding [3] https://www.techradar.com/news/octostudio-the-new-scratch-app-lets-kids-code-animations-and-games-on-their-phones [4] https://www.fastcompany.com/90482430/octostudio-is-a-new-app-that-lets-kids-code-animations-and-games-on-their-phones
- This new mobile coding app, OctoStudio, is not just for schoolchildren, but it also provides a platform for technology research in education-and-self-development, allowing public users of all ages to combine various elements like photos, sounds, and coding blocks to foster creative thinking and problem-solving skills, contributing to a more informed and technologically advanced society.
- As OctoStudio becomes increasingly integrated into classrooms and daily life, the environment stands to benefit from the increased interest in interactive projects depicting plants, animals, and local ecosystems, promoting a wider understanding and appreciation of our immediate surroundings through technology and education.
