Project Brainstorming

1. Project Name:

Scratch Team is fairly lame, but it does go along with the Boys & Girls Club tradition where everything is a "team" - Tech Team, Design Team, Web Team...

Here's some synonyms for "team" that might work:

crew, gang, squad, partners, force, pals, bunch

But I also want to stress the peer mentoring aspect of the project, so maybe the name should include more of meaning for a "peer" or a "pair":

associate, chum, co-worker, comate, companion, comrade, confidant, crony, fellow, intimate, mate, pal, peer, sidekick

2. Logo

The name of the software, Scratch, came from "starting from scratch" or "scratching a record", but the software also has the icon of a little orange cat. The cat is also a useful icon because it is synonymous with curiosity, dexterity, flexibility, and sometimes being a bit mischievous. There’s also the well known peripheral to the computer, the mouse, which could lead to some imagery around a cat holding a computer mouse in her mouth. But how to connect the cat to the team? Most teams have mascot, usually moving in logos.



3. Website Look & Feel:

It would be nice to have the look and feel of my website to match the current Scratch blog, which is mostly for adult mentors and staff. It's gray and has an interface that's similar to the Scratch software itself. The software and the blog use bright colors to signify different types of actions/themes.



3. Animated Tutorial Ideas:

I’d like to try capturing some videos of using the software and edit it with some original music by one of the youth at the Charlestown Computer Clubhouse just to help the kids get started using the software.

4. Video Promo Ideas:

I’d also like to do a promo video for encouraging peer mentoring in a technology educational setting (both in and after school), including some testimonial interviews and action shots. The MIT group is mentoring with Scratch at a few local Clubhouses and community centers where I can capture some of these images.