Using Resources Wisely: VTK Really Can Be Your Friend

If you read this blog regularly (or go poking through past posts now) you'll find that I'm no faithful unthinking robot cheering GSUSA and its programming choices.  For an organization that is pushing STEM STEM and more STEM, I think they have picked horrible technology and/or implemented it badly.  However, the Girl Scout Law says we are to use resources wisely and VTK is a resource provided to leaders that will answer many of the questions I see posted on multiple facebook groups. No, there is nothing wrong with asking other leaders what they have done or whether activities have worked for them but so many people seem to have tried VTK briefly, found it wanting, and abandoned it.  While I have posted about my complaints (and compliments) about VTK, I encourage you to give it another try, but first, understand what types of programming are offered on it:

Types of Meetings on VTK

Journeys

Journeys are GSUSA's service learning programming.  Each level has seven Journeys.  Three are "book" Journeys that came out about ten years ago, three are  STEM or "Think Like A..." Journeys and each level has a Outdoor Journey, which consists of three specified outdoor badges, plus a Take Action Project.  

VTK offers plans to earn any of the Journeys, except the Outdoor Journey, in six meetings.  The first three are dedicated to the content of the Journey, but get the girls brainstorming about the TAP. The fourth meeting is to plan the TAP, the fifth to execute it and the sixth to celebrate it and share it with family/friends.  The plans can be found at the website of Girl Scouts Farthest North, but in my opinion are better organized and easier to follow on VTK, once you realize how they are designed.  

The thing to remember about the "Think Like a...Journeys is that they are teaching a way of thinking and then asking the girls to apply that way of thinking to conceiving, planning and carrying out a Take Action Project.  Put simply, if you as leader are planning your next six meetings, which are going to be dedicated to a Journey, and you are on Facebook trying to figure out what TAP your troop should do, you are doing it wrong.  The whole point of the Journey is for the girls to come up with the TAP.

Think Like a Citizen Scientist teaches observation and data gathering and analysis and then applies those skills to a Citizen Science project, which is a project where ordinary citizens gather data and send it to real scientists for use in their projects.  Girls are then supposed to use observation and data gathering skills to come up with problems that need solving, and their TAP.  The plans for the younger girls say that another Citizen Science project can be the TAP,or the TAP can grow out of what they learn.  While older girls can include another Citizen Science project in their TAP, they have to relate it to a problem in their community, and try to solve the problem, or add a component to educate and inspire others about Citizen Science or the topic of the research.  The plans for the younger girls are summarized here, but if you decide to do this Journey, I highly recommend reading through all the VTK material.  The talking points are helpful in guiding leaders to relate the Citizen Science process to planning and executing the TAP. 

Think Like an Engineer teaches a design process.  Girls apply it first to three design challenges that form the content portion of the Journey and then to designing and implementing a Take Action Project.  My summary of the younger girls' Journey is here, and I've also summarized the versions for Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors.  

Think Like a Programmer teaches girls to break problems down into component parts and to develop algorithms--steps in the right order--to solve those problems.  While the skills taught in this Journey are skills programmers use, the Journey does not require the use of a computer and you, as the leader do not need to know anything about programming.  You just need to read the VTK plans and use their talking points or similar.  Think about it--do you really think anyone could teach an Ambassador, much less a Daisy to really program a computer in six one hour meetings?  Girls then use the thinking process taught in the Journey to devise and implement a TAP.  My summary of the younger girls' Journey plans is linked.  

The Book Journeys:  Though these were originally designed to be used over a long period of time, now the plans have been condensed down to six meetings, and do not rely on the girls having the books.  Some of the talking points in the meeting plans don't make sense without the books--they'll mention a treehouse for example, and the treehouse isn't part of the meeting plan for the prior meeting--but just realize you are spending three meetings learning about whatever, then the next three planning, implementing and celebrating the TAP.  

Regular Badges

The vast majority of the VTK plans are for regular badges.  With few exceptions, each badge is divided into two meetings, and generally the meeting plans include activities that are related to the topic of the badge but which do not directly meet a badge requirement, as well as activities that do meet the badge requirements.   I have looked at the First Aid, Snacks and Making Games badges for Brownies on this blog and have compared the VTK plans to the badge insert plans. Clicking on the name of the badge will take to to the post.

The badge inserts give you three choices for each requirement; VTK does not.  For some of the badges, VTK does give you a choice between two activities. While some of the newer VTK plans do state which requirements are met by which activities, the older plans do not.  

Progressive Badges

GSUSA has several series of what they call "Progressive" badges:  Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Cybersecurity and Coding for Good.  Instead of giving you a choice of three activities for each badge requirement, the badge insert for these badges gives background information on the subject.  The VTK plans for these badges can best be characterized as unified lesson plans, and when you think about it,it makes sense.  Few of us leaders are experts on these topics, and may, in fact, have very little knowledge.  I've seen many leaders ask "What are the requirements?" for these badges with one breath and "I don't want to look on VTK" with the next, but in my opinion, it was GSUSA's plan that troops would follow their plan to earn these badges. When the requirement for a Daisy badge is to "design an app", clearly this isn't for a working app on an electronic device.  

Using VTK

In my opinion, VTK still isn't ready for prime time as a meeting planner; however, I think it is a valuable resource and this post is directed toward using it as a resource.

First, in order to use VTK even as a resource, you have to create a year plan. I suggest creating a custom year plan that includes all the badges you plan to do this year or that you are interested in considering.  From the year plan page, click on the explore button, filter for your level, or search for badges or journeys and add a bunch.  

Once badges are in your meeting plan, you are ready to get to work.  Click on Meeting 1 for a badge or journey.  Then scroll to the bottom of the page, where you will see the meeting laid out, with the amount of time each part is expected to take.  If VTK is offering a choice of A or B, here is where you pick it.  Click on the heading for each section and read the script.  I wish it was more succinct for some badges, but for a lot of the plans, the talking points are integral.  For example they turn a craft in to a programming activity. 

After you have reviewed the VTK plans for all meetings for the award, and any other resources you are using, like the Girls Guide to Girl Scouting, or the River Valleys plans, then select the activities that your troop is going to do and prepare plans on some other medium--for example in a Word Processor, or even handwritten notes--unless you really like the VTK plans as they are, in which case you can print the parts you want.  If you are using VTK activities, scroll up and you'll find links to resources such as coloring sheets, posters, or other printed material. Especially if the meeting is on a topic with which you are not familiar, take a look at the background information.  

Since I don't use VTK as a planner, only as a resource, I do not assign dates to the meetings nor do I use it to record attendance.  In fact, once I have completed a badge or journey, I remove the meetings from my year plan to reduce clutter.  

Conclusion and Comments:

In some ways GSUSA can't win.  If they provide lists of requirements only, then leaders ask for more help with meeting planning.  If they provide complete scripted meeting plans, leaders complain that they are too wordy.  If they want to provide programming on topics the average leader knows little to nothing about, they have to provide a lot of support, but when they do that via "lesson plan" type meeting plans that make it possible for someone who knows nothing about programming to teach about it, leaders say they want more choices.  That being said, I think the activities on VTK are, in general, engaging and yet doable for the average troop meeting in a classroom or church hall.  I think leaders who dismiss VTK out-of-hand are doing themselves and their girls a big dis-service, but I also think GSUSA should revise the VTK plans to clearly show which activities match which requirements and which are interesting extras made to fill the meeting time.  They should make it easy to select activities from multiple meeting plans to combine into an individual plan--so I could work on multiple badges at one time, for example.  

How do you use VTK?