So perhaps it's because I just returned full of mosquito bites from a camping trip, but I've had Scratch on my mind. This Scratch however is for a completely different itch, and I can't wait to share it with you (and all the kids this coming school year).
It's no secret that our kids LOVE playing computer games on any device they can get their hands on - it's practically an addiction in many cases (one you often have to compete with for their attention). Take a lesson from the Judo masters and work with this power instead of against it. You can turn this addiction into a HUGE learning opportunity with Scratch, a web-based programming tool from MIT that your kids can use anywhere on almost any device at school or at home to create amazing things!
The learning potential is huge. This is a real programming platform that can be used by a wide range of children, from grade ones who can't even write yet to high school students trying to develop their own software. Younger children can create simple animations and more advanced students can create elaborate games that they can share and play together. There's a social aspect too -- a wide community of children all over the world who can learn from each other by sharing their coding and giving/receiving feedback.
Of course, the more you know about coding, the more you can help them tackle harder projects faster, but if you are a coding neophyte, it's no problem with Scratch. Even if you don't know the first thing about programming, don't know what a loop is, or how to compile... RELAX. You can still do this. Really. The kids can practically teach themselves Scratch just by playing around with it. In fact, many a great coder has learned to program this way as a kid -- Scratch just takes all the frustration out and removes a lot of obstacles for kids with learning challenges and makes coding accessible to everyone, regardless of age or ability.
You should see how proud they are when they finally get their own games to work the way they planned! And the best part for my students has been that Scratch completely prepares them to tackle Robotics with our class robot, Sparki... but that's a whole separate post I can't wait to share.
Until then, just see what Scratch can do:
Scratch Overview from ScratchEd on Vimeo.
There's even a ScratchEd community for teachers to explore how other educators are using Scratch with their students! You're not alone on this journey so come along! And it's ALL FREE!
Go now. https://scratch.mit.edu
Set up a free account.
Look around at some of the examples.
Play with the platform yourself.
Get hooked, and imagine the possibilities in your classroom! :)
I'm so excited for you and your students!
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