Scratch: Build your Own Game, Story, or Animation

Similarly to last week's post, I got this idea from that Makerspace project I've been doing with the Idaho Commission for Libraries. One of my fellow Makerspace buddies mentioned a website called Scratch, and I had to check it out.

Basically, its another opportunity to teach kids to code in a sneaky way. Scratch is an online platform that allows kids, teens, and adults to create their own games, stories, or animations. Rather than using an HTML text editor, Scratch uses a visual system to let people code. Think of it like puzzle pieces that you add and attach together to make characters and backgrounds move and interact.

I made two projects a little while ago. Dance Party has some characters that move around, and When a Bird Flies lets you fly a bird toward a destination. Now, these seem super simple, but I don't have very much coding experience, so getting an avatar to do anything was an accomplishment for me lol. But, the cool thing is that Scratch can be used for the super simple, or the ridiculously complex. I even found a 2D version of Minecraft on Scratch!!

Another cool aspect of Scratch is that it lets you view how other people made their projects work, and then start to remix them. So not only does Scratch give you first-hand experience dealing with critical thinking and problem solving, it also lets you learn from what others have done. Scratch won't teach you C+ or anything, but its a simple, fun way to get some coding experience or to make your own game.
 

Code.org: Why Don't We Learn To Code?

Code.org is an initiative to get more people aware of the importance of computer programming. The basic idea is that the ability to make a computer do what you want it to do, instead of just using what other people have got it to do, is very powerful.

In fact, there are more computer science jobs than there are students training for them. Because of that, computer science is a huge opportunity for our future. But, there aren't that many students, teachers, or schools that are aware of that fact. So, throw the creators of Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, Dropbox, Valve, Zappos, and a couple celebrities in front of a camera, and you have the makings of a cool video and a cool initiative.

In addition to stats about computer jobs and the lack of people heading toward them, Code.org links to other sites that will start to teach you how to code. These links include Scratch, Codeacademy, Khan Academy, and CodeHS. Code.org also assembles some teacher resources for us.

If you'd like a better idea of what it is all about, you can check out the video =D