Scratch the STEM Itch
Programming in Scratch
I think it is about time more of our students start applying mathematics and logic earlier in life. It would be great if there was a simplified programming application that would inspire young minds to develop a computer game instead of always buying someone else’s hard work. Does that sound familiar? Have you too secretly been chanting “Let’s stop consuming and start producing?” Great, then you know what I am typing into WordPress then.
Here it is, simplified and ready for your *gasp* third grade class. It is called Scratch, and it is a programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art — and share your creations on the web.
As young people create and share Scratch projects, they learn important mathematical and computational ideas, while also learning to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively.
Scratch is designed with learning and education in mind. As young people create and share projects in Scratch, they develop important design and problem-solving skills, learning how to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively.
Scratch can be used in many different settings: schools, museums, community centers, and homes. It is intended especially for 8 to 16-year-olds, but younger children can work on Scratch projects with their parents or older siblings, and college students use Scratch in some introductory computer science classes.
If you too want to inspire young minds to think creatively and problem-solve, then you should keep reading!
To learn more about the educational ideas underlying Scratch, there are a lot of resources including a collection of handouts, articles, and papers available:
A collection of one-page overviews on what and how people can create, learn and program with Scratch
Programming Concepts in Scratch
An overview of the computational concepts and skills young people can develop by creating with Scratch
Scratch and 21st Century Learning Skills
An overview of the learning skills young people can develop by creating with Scratch
Learning by Designing
A brief introduction to design-based approaches to learning
If you are an educator, please visit http://scratched.media.mit.edu/resources for research and resources, and to explore other Scratch uses in the classroom.
Check out this additional MIT alias for Scratch as well – http://clutter.scratch.mit.edu/
Keep Scratch-in!
