Overview

Scratch is a product of MIT.

Scratch itself is a programming language that is, IMHO, a great tool for students and teachers to practice the use of logic to contribute artwork, tell a story, demonstrate something, develop a teaching tool, and/or challenge others with a game, It could be a great place to develop teamwork, a vital skill in most workplaces. The fact that Scratch is available in multiple languages is a plus -- judging by the number of programs uploaded in the last month, (about 50,000), it is immensely popular.

As a website, it is a way to get help and information from other Scratch users to improve one's project. Everyone's project(s) can be downloaded and are open to modification. There are numerous sources of help from download cue cards, videos, and links to other resources. There are resources specifically for teachers also.

As a social networking site, there are forums for programmers and teachers, plus Scratch users can mark projects as favorites, as loved ones, put them in personal galleries and make comments about the project for others to see. If comments are inappropriate, there is a way to turn them in and MIT deals w/abuser(s) of TOS. Because of the various ages involved, there are some drama issues sometimes, (lots of kids between 10 - 15 registered). But, as a place, its pretty limited as to how much trouble students can get into -- that makes it a great playground for classrooms.

Objectives

• Participants will register as a Scratch user
• Participants will explore resources of the website
• Participants will then be led through an introduction to Scratch programming 1. learn how to move sprites 2. edit costumes. 3. add music/sound effects, After completing, the project will be uploaded.
• Discussion/debriefing

NETS for Teachers

• Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity 
• Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessment
• Model Digital Age Work and Learning

• Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility

Tech Requirements

• Scratch must be installed, its available for Mac and Windows
• Internet access is necessary if posting of projects is required
• Access to other tools would be nice, sound editor like Audacity, etc.
• Screen capturing tools can be used to make videos for instruction

Scratch Movies:

kittykatmovie.avi

Kittykatmovie.mp4