Learning Technology From SCRATCH

A new software program has been developed at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), with the aim of teaching children how to program “interactive creations” on screen. With the software program, named Scratch, students can animate images, mix music, and create their own interactive stories, video games, etc. In essence, the potential for young minds is limitless. Scratch emphasizes logic and problem solving as students venture into an accessible world of computer programming, and Scratch provides students with the tools to become content creators on the computer.

Below is a link to MIT TV which gives you a video opportunity to learn about this program.

http://techtv.mit.edu/file/127

Some points to note:

1. Scratch is free software that can be downloaded from the MIT education web site at http://scratch.mit.edu/

2. Scratch can run on both PC and Macintosh computers

3. Once a Scratch project is created, it can be uploaded onto the MIT Scratch website for others to view and enjoy. More importantly, projects on the web site can be downloaded by others so they can view the programming blocks and learn from its creator.

4. On a cautionary note: the scratch web site is inundated with projects built by elementary school students, teenagers and adults. If one goes looking for it, there is likely to be content available that some parents find objectionable. If your child is watching Scratch projects from home, please be aware of this.

5. In class, students will develop projects using Scratch software. Students will not need to go on to the Scratch website to take part in the learning to use Scratch. However, if any student would like to upload projects on to the web site (for others to view, or for him/her to continue working on at home), then they would need a login account which requires an email address for sign up. I will not be encouraging or discouraging students from creating an account on the Scratch website. This should be a decision for parents to make. However, if a student does start an account, then I will allow him/her to use the account to upload projects (so he/she can continue to work on them from home or show them to others.)

Scratch is an engaging opporunity for learning true 21^st Century Skils.