Scratch is a program where you can create visual programming in a fun and engaging way. This program is intended for students 8+ due to you having to have some previous knowledge as well as you have to be able to navigate through the may features on the platform. Scratch programming allows you to make games, stories, music and a list of other awesome animations.
I personally had a hard time understanding how coding worked on the website and it took me awhile to create my first coding animation. After a debatable amount of time, I finally understood how the program worked and I did end up having a good time playing around with it. I can see the benefits of coding and I could see it being useful in a classroom setting. The reasons I feel coding would be beneficial in the classroom is because:
- Sparks imagination and creativity.
- Helps students develop problem solving skills.
- Introduces the students to another part of the ever-growing technological world.
- Lastly, it is setting the students up for the real world – all jobs / schools have a heavy focus on technology.
I will definitely be using this website in my future classroom! 🙂
ScratchJr
ScratchJr is a coding program but is better suited for younger students and ones that are just getting their feet into the world of coding. The layout of scratchjr is very user friendly, is less complex when it comes to structuring movements in your animation and has a lot less options throughout the program.
Visual comparison of Scratch vs. ScratchJr
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/755089594/editor
https://www.scratchjr.org/learn/interface
My first ever coding animation!
Very happy with how it turned out! 🙂
Hi Morgan! I had a similar experience with Scratch. It took me a while to catch on but, after some time, I had a lot of fun with it. I still don’t understand how this helps children grow up to create technology but I’ll trust those that do know! Haha. I love learning about these programs/apps/platforms that students are actively engaging with at school. Thanks for sharing your findings about Scratch Jr. I need to spend more time exploring it.
Thanks!