Learning to Code using ‘Scratch’ – A Progress Report

Scratch Cat
Photo Credit: andresmh via Compfight

Earlier this month I started to learn how to code.

I posted some links then I thought might be useful.

I took advice and decided it would be better

to start with learning ‘Scratch’

as my objective is to be able to

teach coding to my students.

Scratch seems to have excellent possibilities

for the primary classroom.

 

On Education Posts Message Board,

I got some very useful recommendations

and so started with the Lesson Plans on Scratch.ie

 

A kind young relative took pity on me

and gave me her copy of ‘Scratch2Scratch’

I supplemented this learning

with a variety of videos here and here.

 

I also spent some time doing

‘An Hour of Code’ on Code.org

This first hour is straightforward enough

but it revises some of the basics.

I could also see that students would

enjoy the puzzles presented during the ‘hour’.

 

I am very taken with the potential

of ‘Scratch’ in the classroom.

However, though I would feel confident

enough now to introduce ‘Scratch’

to class and to stay perhaps

just a step ahead of my students,

for me as a learner, it is early days yet.

 

UPDATE: Finding Code Club World.org excellent:

both systematic and interesting. 

 

3 thoughts on “Learning to Code using ‘Scratch’ – A Progress Report

  1. Scratch is a great way to learn about programming. We have several children in our class who are working on some Scratch programs through an online class. They all share their work on their Scratch homepages through the MIT site. Mrs S also has a couple of programs on the Scratch site that she has worked on.

    Have you seen the Scratch Wiki that the MIT creators of Scratch set up? Have you found the Scratch for Educators community? There are some great ideas shared there.

    Mrs S and 5/6 CS
    http://www.xpress360.net.au/kclark/

  2. Hi Again

    I tried to add the web links to the sites I mention but they were taken out. Very happy to share these if you are interested.

    Mrs S

  3. Dear Mrs. S
    Happy days … those links are working on my page. Thanks again for sharing.

    Yes I am learning myself on the MIT site with the objective of teaching the children ‘Scratch’ in September, when we here in Ireland return for our new school year 😉 In the past I have been a page ahead of my senior students in Maths (the first year I had senior), and I managed. Perhaps I will be helpful to my students because the pitfalls they encounter, I will have met just a few weeks earlier.

    I hadn’t seen the Scratch Wiki or the Scratch for Educators community. Great to know about the existence of these.

    I am just learning my ‘a,b,c’s’ at the moment, but I can see that the potential for learning is amazing.

    Thanks again for all those links,

    With every good wish

    Merry Beau

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