Scratch

Scratch:
M.I.T.'s simple computer programming application that allows kids to create and share custom computer games

**About Scratch: **
Scratch is a new programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art -- and share your creations on the web. Scratch is designed to help young people (ages 8 and up) develop 21st century learning skills. As they create and share Scratch projects, young people learn important mathematical and computational ideas, while also learning to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively.


 * Projects: []
 * Galleries: []
 * Forums: []
 * Source Code: []
 * Scratch wiki: http://wiki.classroom20.com/Scratch
 * after-school Scratch club: [|http://www.soe.ucsc.edu/~karplus/scratch_programs/]
 * on-line Scratch "programming handbook" with lesson plans, basic and more advanced, and video tutorials []
 * Rated list of sites for learning more about Scratch []
 * http://computerkiddoswiki.pbworks.com/Scratch-Animals-on-the-move
 * This is a fellow educator’s wiki that has TONS of links to help educators get started. There are introductory lessons, sample projects, and evaluation rubrics to help teachers in their scoring. One assignment involves classifying animals and their habitats. Students have to choose the correct background, sprite, movements, and other creative story developments for the project.
 * Free tool offers 'easy' coding- article about why scratch was created and what it allows students to do.
 * With simplified code, programming becomes child's play- article about the uses of Scratch in the classroom setting.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Resource for Parents and Teachers: []
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Scratch Tutorials []

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Strengths

 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> something for everyone!
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">can add your own code and programs
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">does not follow traditional program coding
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">extensive support, both technical and peer
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">available in over 44 languages!
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">free of charge, easy to download
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">available for both Mac and Windows operating systems
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">User friendly for younger students and people new to programming
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Applicable for any subject area to create Scratch programs
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Students knowledge, skills and abilities improve with practice
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">User can create 'friends' to create and share projects together
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">the program autosaves changes frequently

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Weaknesses

 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Difficult to quickly find projects appropriate for a specific age group or grade level.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Time consuming for first timers.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Users have to get accustomed to the different aspects of Scratch before creating elaborate programs
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Difficult to construct expansive programs when first starting out

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Opportunities

 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">members can upload and share their own projects
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">members can use anyone else’s projects
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">support is available through videos, reference guides, FAQs, scratch cards and more
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">there are 10 forums in English as well as forums in 11 other languages.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Scratch offers the ability to translate the website and to translate items on the site.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Scratch programs can be appeals to diverse learning styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, etc)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Scratch can be used across the grades
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">teachers can develop groups and monitor input
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">students can work on a group project from different locations

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Threats

 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">virtually none
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">the site is run by M.I.T. and closely monitored.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The only possible threat might be that one person has posted some inappropriate content which has not been identified in a short time period when another child accesses that material.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Members can verbally bully another member
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">When using Scratch in an educational context, it is imperative that expectations are relayed to students and a connection is made as to how the tool relates to content and curriculum.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Ideas for the classroom
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Obviously, the ideas for the classroom are too numerous to list here. Scratch is a site specifically developed to provide ideas for the classroom for children ages 8 and up to develop creativity and other skills. The ideas come from the children with, of course, some direction from the teacher but the possibilities are endless. Here are a few:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Animations
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Simulations
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Computer games
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Interactive projects
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Graphic designs
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Music projects
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Storytelling
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Programming concepts
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Extend traditional classroom projects
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Appeals to authentic learning

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">*Sample video tutorial media type="youtube" key="jxDw-t3XWd0" height="344" width="425"