I read the article, "Programing by Choice: Urban Youth Learning Programing Using Scratch". This article gave a brief description of what Scratch is and then showed a study were kids were given the opportunity to use it. The program was introduced in a "Computer Clubhouse", which is an after school program where students ages 8-18 went and were giving the opportunity to create scratch presentations. The results from this 18 month period were really inspiring to look at and consider. Many of the students took to creating Scratch projects on their own with little to no supervision and were creating projects of their own.
The article touches on this notion that many of these students did not identify scripting in Scratch as a form of programing. In fact when many of the students were asked "What is computer programing to you?". Many said that they had no idea. As someone who has recently started learning scratch I would agree with many of these students. I would not have considered what I was doing to be computer programing. It is interesting that Scratch presents programing in such a way that it seems doable, not daunting, which I as a novice to computer programing appreciate.
Another point that the article addresses is why this Clubhouse would have chosen to use Scratch. The answer ties in with what I addressed above. "Scratch makes programing accessible for novices by simplifying the mechanics of programming, by providing support for learners, and by providing students with motivation to learn to program" (p. 371). Scratch was really able to addresses all three of these areas which I think helped it gain popularity among students. Another benefit to using this type of program is that that it eliminates syntax errors, provides feedback about placement of command blocks, and gives immediate feedback for experiments (p. 371).
This article definitely supports the NETS Standards. I think in particular NETS standard 2. This standard states that "Design Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments. Scratch allows students to participate in authentic learning experiences by incorporating this contemporary tools and resource. Even after having read through this article I feel I have a better understanding on Scratch and think this would be a fun resource to integrate into the classroom.
Scratch is an interesting programming application because, I too, didn’t feel like I was making a program, but playing a game. Over time when I become comfortable with this program I hope to incorporate this into a lesson plan. We may be able to test what our students are learning by letting them make a presentation on such a programs, and the students may enjoy doing it. Through technology we can make learning fun!!
ReplyDeleteWhen we were introduced to Scratch in class I thought of it as more of a game then a programming application. I think when new tools are taught in a way that seems fun and juvenile I am more inclined to pick it up quickly and understand it better. I had fun with Scratch while not knowing that I was learning how to program. I can see myself using this tool as an educator but first I need to practice and make myself a scratch expert so that my students can have fun and not get frustrated. I'm glad to know that students are choosing to take after school computer classes and there isn't an age that would not benefit from becoming more knowledgeable about computer programming. I wish I had more time to understand and master computers too.
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