It has been really entertaining to learn how to program on Scratch. The fun parts come when you can get the Sprites to do exactly what you want. When those brief moments of frustration arise, however, there is a plethora of support. I've been using YouTube tutorials (most of them made by children!) to learn the basics and more advanced elements of Scratch. The fact that children are explaining the program to me over the internet is a testimony to the fact that this program is in fact user-friendly and moreover, student friendly! I am anxious to get this program into the hands of my Middle Schoolers.
So far, I've learned how to make Sprites talk back and forth to each other, how to make backgrounds switch, how to get Sprites to move, and how to use costumes. Aside from getting comfortable with the technical programming capabilities of Scratch, I'm starting to really understand the overarching theme of the program: how to use storytelling to teach. As a math teacher, we typically get absorbed in the problem itself, often ignoring the context wherein the problem lies. Using a story helps students to reach more conceptual understanding over the rote memorization of the rules. Scratch allows you to use storytelling to reach students.
Here is a sneak peek of the script I am creating on basic equations:
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