Scratch is a free visual coding tool that was designed by the MIT Lifelong Kindergarten Group. It is a type of “block programming which uses graphical blocks to represent program commands” (Crook, 2009). Students can use Scratch to “code their own interactive stories, animations, and games. In the process, they learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively — essential skills for everyone in today’s society” (Scratch for Educators, 2020, para. 1).
Tool Snapshot
| Price | Free |
| Learning | Constructionism, Gamification, Connectivisim |
| Ease of Use | ★★✩✩✩ |
| Privacy | ★★✩✩✩ |
| Accessibility | ★✩✩✩✩ |
| Class Size | Unlimited |
| ISTE*S | Creative Communicator, Global Collaborator, Knowledge Constructor, Computational Thinker |
| COPPA/ FERPA |
No information available |
On its website, Scratch provides extensive resources, such as step-by-step interactive video tutorials, to guide beginners get started, allowing users to self-pace their learning. The website also has subpages designate for parents and educators. In addition, there is a forum for new scratchers as well as a featured studio to showcase products designed by users.
Scratch Overview Video
***View the Storybird Video Transcript***
Scratch & the SAMR Model
Scratch can be used in many different ways. For example, in a math class, you can ask your students to use Scratch to learn about and show their understanding of a coordinate graph.
- Substitution: Students use Scratch to draw a coordinate graph (rather than drawing a graph on paper).
- Augmentation: Students can use Scratch to create an introductory video to introduce coordinate planes.
- Modification: Students use Scratch to design interactive coordinate graph game to play. They can share their projects with each other and critique each other’s design.
- Redefinition: Students use Scratch to create a step by step tutorial animation on how to draw a coordinate graph. Users need to interact with the animation, following prompts embedded in it. When they finish all the steps, they produce a coordinate graph.
Learning Activities
ScratchEd, a member of the Scratch family, has many inspiring examples organized by grades, content types, curricular area, and language. To access the website, click the link below: http://scratched.gse.harvard.edu/resources.
Here are some examples of projects made by Scratch users:
Resources
- ScratchED contains hundreds of projects made by users
- Scratch Lesson Plan
- Starter Projects
- Welcome to Scratch! Get started here! Discussion Forum
- Scratch Design Studio
- Creative Computing Curriculum
How to Use Scratch
For General Users:
- To use the online version, go to https://scratch.mit.edu
To use without registering:- Find “ Create” on the upper right corner and click
- To use with registering, click “Join Scratch” on the upper right corner
- Fill out the information as shown in the animated GIF below
- Watch a Getting Started tutorial by Scratch; you can also find many other video tutorials for Scratch on this page
For Educators who wish to set up their online Scratch classes:
Step 1: Fill out a “Teacher request form” at the address below, and follow the steps as shown in the GIF: https://scratch.mit.edu/educators/register
Note that it might take 24 hours to confirm your account.
Step 2: Watch a tutorial video made by Scratch to learn how to set up classrooms step by step.
Also, you can find a written explanation on teacher account on ScratchWiki, which is a subpage on Scratch website.
Research
Crook, S.(2009). Embedding Scratch in the Classroom. ScratchEd.
Scratch (2016). Retrieved from https://scratch.mit.edu/.
Scratch: Programing For All. by Resnick, M, Maloney,J. , Hernández A.M., Rusk,N. Eastmond, E. Brennan, K. Millner, A. Rosenbaum, E. , Silver, J.; Silverman, B. & Kafai, Y. Communications of The Acm, November 2009 ,vol. 52 ,no. 11 . Retrieved from http://web.media.mit.edu/~mres/papers/Scratch-CACM-final.pdf.
Wikipedia (2016): Scratch (programming language) Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scratch_(programming_language).