LA 2.4 Scratch and CS First

For this assignment, I created this! It's a game where you are a space ship attempting to navigate through the shooting stars of space on your way to your home planet, Bigredline.  I made that! In only a couple hours!  Pretty cool what you can do with an internet connection.

Scratch.mit.edu has a ton of these kinds of projects, and I had some helpful vidoes to walk me through the process.  But in being walked through the process, you learn how all the pieces come together, and how, with some tweaking, you could create an entirely new experience.  I basically told the computer to do what the videos told me to do, but it got me thinking about the possibilities of what I, or anyone who understood the concepts, could do with these powerful tools.  By giving students access to this resource, you are allowing them to tackle coding at their own pace, limited by their imaginations.  Sure, there's only a limited number of commands.  But with all the possible combinations, even the most ambitious child should be accommodated.

I was also introduced to a google program called CS First.  Anyone from the community can submit an application to be a volunteer leader.  Then, you show up at a school, a bunch of kids show up at the school, you sign them into the website and let them learn!  The volunteers can come with no tools and no experience, and google will provide the rest, through tools like scratch and instructional videos.  I had never heard of this program before, and it seems like such a neat opportunity for not only the students, but maybe those interested in getting some practical hours in front of a classroom of students...hmmm....

CS First provides the location, programs, instructions, scripts for the volunteer, everything the group needs to successfully spend time coding, in several different areas including game design, fashion & design, sports, or social media.  What a great idea for a program, and what a great way to provide the resources for teaching something that will no doubt play a large role in everyone's life, really, moving forward.

I hope some of my classmates find a downside or some potential pitfalls, or even a flaw in the system, because I think I might be just excited about it and only see the good.