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Scratch: An On-Ramp to Programming

John Kary
August 23, 2014

Scratch: An On-Ramp to Programming

Learning to program computers in the traditional sense has many pitfalls that are barriers for newcomers. The future job market for programmers is bright and kids should be taught to control technology rather than only consuming it.

John talks about Scratch (http://scratch.mit.edu), the visual programming language from MIT, and how he thinks it's the best "first" programming language for the next generation of developers. Scratch hits the sweet spot to overcoming introductory pitfalls and provides a safe environment for kids to learn, explore and share their digital creations.

John Kary

August 23, 2014
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Transcript

  1. • Programming is a necessary skill • So you want

    to learn to program? • MIT Scratch • Why Scratch? • How can you help?
  2. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2012) Occupation 2012 2022 Growth Software

    developers, applications 613,000 752,900 22.8% Occupations with the most job growth,! 2012 and projected 2022 http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_table_104.htm
  3. The forever recession
 (and the coming revolution) When everyone has

    a laptop! and connection to the world,! then everyone owns a factory. Seth Godin, Sept 2011 http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/09/the-forever-recession.html
  4. Stages of Learning to Program 1. Desire and goal 2.

    Typing accuracy and syntax 3. Values have meaning
  5. Stages of Learning to Program 1. Desire and goal 2.

    Typing accuracy and syntax 3. Values have meaning 4. Language and platform idioms
  6. Stages of Learning to Program 1. Desire and goal 2.

    Typing accuracy and syntax 3. Values have meaning 4. Language and platform idioms 5. Running the program
  7. Stages of Learning to Program 1. Desire and goal 2.

    Typing accuracy and syntax 3. Values have meaning 4. Language and platform idioms 5. Running the program 6. Hey I made this thing!
  8. Stages of Learning to Program 1. Desire and goal 2.

    Typing accuracy and syntax 3. Values have meaning
  9. Stages of Learning to Program 1. Desire and goal 2.

    Typing accuracy and syntax 3. Values have meaning 4. Language and platform idioms
  10. Stages of Learning to Program 1. Desire and goal 2.

    Typing accuracy and syntax 3. Values have meaning 4. Language and platform idioms 5. Running the program
  11. Stages of Learning to Program 1. Desire and goal 2.

    Typing accuracy and syntax 3. Values have meaning 4. Language and platform idioms 5. Running the program 6. Hey I made this thing!
  12. Stages of Learning to Program 1. Desire and goal 2.

    Typing accuracy and syntax 3. Values have meaning 4. Language and platform idioms 5. Running the program 6. Hey I made this thing! Find the hidden Triforce
  13. Stages of Learning to Program 1. Desire and goal 2.

    Typing accuracy and syntax 3. Values have meaning 4. Language and platform idioms 5. Running the program 6. Hey I made this thing! Find the hidden Triforce Hours on my computer
  14. Stages of Learning to Program 1. Desire and goal 2.

    Typing accuracy and syntax 3. Values have meaning 4. Language and platform idioms 5. Running the program 6. Hey I made this thing! Find the hidden Triforce Hours on my computer 0x8111A834 == 30FF
  15. Stages of Learning to Program 1. Desire and goal 2.

    Typing accuracy and syntax 3. Values have meaning 4. Language and platform idioms 5. Running the program 6. Hey I made this thing! Find the hidden Triforce Hours on my computer 0x8111A834 == 30FF GeoCities HTML
  16. Stages of Learning to Program 1. Desire and goal 2.

    Typing accuracy and syntax 3. Values have meaning 4. Language and platform idioms 5. Running the program 6. Hey I made this thing! Find the hidden Triforce Hours on my computer 0x8111A834 == 30FF GeoCities HTML F5 F5 F5 F5 F5 F5
  17. • January 2007 • National Science Foundation grant,
 Lifelong Kindergarten

    group @ MIT • Designed for 8-16 year olds • Think creatively, work collaboratively and reason systematically
  18. The state of programming is currently shackled to its previous

    success Scratch is fun and! gets you started right away