ScratchJr
September 10, 2014 6:58 AM   Subscribe

ScratchJr is an introductory visual programming language for young children. It is inspired by Scratch (previously), and is available as a free iPad app. Future plans include an Android version and a web-based version.
posted by tykky (22 comments total) 19 users marked this as a favorite
 
Still think we would be better off teaching them basic computer skills including problem-solving rather than this everyone-must-code nonsense.
posted by GallonOfAlan at 7:12 AM on September 10, 2014


I think Snark should be the first class, followed by problem solving then code.
posted by symbioid at 7:16 AM on September 10, 2014 [4 favorites]


Still think we would be better off teaching them basic computer skills including problem-solving rather than this everyone-must-code nonsense.

This is not mutually exclusive with teaching basic computer skills. Also, they don't say that "everyone must code", they say "But we think coding should be for everyone, just like writing." That is a crucial difference.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 7:17 AM on September 10, 2014 [7 favorites]


People who learn how to code may not become programmers, but they will be able to better understand when actual programmers (and the corporations that tell them what to do) are trying to mess with them. That said, I'm not sure starting them on it so young is all that useful. The time would probably be better spent outside.
posted by Poldo at 7:25 AM on September 10, 2014 [2 favorites]


Still think we would be better off teaching them basic computer skills including problem-solving rather than this everyone-must-code nonsense.

I learned more "basic computer skills" programming a TI-83 to get out of manual math homework than a hundred hours of basic classes could have ever taught me.

What you're saying is like saying "we should be teaching children to write essays, instead of this 'everyone must learn grammar nonsense'".
posted by graphnerd at 7:26 AM on September 10, 2014 [4 favorites]


I agree that being able to make a program is just a useful skill that does not need to lead to being a programmer to be useful. If you have an idea, being able to make it real yourself is great. And even if you don't make anything useful, algorithmic thinking is a structured way of thinking, just like any of the many academic disciplines that people study. Learning new ways of thinking great for your problem-solving ability, mental flexibility, and cultural capital.

I actually spoke to someone from Apple about this recently and they said, if I understood correctly, that this gives people the ability to make apps that can be installed on iOS devices. Now those apps are somewhat crippled (cannot access all phone features) and somewhat dependent (they don't stand alone, the user has to also install the scratch app in addition to the new app). But I would think that for many kids this would be pretty cool.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 7:38 AM on September 10, 2014 [1 favorite]


>> Still think we would be better off teaching them basic computer skills including problem-solving rather than this everyone-must-code nonsense.

You may be surprised to know that many members of the MIT and Tufts teams behind Scratch and Scratch JR agree. That's why these systems emphasize expression, creativity, and stories, rather than just "coding." On Scratch, many creators choose primarily to use words and graphics for their creations. What makes Scratch special is that unlike single-purpose apps like drawing software or writing software, they offer the possibility of animating and programming within the same system.

On Scratch, coding is just one of many connected activities in a range of creative expression online that includes writing, art, storytelling, learning to give feedback, and learning to work together with peers on creative projects.

disclaimer: I am at the MIT Media Lab, collaborate with the Scratch team, and have watched some of the ScratchJR development from afar, including lots of ranty internal emails that critique the current fad for "everyone must code."
posted by honest knave at 7:58 AM on September 10, 2014 [10 favorites]


Still think we would be better off teaching them basic computer skills including problem-solving rather than this everyone-must-code nonsense.

I look at these types of things the same way as Lego Mindstorms or any other sort of kid accessible building kit. Should every kid be forced to build a robot? No. If a particular kid thinks that robots are cool and wants to build something then it's great that they can mess around with an easy-level kit. So if a kid thinks Minecraft mods are cool and wants to mess around with building software stuff out of code, this sort of thing can be a lot less intimidating than diving straight into Java.
posted by burnmp3s at 8:00 AM on September 10, 2014


Should every kid be forced to build a robot?

YES
posted by Sticherbeast at 8:20 AM on September 10, 2014 [5 favorites]


Sticherbeast: "Should every kid be forced to build a robot?

YES
"

And every robot should be forced to build a kid. (If we plan this right there will be many kids & robots at no extra cost!)
posted by chavenet at 8:31 AM on September 10, 2014 [5 favorites]


Should every kid be forced to build a robot?

NO

in my brief career helping middle school students build and program LEGO robots, the graphic programming IDE included with Mindstorms allowed students to very easily create code... which may or may not do anything intelligible because they were just clicking around and then was challenging to debug for the studens who were actually focused on a programming problem. if the school had been actually interested in paying someone for real to do robotics, I would have built a curriculum around one of the many open source mods of the ROM of microcontroller driving the expensive yellow "bricks," which would have allowed students to program in something 'C' like. it would require a bigger investment in learning to program, but the payoffs would be much greater for students who get really into coding. things like Scratch make it easier to generate code, but at a cost of making coding much less rewarding and easier to generate code which is the equivalent of a cat running over the keyboard.

forcing every kid to build a robot is a total waste of everyone's time. have you ever tried to force kids to play with LEGOs? I have, it's both impossible and demoralizing. but the problem is that we won't invest resources in cultivating and recruiting for something which won't have high student participation, only high rewards for the outcome.
posted by ennui.bz at 10:04 AM on September 10, 2014


disclaimer: I am at the MIT Media Lab, collaborate with the Scratch team, and have watched some of the ScratchJR development from afar, including lots of ranty internal emails that critique the current fad for "everyone must code."

how about this, every high school should have someone who can teach programming. except, the problem is that the student participation rates would be less than music, which we barely support. of course, if every high school had that person it might actually change society, since these high school programmers would have a lot of time on their hands to code things, useful things even.

except that the fatheads who go around saying "everyone must code' have convinced themselves that all you need is the right MOOC and you're golden. the idea to pay to put people who can program in contact with kids doesn't fit into that world view.
posted by ennui.bz at 10:16 AM on September 10, 2014


I want the Android version right now, for my 4yo. She loves noodling around with Scratch, with me, but she's just not there yet -- too much stuff on the screen, too big a barrier to entry.

ScratchJr is the only reason I've ever thought I might shell out for an iPad.
posted by gurple at 10:34 AM on September 10, 2014 [1 favorite]


The idea isn't that everyone must code.

This is like looking at PE and saying that you object to the idea that everyone must be a professional sports player. That's not the point of PE. The point is to get the kids to exercise, to stretch their muscles, and maybe even learn a useful skill or two.

The point of art class is not for everyone to become an artist. It's to give the kids some mental exercise, give them a new way of looking at the world and at art, and to maybe teach them a useful skill or two.

The point of Scratch and all the other ways for kids to be introduced to coding is not to make them programmers, but to give them some serious mental exercise, to give them new and useful ways to think, to give them some useful skills.

Turning computers into understandable things rather than mysterious black boxes is pretty damn important in today's world. You're almost never more than a few meters from a computer, if you treat them as magic boxes you'll have a hard time. If you have even the tiniest clue about how they work you'll be more in control of your life.

More importantly, even if none of these kids ever take up programming, either professionally or as a hobby, they've learned an incredibly useful way to think. Learning how to program requires rewiring your own brain, learning an approach to problem solving that is applicable in everyday life, and generally improves you mentally.

I literally cannot think of a better method of teaching mental discipline, stretching brains, and improving thinking skills than an introduction to programming. I am firmly of the position that an introduction to programming course should be mandatory in middle or high school, and that introducing kids to programming via LOGO, or this, or whatever at age 6 or 8 is an excellent idea.

I don't care if they never write a line of code outside class, their minds will have been greatly improved.
posted by sotonohito at 10:34 AM on September 10, 2014 [8 favorites]


Isn't programming at it's heart "basic computer skills including problem-solving"?

I am confused about what would otherwise qualify?
posted by The Violet Cypher at 10:36 AM on September 10, 2014


I found ScratchJr a while ago, think from Slashdot? Anyway added the app to my iPad and my 5 year old was fascinated with it for a week or two. He learned the unlock code for my iPad specifically to allow him to open the app without asking.

Mostly he likes modifying the colors of the individual sprites, and recording sounds, but he has gotten pretty good at building strings of actions to make them move, appear, disappear, and repeat actions. Since school started he hasn't played with it much but it has been fun watching him figure it out. I gave him some help at first, but it's mostly been self-driven learning by trying things. This is a good thing, in my book.
posted by caution live frogs at 11:29 AM on September 10, 2014 [1 favorite]


ScratchJr is a collaboration between the DevTech Research Group at Tufts University, the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab, and the Playful Invention Company.

eg. Fantastic Impressive DEMO.
posted by sammyo at 11:33 AM on September 10, 2014


More importantly, even if none of these kids ever take up programming, either professionally or as a hobby, they've learned an incredibly useful way to think. Learning how to program requires rewiring your own brain, learning an approach to problem solving that is applicable in everyday life, and generally improves you mentally.

Personally I've taken several intro to programming type courses over the years, and I've never seen one really even attempt to teach problem solving to people who don't already get it. They mainly focus on teaching a set of tools that can be used to solve problems, and assess students through assignments that prove understanding of how the tools work.

I also wonder if I would have even considered programming as a profession if my first exposure to it was a structured programming class instead of teaching myself for fun. Growing up I hated writing essays in school even though later I found out that I enjoyed writing fiction for fun, and I spent years not enjoying being in a school band before I actually started to enjoy music.
posted by burnmp3s at 12:38 PM on September 10, 2014 [2 favorites]


This is not mutually exclusive with teaching basic computer skills. Also, they don't say that "everyone must code", they say "But we think coding should be for everyone, just like writing." That is a crucial difference.

We've stopped thinking about computers as programmable devices, and that's a crying shame. The next generation of computing devices (phones/tablets) barely even support the notion of files, or piping data between applications.

Not everybody needs to be a programmer, but people should know how to program. It's an important component of computer literacy that we've overlooked (and significantly underestimated the knowledge and abilities of the general population).
posted by schmod at 2:20 PM on September 10, 2014 [3 favorites]


This whole "everyone must learn to code" thing reminds me of Ratatouille: It's not that everyone should code/cook, but anyone who wants to should be able to learn without having to treat it like arcane knowledge just to get started. That kind of nuance can come later.
posted by chaosys at 5:09 PM on September 10, 2014 [1 favorite]


Was just thinking of a few other fun ways to introduce kids to programming.

Hack N'Slash came out of early access today. In this Zelda-esque game, just about everything is an object with editable properties and methods which allows you to code or recode stuff to get past the monsters and puzzles.

There's also CodeCombat which teaches Javascript by letting kids slug it out on the battlefield, using code as their weapon.

Another interesting programming environment on the iPad is Codea, a game development system which uses Lua. Probably best for kids older than the intended audience for Scratch jr, but does look interesting.

And then there's Game Maker Studio and RPG Maker. I've personally played with RPG Maker and it's a pretty easy way to throw together your own adventure or RPG. Game Maker Studio seems to have more flexibility and many basic games can be put together with drag-and-drop elements.
posted by honestcoyote at 5:20 PM on September 10, 2014 [4 favorites]


What I really think would be awesome is a 3D Nintendo Logo. Use a Koopa/Koopashell as the turtle. Make it 3D. Use icons as the functions. I think kids would have a blast.

I was looking at Logo the other day, recently. Python has a turtle module. There's a 3D Logo for iPad (which is different than my vision, but even cooler, I think, more refined/mature).
posted by symbioid at 11:43 AM on September 11, 2014


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