We had the delight of attending a Coding Workshop on Thursday, February 11, 2021, by KCJ. We used Scratch to facilitate our learning for the workshop. Scratch is a user-friendly coding website where you can create projects privately and you can choose to share your work with others. I had never used Scratch before Thursday, but I have a feeling that I’ll be coming back to it soon.

We were given instructions on how to manipulate the items (or characters) in a space using simple word codes, such as “go to [random location]” and then encouraged to go on our own Scratch site to try it out. Well, that was all the motivation I needed to get flying at it. I surprised myself by being rather quick to catch on!

There were important learning extensions that came of this workshop. It could be applicable to many different subjects. For instance, when we coded the cartoon cat to run to the ball, we could choose a specific x- or y-coordinate for the cat’s location. Furthermore, we could also choose to bounce the ball, by selecting an equally distant +/- y-coordinate.

When we did the airplane-across-the-map simulation, we could focus on rotation angles and distances. This could be a wonderful applied mathematics activity, with a cross-curricular focus on geography.

I am currently teaching a wonderful grade 3/4 class. I could see myself using Scratch to demonstrate applied mathematics and geography. I would certainly consider using coding in my practicum experience. It is safe and secure, with the added benefit of being fun for all. I would like to spend some time familiarizing myself with the different coding options on Scratch. These pre-loaded, teachable simulations were a great introduction to coding.

Personally, I found the workshop very fun and insightful for me as a learner. I allowed myself the space to play with the Scratch website, and to wonder “what can I do next?” as I was working. I learned a lot in this workshop, but my main take-away was simply: play. I learned to do by playing through the whole experience. The experience was about using my curiosity to come up with a unique simulation.

Now, excuse me, I want to see what happens when I ask my cat to chase the ball around the square!

 

References:

Coding for kids. (n.d.). Retrieved February 14, 2021, from https://kidscodejeunesse.org/

Imagine, program, share. (n.d.). Retrieved February 14, 2021, from https://scratch.mit.edu/