Tag Archives: SCRATCH

Check it Out:, Tech

AASL Best Digital Tools 2021: Scratch

AASL released its list of Best Digital Tools for Teaching and Learning 2021! This year’s list took into special consideration how well these tools work for remote/distance students. The resources enhance learning and encourage the following qualities:

  • Innovation/Creativity
  • Active Participation
  • Collaboration
  • User-Friendly
  • Encourages Exploration
  • Information/Reference

We share these resources every year and you can explore our archive of past recommendations here.

We’ve heard great things about Scratch at CMLE! Coding is such an important skill and we love that this app is for younger students (or total newbies!).

“Scratch allows learners and educators to program interactive stories, games, and animations — and share creations with others in the online community.”

Check out this review of Scratch from Common Sense Education which includes feedback from over one hundred teachers who have used the app! In this article, PC Mag says Scratch is their go-to Editor’s Choice when it comes to intro to coding programs. And if you (like me) have a slighter younger student interested in learning to code, check out Scratch JR! PBS Kids even has this app that works with Scratch JR so kids can create games and stories using favorite characters!

Grades: 1-10 (Scratch Jr. K-2)

Students chat in this 2 min video about the ways they enjoy creating with the app!

School Media Specialist, Tech

AASL Recommended Apps: PBS Kids Scratch JR.

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) announced their picks for Best Apps for Teaching & Learning 2019. “Apps recognized foster the qualities of innovation, creativity, active participation, and collaboration and are user friendly to encourage a community of learners to explore and discover. “

If you are interested in the best apps for your library, media center, or classroom, you can read our 2019 series here or find all past apps discussed in our archives.

“PBS KIDS ScratchJr is a creative coding app where learners can create their own interactive stories, games, and animations by snapping together colorful programming blocks to make their favorite characters move, jump, dance, and sing. Learners are empowered to solve problems, design their own projects, demonstrate knowledge and develop computational thinking skills that are foundational for later academic success.”

Platform: iOS & Android 
Grades: K-2
Cost: FREE

The PBS website has this page of five lesson plans to use with the app. Coder Kids has this great article with more details about the pros and cons of using the app and includes several projects. Finally, this video shows you how to use the app to create a race and a maze game.

Watch this video to see the app in action:

General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Information Literacy Programming with SCRATCH and SMILE: A CMLE Scholarship

The following report was submitted by a recipient of our new CMLE scholarship program.

Submitted By: Betsy Miller

For generations our family has loved visiting the North Shore.  When I received an email announcing that MINITEX was sponsoring a free workshop in Grand Marais this past August, I decided to attend.  The combination of Lake Superior, learning something new and FREE was definitely a winner.

 The workshop was Information Literacy Programming with SCRATCH and SMILE presented by Jennifer Nelson of the Hennepin County Library and Keith Braafladt of the Science Museum of Minnesota at the Cook County High School Media Center.  They gave us a great deal of information as we experienced a hands-on workshop of practical Web sites I will continue to use.

SCRATCH is new to me but has been around for awhile both in time and geographically as it is used all over the world. It is a programming language used to create interactive stories, games and animations. The home page is found at http://scratch.mit.edu/ giving over a million projects that others have created.  This is also the page where the free download is available for you to begin your own Scratch projects. There are several online tutorials giving you step by step directions to get started or to challenge you once you get going.  As a teacher I find Scratch Ed to be very helpful, http://scratched.media.mit.edu/,  giving resources and ideas for using Scratch in the classroom.

SMILE (Science and Math Informal Learning Educators) was also part of the workshop. This is a great online clearinghouse for math and science activities. The site, http://howtosmile.org/,  partners with the Lawrence Hall of Science, Exploratorium, New York Hall of Science, Science Museum of Minnesota, and the Children’s Museum of Houston to bring activities of all kinds to kids of all ages.