I never like to describe Scratch as a computer programming language, but it’s the easiest descriptor there is. The problem, of course, is that computer programming, turns adults and kids away equally as fast.

In this NY Times article, “Programming for Children, Minus Cryptic Syntax,” Mitch Resnick offers this perspective:

“We shouldn’t think of programming narrowly as a tool for a professional activity but as a means of expression,” he said.

“Our goal is not just for kids to grow up and get jobs as programmers. We feel that everyone should be able to express themselves with online media.”

And expression takes many creative forms, including stories, games, and multimedia. That’s the obvious stuff. But learning to express yourself with a computer programming language reinforces the skills needed to survive day-to-day, even for those art-driven and wordy-type people: logic, thoughtful analysis, and the thrill of building something cool.

I know that there are a fair number of people who are not interested in thoughtful analysis. Their work shows it.

Scratch brings together something that we often encounter in the business world. We start with a goal (an expression) that we must achieve in a given set of rules. And the rules can be anything from market conditions to industry or company policies to tools, such as Scratch.

So, when we tell our class, our workshop, or our kids to “tell me the story of your vacation to the beach using Scratch,” we’re providing a fun environment to develop problem solving skills. Oh, and they can work on their language skills, too.

In 2010, Google announced its App Inventor development environment, a graphical environment for building Android apps. The project has its roots in Scratch.

According to a press release, Google open sourced App Inventor and donated the project to MIT Media Lab. I guess you could say the project came home. The App Inventor announcement was in the context of the new MIT Center for Mobile Learning, which will be “dedicated to transforming education and learning through innovation in mobile computing.” Time will tell what that means, exactly.

I’m wondering what the future holds for App Inventor. Will it be typecast as an educational too? Will it serve a broader user/business application? Will programmers adopt it as a viable programming language?

I dig Scratch and think App Inventor could be a wonderful companion, especially if App Inventor can have some practical application. In other words, it seems it would provide a logical progression from the strictly educational/fun application of Scratch.

I’m watching closely for the next news. Maybe it’s time to start thinking about my next book.

I’m going back to Arlington this year to participate in the OLPC Learning Club DC’s Scratch Day event. Not only has my publisher donated some books for raffle, but Mike Lee hints to a really cool prize, “we have a special raffle prize related to robotics!”

Also from the Learning Club’s announcement, Mike Lee says, “We also expect to be able to demonstrate Scratch 1.4 running on the OLPC XO-1 laptop with support for the built-in camera and the Journal file system.”

If you’re in the neighborhood, I’d strongly recommend you stop by the Arlington Career Center. The young scratchers’ talents and capabilities are truly amazing. Click for more details.