A Scratch Tutorial by Michael Badger

Here are some great thoughts by Chris Betcher about why programming benefits everyone, including the kids who aren’t destined to become programmers.

Over the past 20 years I’ve taught quite a lot of programming to children and without fail it’s something they get a real kick out of.  They really seem to engage with the big ideas of programming – problem solving, thinking mathematically and using logic and reasoning. It’s the practical application of those ideas and the creative thinking required to solve authentic problems that forms the basis of a truly engaging learning experience.

While I don’t believe that everyone necessarily needs to become a computer programmer, I do think that everyone would benefit from learning the basic skills and mental gymnastics required to write simple computer programs.  I’ve found it to be an incredibly useful skill, and the underlying understanding it gives into computers and how they do what they do has come in really handy over the years.

Of course, Chris touts Scratch as a great language to show your kids how to write computer programs. Problem solving is a skill that transcends disciplines; you need to be able to think logically whether  you code or raise chickens.

Packt Publishing, the publisher of Scratch 1.4 Beginner’s Guide, is now making ebooks available in epub format. The change is compatible with iPad users, Nook readers, and a variety of other devices.

If you act before July 31, 2010, you can order a copy of Scratch 1.4 Beginner’s Guide directly from Packt at 50% off the cover price. Use the promo code “epub0710″.

You can read Phil Shapiro’s review at PC World.

Scratchers should recognize the interface and concepts of Google’s app inventor for Android. Based on the project description, the app inventor turns programming on its head and gives non-programmers a vehicle to create applications through graphical blocks. That’s powerful stuff.

The app inventor project recognizes several earlier projects for providing research and inspiration. It mentions an ongoing collaboration with the Scratch Team, which Mitch Resnick confirms in a Scratch Ed thread.

From the app inventor page:

The educational perspective that motivates App Inventor holds that programming can be a vehicle for engaging powerful ideas through active learning. As such, it is part of an ongoing movement in computers and education that began with the work of Seymour Papert and the MIT Logo Group in the 1960s.

I’ll be watching this project closely and will be shopping for an Android phone. It seems like a logical jump from the playful environment of Scratch.