A new program starting this winter/spring in Newport is “Scratch Magic,” taught by Lauren Mckinnon (Community Specialist). This course teaches learners to code using The MIT Media Lab's web program Scratch. With learners in The Lab, and on Zoom, this hybrid class allows students from all over Rhode Island to learn the building blocks of computer programming.
Scratch is the world’s largest coding community for children and a coding language with a simple visual interface that allows young people to create digital stories, games, and animations. Scratch is designed, developed, and moderated by the Scratch Foundation, a nonprofit organization. Scratch promotes computational thinking and problem solving skills; creative teaching and learning; self-expression and collaboration; and equity in computing.
Scratch is always free and is available in more than 70 languages.
In the last few weeks, learners have begun their journey in coding by learning to animate characters, change backgrounds and make sounds in their projects, creating cartoons and stories. By the end of the 10 week program, learners will understand how to code and create their own games, e-cards, and even interactive programs using sound and video sensing, making projects that people can interact with, without even touching the computer.
Not only is “Scratch Magic” a wonderful introduction to MIT’s wonderful world of Scratch, but it is also proving to be an excellent trigger experience to those curious about coding. Check out MIT's Scratch fun for yourself, or your learner, by Clicking Here
This program will run again in Fall 2023.
