In my other, “non-Dad” life I work in the field of Educational Technology at a post-secondary institution. Last week I was away at an EdTech conference and learned about a fun new tool called Scratch.
Aimed at budding geeks between 8-16 and developed by M.I.T., Scratch is a simple computer programming language and development environment that kids are using to create their own computer applications. In their own words:
As young people create projects in Scratch, they learn many of the 21st century skills that will be critical to success in the future: thinking creatively, communicating clearly, analyzing systematically, using technologies fluently, collaborating effectively, designing iteratively, learning continuously.
There are some fun applications being built by kids using Scratch, like the very trippy Bloing Gloing to classic games like a Scratch version of Tetris.
If you’ve got a budding programmer in your family, check out Scratch.
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