Product Overview: Scratch
Introduction
Scratch is a free, educational programming language and online community developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab. It is designed to make coding accessible and fun for young people, aged 8 and up, helping them develop essential 21st-century learning skills.
What Scratch Does
Scratch enables users to create a variety of interactive projects, including stories, games, music, animations, art, and simulations. By using Scratch, young people learn important mathematical and computational concepts while engaging in a creative and collaborative process.
Key Features and Functionality
Visual Programming
Scratch uses a unique “drag-and-drop programming” method, where users build code by dragging and connecting color-coded blocks from a block palette. This approach prevents syntax errors and makes programming intuitive and easy to learn.
Core Elements
- Stage: This is the main area where the action takes place. It can have different backgrounds and is where sprites interact and perform actions.
- Sprites: These are the characters or objects within the project. Users can choose from a library, paint their own, or upload external sprites. Each sprite has its own scripts that define its behavior.
- Scripts: These are the sets of connected blocks that control the actions of the sprites. Scripts can be triggered by various events, such as key presses or mouse clicks.
- Block Palette: This is the area where users can select and drag blocks into the Code Area to create scripts. The Block Palette is organized into categories, making it easy to find the necessary blocks.
Additional Tools
- Paint Editor: Built into Scratch, this tool allows users to create and edit their own sprites and backgrounds.
- Sound Editor: Users can create and edit sound effects and music for their projects.
- Extensions: Users can add extensions to their projects, which introduce new blocks that can interact with other devices or add advanced functionalities.
Community and Sharing
Scratch has a vibrant online community where users can share their projects, view and remix projects created by others, and engage in discussions through comments and forums. As of December 2024, there are over 135 million registered users and 164 million shared projects.
Accessibility
Scratch is available for free download from the Scratch website and can be used offline once downloaded. It also offers a small stage layout option, making it suitable for use on smaller screens such as phones and tablets.
Educational Benefits
Scratch is designed to help young people develop critical thinking, creativity, and systematic reasoning skills. It encourages collaborative learning and provides a platform for users to express themselves creatively while gaining a deeper understanding of computational concepts.