If you could make your own game, what would it be about? With Scratch, the possibilities are endless, and creativity is the fuel for success. This is just what Hewitt 7th graders Christina Bowllan, Olivia Mitzner, Alanna Levitt, and Katia Portela sought to demonstrate on Scratch Day.

Scratch is a free software program that anyone can download. Created at MIT, Scratch’s mission is aimed at making it easy for kids to learn how to program. It has a drag-and-drop interface for building programs and is used for making everything from games to presentations and animations. It truly empowers kids to utilize technology and to grasp an understanding of it that surpasses its appearance, helping to ensure students that programming can be fun and isn’t as hard as it may look.

Scratch is also comprised of a vibrant online community full of students and educators alike, further mobilizing the art of computer science. Hewitt currently uses it in 7th grade to make games that are controlled by sensors and switches plugged into the Gogo Board, the robotics unit used in the robotics course. For example, pressing a left or right switch on the Gogo Board moves your game character left or right on the computer screen to avoid falling objects. This is just one of the many ways Hewitt tries to implement technology in learning.

Employees at The Logo Foundation, who work with Logo, the underlying programming language of Scratch, started organizing an annual Scratch Day last year for the New York area. “Scratch Day is for people of all ages and all levels of experience with Scratch. We’ll have workshops for people just getting started with Scratch and for those who have been Scratching for years.”

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Credit: Scratch Facebook Page

For more information about Hewitt’s participation in the day, I asked Mr. Nauman a few questions.

Susannah: How did Hewitt get involved with Scratch Day?

Mr. Nauman: I submitted a proposal to run a workshop with any 7th grade students who wanted to participate called “Using the PICO Board and GoGo Board as Game Controllers.” The aim of the workshop was to provide resources for making game controllers with Scratch games. Four Hewitt students came and helped Mr. Patten and me demonstrate and explain the games and how the controllers work. We also set up computers around the room so participants would be able to play the games themselves. Everyone had lots of fun and was impressed by what our students accomplished.

Susannah: Why were you so eager to participate in Scratch Day?

Mr. Nauman: Two important points to me are that we have two fundamental goals for our robotics program:

  • Students need to make technology, not just be consumers of technology.
  • Students need to have a real audience for what they make, not just to make projects as assignments for a teacher.

Going to Scratch Day serves both of these very nicely.

Susannah: Why is it important for Hewitt as a community to get involved with technology?

Mr. Nauman: It’s important to get involved with technology through opportunities like Scratch Day, because making something original with technology and seeing others enjoy it and use it adds a true level of depth and meaning to the experience. It is specifically relevant to Hewitt because it empowers girls to see themselves as technology makers, which is typically seen as a boys’ goal and area of expertise. One thing it says about Hewitt is that we have a lot of talent and innovative thinking in our students, and when given the opportunity they can do amazing things.

Evidently, Scratch Day lends to a bigger picture. It empowers youth to get involved with technology and to take on more leadership roles, encouraging students to control their technology, and not to have technology control them.

As Mr. Nauman said, “The best part of Scratch Day as an experience was seeing the girls play a significant leadership role in the conference by participating in the workshop. I loved seeing them participate with confidence and genuine curiosity about what they had to share as well as what they could learn at the conference.”

Take a look at the pictures below for a glimpse of the day.

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