In today’s session we were looking at coding. At first, I wasn’t very confident as I thought the only coding, I know is the 0s and 1s running down the screen in the matrix. However, when I read the PowerPoint, I realised we were using Scratch JR which is a programme that I am very familiar with. I am familiar with this because in secondary school I used it in computing. We used it in a very similar way, but in secondary school I was told to create a game. This meant that I was aware of all of the features Scratch JR offers.
The name coding seemed daunting at first, but simple programmes make it easier to teach. This is why the English government believe programming and coding must be taught in some way or another (Naughton, 2012). This proves that coding Is of increasing importance.
For this session our task was to create an interactive story or game which improved the literacy aspect. However, I missed this week and had to catch up on a catch-up day. Trying to get caught up quickly I charged on without looking at the brief and created an interactive story about health and wellbeing. Even though this wasn’t in the brief I was able to create a successful story, which proves that scratch is able to be used for a wide variety of lessons.
For my interactive story, I decided to make a health and wellbeing lesson as “young people to be able to learn about health and wellbeing to ensure they acquire skills to live healthy, happy lives” (Scottish Government,2019). I used scratch to depict a man walking down the street as cars pass by. The man then asks if he can cross the street and the children have to decide if it is safe to cross the road at that time. If correct the man will cross the road and carry on his way.
Even though the story didn’t fit the brief, it worked very well and taught a very valuable point.
Overall the programme was perfect for introducing coding to young people. It was very easy to use and manipulate. I believe that with the right support any pupil could become proficient at Scratch JR. Next week I will try and stick to the brief so I can fulfil the task that has been set out for me.
References
Naughton, J. (2012) Why all our kids should be taught how to code. The Guardian. [Online] 3 February, non-paginated. Available: http://moodle1819.uws.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/39847/mod_resource/content/2/Why%20all%20our%20kids%20should%20be%20taught%20how%20to%20code%20%20Education%20%20The%20Observer.pdf [Accessed 7th February 2019].
Health and wellbeing in schools. Scottish Government. Available:
https://www.gov.scot/policies/schools/wellbeing-in-schools/ [Accessed 7th February 2019]
