Scratch.mit.edu - Where Children Learn How To Program

Thinking back to the times when my brother and I were presented with our first computer makes me go all nostalgic. It was a ZX Spectrum, and it was actually my brother’s computer – I was presented with one of those hard-to-find G.I. Joe gliders while he received the computer, but I got bored of it the same day. The fact that I crashed it against my bedroom’s wall and wrecked it completely might have had something to do in me going to my brother’s room to see what his new “toy” was all about. The computer came with a free game that was an Arkanoid rip-off, and both my father and my brother were playing it quite enthusiastically. My brother proudly pronounced something akin to “This is nothing in comparison with the games we are yet to see”. I still use that phrase to pull his leg at every turn, incidentally, but he couldn’t have been more right.

The most interesting aspect about that whole situation is that the very same day we bought the computer my brother somehow managed to modify the code of that free game that came with it, and alter the width of the pad you controlled. I wondered how he did it, but the answer is not so hard to find now – the language that was used (good old Basic) made for an interactive experience, or rather, it empowered anybody with the time and the enthusiasm to delve into it and come out with something after some time.

This portal brought all that to mind, since it features a software that will let children make stints at programming by melding together blocks in order to create not only stories and animations but also games. Moreover, these can be shared over the web with their friends and classmates in order to make the experience more comprehensive.

If you follow KillerStartups you will know how keen I am on sites that play a social role, and that is exactly what this resource does. It has been around for some time now, and I sincerely hope it receives the attention it deserves. If you have children, I advice you to pay this site a visit and give it a good look.

“Imagine, program, share.”

It is the right tool for letting your children get acquainted with computers.

How can this site become more widespread?