Scratch Day - North York Central Library

For the educators that are able to, there is a Scratch@MIT conference in August you may be interested in.

What's Happening at Scratch@MIT?

The Scratch@MIT Conference is your chance to explore the creative ways that people around the world are programming and learning with Scratch.

Join us to share ideas, discuss strategies, and participate in hands-on workshops with educators, developers, and researchers in the worldwide Scratch community.

Some background on the creation of our event is now available @ http://chrisnolan.ca/2014/05/19/nycl-scratch-day-diary/

Quick Reference Sheets for Scratch

Scratch Day Handout @ North York Central Library 2014

Where to find Scratch: http://scratch.mit.edu/ Your Instructors: Alexander (Xander) Nolan, Mr. Chris Nolan                             http://scratch.mit.edu/users/Naxder Scratch Username: _________________ Scratch Password: _________________ (writing down passwords isn't the best habit to have, just do it in case you'll forget) NYCL Scratch Club Studio:  Go here to share your projects with the other participants, ask questions, and colloborate. NYCL Scratch Day Website: Find links to books, videos, and printouts that will keep you informed about Scratch. n00b Badge: Earn a Badge for learning to program @ DIY.org - that is n, zero, zero, b. Other Places to Code:

Khan Academy

http://code.org/

A few books available at the library that cover Scratch itself, Programming for Kids in general, and some books for the adults to think about the world their kids are experiencing digitally. 

There are other books out there, which the library doesn't carry (such as this list from Happy Nerds, or this list on Goodreads) -- a problem with libraries the past 30 years in that the tech changes so fast they often don't shelve the books since they are weeded so quickly.

No Starch Press's SUPER SCRATCH PROGRAMMING ADVENTURE.  Available in the library in hardcopy with the 1.4 version, and eBook with the 2.0 version.  This book takes a graphic novel approach to walking the kids through making 8 or 9 games using scratch.  Once you get over the hurdle of finding the 'resources' used by the book, it is very simple for the kids to follow along.

SCRATCH PROGRAMMING FOR TEENS - the updated book covering version 2.0 hasn't arrived in branches yet, but the original one covering 1.4 is available.  Way way more talking than pictures compared to SUPER SCRATCH, this book will appeal to a different style of learner, or might be good for a parent with little programming experience themselves to provide background on the different tools used by the kids.

HELLO WORLD! Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners

PYTHON FOR KIDS: A Playful Introduction to Programming - eBook only.

For the Parents, a few view points as the kids continue to grow

Douglas Rushkoff's PROGRAM OR BE PROGRAMMED: TEN COMMANDS FOR A DIGITAL AGE

BORN DIGITAL: UNDERSTANDING THE FIRST GENERATION OF DIGITAL NATIVES

Registration is now open for Scratch Day at North York Central Library.

Join us for Scratch Day, and learn how to create stories, games and animations through computer programming.

Saturday May 17, 2014, 2-4pm.

Ages 8-12 accompanied by an adult for pair programming.

Call the Children's Department at tel:416-395-5630 to sign up, space is limited.

What is Scratch?  View the video above to get a glimpse, or learn more at the Scratch Help page.

With Scratch, you can program your own interactive stories, games, and animations — and share your creations with others in the online community.

Scratch helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively — essential skills for life in the 21st century.