Computational Thinking

 I selected Option B, a simple Scratch Tutorial. I selected the "Glide Around" tutorial, to make a sprite fly. 

This was the first time I used Scratch, and my experience was a lot of fun; I can see why students would enjoy using it. I decided to make a pterodactyl fly around the city. I found the tutorial quite short, so I had to watch it a few times and pause it once or twice. Overall, the tutorial was easy to follow, but it only taught me how to make the sprite fly, so I just played around until I figured out how to make the pterodactyl's  wings open and shut and how to change the background. Then, I used the menu on the left to add additional features. It was very easy to record myself making what I imagine a pterodactyl sounds like to include. At first, I was not sure how to make the sound start as soon as the pterodactyl starts flying, but when I reordered the blocks it worked as I had envisioned. I think that students would enjoy experimenting with Scratch, as it is easy to use and gives a lot of options. 

I am not familiar with using coding at school, since I work in a secondary school and most coding activities are confined to ADST courses. I spoke with the Computer Science teacher at my school to find out what coding apps are used at our school. He said that Scratch is the best option, but also recommended Code.org, which includes Hour of Code and multiple tutorials for various grade levels. He said that one challenge that he has faced in his classes, one that he is still working through, is helping older students make the leap from tools like Scratch to "real" coding, like script languages (Python), as students find this challenging. Scratch and other programs are important in introducing students to the processes and computational thinking mindset that they will need when the move into the higher grades. I spent some time exploring the Code.org website and learned that it is a non-profit organization with support from Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, dedicated to teaching young people computer science. I liked that it emphasized getting women and racialized groups more involved in computer science. The website offers long self-paced courses in modules as well as tutorials for specific skills. As a beginner, and if I were asked to introduce students to coding without having any experience, I would turn to this website, as there are video tutorials and activities ready made that students can follow at their own pace. This does require a login and an account, so I assume that permission would be needed from parents/guardians if using it at school for learning activities.