Name of App: Scratch Jr.
Reviewed By: Ravan Magrath
Details: Scratch Jr. will run on iPads, Android tablets, as well as Chromebooks. Scratch Jr. will run on any iPad 2 or later running iOS 7.0 or later. Although, the newest version on Scratch Jr. will only run on iOS 8 or better. In general, for iOS devices, 9.0 or greater is suggested as well as Android 5 or higher. The application for the Chromebook can be accessed in the Chrome Web Store.
Cost: Free
Review: I have been working on placing an emphasis on three topics regarding technology and use for my students; collaboration, digital fluency, and creativity through authentic experiences when possible. When selecting the apps for this project, I made sure that they fell into at least one if not more of those categories. Scratch Jr. actually ticks off all three of these boxes, with collaboration being a bit of a stretch. According to the Scrath Jr. Website, “ScratchJr is an introductory programming language that enables young children (ages 5-7) to create their own interactive stories and games”. Form the moment you open the app and navigate to the workspace lane you can see that it is visually appealing with lots of colors, buttons to play with and a cute cat staring back at you. Now that can certainly be a con in some ways which I will address, but it absolutely will draw a young child in. Knowing the age group that this is appropriate for, I can say that without a doubt, a student would not be able to just jump right in like some other coding platforms for youngsters (think the Foos or Kodable). This platform certainly would need some guided lessons albeit from a teacher or another capable individual. Scratch Jr. online does have a “TEACH” section that would help understand what skills students need to effectively work with this application. I particularly like the freedom this program offers to younger students for self-expression. I mentioned above the Foos and Kodable which are excellent at helping students understand algorithms and “debugging” but it is done very rigidly at first. I get the feeling (I haven’t worked with actual students with this program) that this program teaching those same concepts while still allowing the student to express themselves. I did mention collaboration and although maybe not seen as true collaboration I could envision two students collaborating on the story that they wanted to tell and then coding that together. This would be a good approach for a classroom that has limited devices. As for the digital fluency piece, it is apparent how important it is for students to understand some coding language and it will likely be more important as these young students grow. Introducing them in a fun, engaging, but age-appropriate way is a good place to start this important educational piece. Overall, once you get passed helping your students understand the working of the actual application, the sky is the limit for your little coders.
Websites: https://www.scratchjr.org/
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXbOMQ-0WWU