Table of contents
Scratch
Scratch is the programming language & online community where young people create stories, games, & animations.
As Scratch is an open source project, you can find more
open source alternatives and stats
on LibHunt.
Engaging Interface
Scratch offers a visually appealing and user-friendly interface that makes it accessible for kids and beginners to learn programming concepts.
Community Support
The platform has a large and active community where users can share projects, get feedback, and collaborate with others, fostering a sense of community and support.
Educational Value
Scratch is designed with a strong pedagogical foundation, helping users to develop problem-solving skills, logical thinking, and creativity.
Drag-and-Drop Programming
The block-based coding in Scratch eliminates syntax errors and simplifies the process of learning programming logic, making it ideal for beginners.
Free to Use
Scratch is completely free to use, which makes it accessible to a wide audience without any financial barriers.
Portable
Being web-based, Scratch can be accessed from any device with an internet connection, providing ease of access and flexibility.
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Yes, Scratch is generally considered good for its intended purpose. It serves as an excellent introduction to programming for young learners and is praised for its simplicity, ease of use, and educational value.
We have collected here some useful links to help you find out if Scratch is good.
Check the traffic stats of Scratch on SimilarWeb. The key metrics to look for are: monthly visits, average visit duration, pages per visit, and traffic by country. Moreoever, check the traffic sources. For example "Direct" traffic is a good sign.
Check the "Domain Rating" of Scratch on Ahrefs. The domain rating is a measure of the strength of a website's backlink profile on a scale from 0 to 100. It shows the strength of Scratch's backlink profile compared to the other websites. In most cases a domain rating of 60+ is considered good and 70+ is considered very good.
Check the "Domain Authority" of Scratch on MOZ. A website's domain authority (DA) is a search engine ranking score that predicts how well a website will rank on search engine result pages (SERPs). It is based on a 100-point logarithmic scale, with higher scores corresponding to a greater likelihood of ranking. This is another useful metric to check if a website is good.
The latest comments about Scratch on Reddit. This can help you find out how popualr the product is and what people think about it.
Sounds like Scratch: https://scratch.mit.edu/. - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
The average house in the UK now has 1.3 laptops. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/09/online-all-the-time-average-british-household-owns-74-internet-devices A windows laptop from today is vastly easier to code on that a C64 or whatever. Most houses would have an internet connection as well so they can get to all sorts of things. A Raspberry Pi is probably something richer kids get to play with. Have... - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
No syntax error editing seems like https://scratch.mit.edu/. - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
My 2c from lots of remote math tutoring, and one coding-for-fun middle school student: - student motivation is everything. Hard to motivate thru a screen and with cameras off. Hard to keep them engaged or recognize if they're engaged. Less of an issue with adult students. - reduce friction for students as much as possible. Ideally one web tool, zero installs. Prefer tools with few failure modes, and have fallbacks... - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
What is the closest analogy for kids these days? https://scratch.mit.edu ? - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
All kids have the instinct to learn, but it's not a set-and-forget dynamic where you can just leave them with a computer/gadget. Their interests and curiousity feed off of those around them. Having access to "true play" and playmates are critical [1]. For example, you can introduce them to Scratch [2], make a small game together, and let them propose new games to make. Get their friends involved too. But's not... - Source: Hacker News / 12 months ago
The second event is about to create game from (https://scratch.mit.edu/). As a team we created a game called "Windows Destroyer", the theme of the game is to destroy the Windows icon by the small rocket. If any any is reading this blog you try the game in the given link. (https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1205853657) "GOOD DAY WITH NEW FRIENDS". - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
Though the first approach is usually simpler to make, it has one big flawโsubpar performance. Despite the seemingly perfect linked graph situation, using an automata prevents compilers (including JIT compilers for scripting languages) to optimize your code. For example, they can't optimize a for-if-else structure to be as fast as possible if those for, if, and actual commands with possible value getters are... - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
I anticipate my kid needing to live in a word with capitalism, it doesn't ncessarily mean that they need a Mastercard at 4 years old. Same with many other things: condoms, keys to a car, access to alcohol. There is a time for everything, and at the age of 4, a young human probably has not yet maxxed out on analog stimuli opportunities. I learned YouTube when it came out in 2006 and I was 21. I've got 19 years of... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
I've always been fascinated by the technology. I spent many hors playing video games and the first dive into the world of development was when I had to code a game on Scratch. The excercise looked pretty easy: Create a Tamagotchi-like game. Let me tell you - It wasn't easy at all for someone of a young age! There were many things that I needed to pay attention to: Things I have never heard of before! - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
I would be surprised if your first program was C++? Specifically, getting a decent C++ toolchain that can produce a meaningful program is not a small thing? I'm not sure where I feel about languages made for teaching and whatnot, yet; but I would be remiss if I didn't encourage my kids to use https://scratch.mit.edu/ for their early programming. I remember early computers would boot into a BASIC prompt and I... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
I've been teaching a teenager how to code with smalltalk (Scratch): https://scratch.mit.edu/. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
A good place to start with kids that age is Scratch: https://scratch.mit.edu/. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
Squeak/Smalltalk, especially an environment like Scratch: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scratch_(programming_language) * https://scratch.mit.edu * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squeak. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
I remember a few post of games made by children in Scratch https://scratch.mit.edu/ For example: * https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23892698 (My daughter tried to use Scratch, but it's too difficult to cut&paste and move blocks of code, she preferred a text based programming language, so YMMV.). - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
I think going straight to Switch would likely be a tall order. Iโd start him off with something where he can be successful right away, writing something he can play on his own computer or share with friends easily. Scratch[0] is often used to start kids out with programming. He may already use it in school, I know my nephew does, who is around the same age. I made a silly little game in Scratch about a year ago to... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
For anyone interested in working on visual programming professionally, we use it for creation in Rec Room in a system I built called Circuits https://blog.recroom.com/posts/2021/5/03/the-circuits-handbook It has a real place among novice programmers. We even have some experts who use it as a fun alternative to writing text. I don't see visual systems as an effective way to replace everything us experts are doing... - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
After some days, my sister, who was in class 2 then, came to me and showed me the first program she wrote. It was not a code-based program but a visual program using software called Scratch 3.0. It is similar to NODE-RED but with a different approach, focusing more on programming than wiring together hardware devices. It contains all the node blocks needed to build a simple program without any coding knowledge and... - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
Dare I say, Scratch? https://scratch.mit.edu/. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
LiveCode is about the closest literal logical successor to HyperCard. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LiveCode?wprov=sfti1 That said, I think Scratch is a better learning environment these days and you can develop workable apps in the style of HyperCard. There are plenty of tutorials, documentation, and examples to work from. https://scratch.mit.edu. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
And https://codecombat.com, which has been around for a while now. I think this paradigm (navigating a character using "move" function invocations) is good but kind of exhausts its usefulness after a while. I question whether my daughter learns coding this way or just is playing a turn based top down platformer. The most code like thing is when you use 'loops' to have characters repeat sequences of moves. I... - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
Scratch, a platform designed to introduce young learners to programming concepts, has garnered significant attention as an educational tool. Developed by MIT, it has positioned itself within the educational technology landscape with its unique visual programming interface, allowing users to create interactive stories, games, and animations. Throughout various discussions and articles, public opinion on Scratch reveals a mixture of admiration and constructive criticism, with several consistent themes emerging.
Laying the Foundation for Coding Skills: Scratch is celebrated for its ability to introduce children to programming through an accessible drag-and-drop interface. This approach lowers the barrier to entry, facilitating the development of computational thinking and creativity among learners. Scratch provides an engaging way for young users to grasp fundamental programming concepts such as variables, loops, and conditional statements without encountering the complexities of traditional text-based coding.
Community and Resources: A strong community supports Scratch, offering a repository of projects and a space for sharing ideas, which enhances learning through collaboration and interaction. Additionally, the availability of step-by-step tutorials and an offline editor broadens its usability, benefiting both beginners and more experienced young programmers.
Integration in Educational Curricula: Scratch is frequently mentioned as a tool used in schools, illustrating its widespread acceptance. This integration into educational curricula underscores its value as a teaching aid and its effectiveness in engaging students in STEM disciplines.
Creative Expression: The platform empowers users to experiment and express themselves creatively. This capacity for self-expression extends beyond mere technical skills, fostering soft skills such as problem-solving and project management that are pivotal in the 21st century.
Target Audience Limitations: While Scratch is suitable for beginners and younger audiences, some criticisms highlight its limitations for more advanced learners. Comparisons with platforms like Snap, which cater to older students, underscore the critique that Scratch focuses on basic concepts suitable primarily for younger children.
Learning Curve Concerns: Despite being highly accessible, some users have noted challenges in mastering the environment, particularly for very young children navigating the interface. Discussions hint at a perceived complexity for certain tasks despite the visual nature of block coding.
In the realm of children's educational programming platforms, Scratch stands out due to its foundational role. However, competitors such as Code.org, Godot Engine, and GDevelop provide alternative approaches, often targeting a broader age range or focusing on specific aspects of game development and serious computer science studies. These competitors offer different pathways for students who wish to advance past the basics taught by Scratch.
Scratch remains a prominent force in the educational technology sector, lauded for its intuitive design and immense potential in nurturing early interest in programming. While praised for fostering creativity and collaborative learning, it also faces critique regarding its scope for advanced learners. Nevertheless, its role as an introductory tool to the world of coding is invaluable, making it a staple in the evolution of computational education for novices.
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Is Scratch good? This is an informative page that will help you find out. Moreover, you can review and discuss Scratch here. The primary details have not been verified within the last quarter, and they might be outdated. If you think we are missing something, please use the means on this page to comment or suggest changes. All reviews and comments are highly encouranged and appreciated as they help everyone in the community to make an informed choice. Please always be kind and objective when evaluating a product and sharing your opinion.
