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Appendix D

What Next?

Learning how to become a good programmer takes time and effort. It means putting in the hours necessary to learn the fundamental techniques involved in developing computer application projects. Scratch 2.0 provides an excellent platform for getting started. It offers a friendly and fun environment in which to learn. A good understanding of Scratch 2.0 programming prepares you to make the jump to other programming languages like Visual Basic, AppleScript, C++, and so on. Learning Scratch 2.0 requires commitment. By making your way through to the end of this book, you have demonstrated this commitment. Although this book has certainly taught you a lot about Scratch 2.0 and programming in general, there is still much more to be learned. To become a world-class programmer, you need to continue your programming education. You need to continue to experiment and learn as much as you can about Scratch 2.0. Do not think of this book as the end of your Scratch programming education. Instead, think of it as the beginning. Over the coming weeks and months, you should continue developing new Scratch 2.0 projects. You should also keep an eye on the different forums hosted on the Scratch 2.0 website to learn from the experiences of others. Better yet, consider becoming an active member of the Scratch community. To help you further your understanding of Scratch 2.0 and become a better programmer, this appendix provides a list of websites and supplemental reading materials that you can turn to as you continue to develop and hone your programming skills.

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E-410 Appendix D n What Next?

Locating Scratch 2.0 Resources Online As you would expect, there is an awful lot of helpful information on the Internet about Scratch 2.0. By frequenting the websites discussed in the sections that follow, you can keep abreast of the latest happenings in the Scratch community while keeping your Scratch 2.0 programming knowledge and skills up to date.

The most informative and helpful Scratch 2.0 website is the Scratch 2.0 site developed and maintained by MIT located at http://scratch.mit.edu, as shown in Figure D.1.

Figure D.1 The official home page of the Scratch 2.0 programming language. © 2014 Lifelong Kindergarten Group

This site is packed with helpful information, including documentation, video tutorials, and forums where you can go to interact with and learn from other Scratch programmers from around the world. Best of all, this site provides instant access to tons of Scratch 2.0 projects, all of which you can download, experiment with, and learn from.


The Scratch 2.0 Website


Locating Scratch 2.0 Resources Online

The Lifelong Kindergarten Website Another website that is certainly worth visiting is the Lifelong Kindergarten MIT Media Lab site located at http://llk.media.mit.edu/, as shown in Figure D.2.

Figure D.2 Scratch 2.0 is developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at MIT. © 2014 Lifelong Kindergarten Group

This site includes information about Scratch 2.0, including links to various papers about Scratch 2.0.

The Scratch Resources Website Another useful website dedicated to Scratch is the Scratch Resources website located at http://resources.scratchr.org/pages/, as shown in Figure D.3.

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Figure D.3 You can download free sprite and sound files from the Scratch Resources website. © 2014 Lifelong Kindergarten Group

This site includes free access to a growing collection of sprite and sound files, which you are invited to download for free, provided you reference the Scratch Resources website in your Scratch project’s credits. In addition to sprite and sound files, you will find video tutorials designed to help you learn more about programming with Scratch 2.0.

ScratchEd The ScratchEd website, shown in Figure D.4, is designed for educators. Located at http:// scratched.media.mit.edu/, ScratchEd offers a forum for sharing and exchanging information. It provides educators with access to numerous resources, all focused on helping to teach students how to program with Scratch. It supports its own forums connecting educators from around the world and has a mailing list that makes it easy to keep up with current events.


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Recommended Reading

Figure D.4 ScratchEd is an online community dedicated to assisting teachers and schools help their students learn about programming using Scratch. © 2014 National Science Foundation

Recommended Reading In addition to the websites previously discussed, you can learn a lot about Scratch 2.0 by reviewing documentation available on the web. This documentation is available electronically. A brief description of a couple of particularly useful documents, including their location, is listed here: n

Getting Started Guide. This 16-page PDF file provides a step-by-step guide to Scratch 2.0, demonstrating its basic operation and many of its capabilities. You can download this document from the Scratch Help page on the Scratch 2.0 website (http://scratch.mit.edu/help/).

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Getting Started with PicoBoards. This nine-page PDF file is an overview of the PicoBoard and has detailed explanations of how to work with its many features. It also offers troubleshooting advice. You can download this document from www.picocricket.com/pdfs/Getting_Started_With_PicoBoards.pdf.

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