Using Text In Scratch 1.4
Posted by Brian on January 19, 2010 under games design | 
15 Comments to Read
Very Quick Post!
Just discovered that Scratch has the ability to handle text! I mat be a little behind the times on this one, but what a great potential this has to engage and motivate pupils studying Standard Grade and / or Int 2 Computing. Using a combination of the ask and answer blocks in sensing and appropriate variables, I’m positive pupils would be able to carry out the majority of coursework tasks in this freindly environment.
I have always enjoyed using Scratch in the classroom when we begin to teach programming, but the pupils were often put off when we moved from Scratch to the Xcode environment – and who can blame them?
I just recorded a very quick, not quite up to Avatar standards, screen cast to show how Scratch can take in keyboard input and process it in a very Standard Grade Computing way. 
Alan Hamilton said,
Thanks Brian – our Computing dept is playing with Scratch at the moment – I will forward them this link now.
Cheers
Alan
[Reply]
admin Reply:
January 19th, 2010 at 9:17 pm
I’m loving Scratch at the moment. It’s such a great tool for teaching programming and this added functionality in v1.4 is great. However, it has real potential for developing computer games. It’s currently my main focus at LTS. Soon there will be a series of Scratch vids aimed at building computer programs in the Consolarium Glow group.
Let me know how the Comp dept get on!
Brian
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Michael Mullin Reply:
February 25th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
Really enjoying using Scratch and the pupils are loving it. Does anyone know if the SQA have approved or looking into approving the use of scratch for Standard Grade programming assessment?
[Reply]
Brian Reply:
February 25th, 2010 at 4:23 pm
Dont know about SQA side of Scratch in relation to SG courses, but I do know it’s one of possibilities for use with the new NPA in Games Design
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P Liddle said,
Hi Brian
We’re going to look at Scratch for Standard Grade this year instead of TrueBASIC.
Scratch 1.4 has all the features needed in a programming language though it doesn’t explicitly show that there’s different types of data. However, it also doesn’t allow numeric operators to work with strings so there are types there, it’s just not obvious.
I think our plan is to trial Scratch rather than TB with one class and then also write a “conversion course” from Scratch to TB for Int2/Higher pupils.
[Reply]
P Liddle said,
Actually, the types work differently in the latest version of Scratch, but everything else is in there…
Also, I have 2 general and 2 credit exercises from the SQA tasks (School heating, car hire, charity lottery, guess number) as Scratch programs if you want to see them!
[Reply]
Brian Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 11:53 pm
Hey!
Sorry for the delay in replying! Would live to see and hear how this goes!
Would be great to share with the computing community. Although, Linzie (below) makes some very valid and interesting points re transition into Higher.
What school are you in?
Cheers
brian
[Reply]
L Stevenson said,
Hi Brian
Do you not think that this is is actually making pupils less able to program. While I think scratch is a useful tool for teaching junior pupils the logic of programming it would be very unwise to use it to teach actual programming. When pupils get to the higher level what would we do? teach them a programming language from the beginning in what already is a ridiculous packed course for one year.
[Reply]
Brian Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 11:41 pm
Hi Linzie, thanks for your comment. I agree with your point of view re progression from s4 into Higher and teaching a programming language fro scratch (if you pardon the pun) would be a pretty big ask for pupils, but, I do feel that foundation / general pupils would be much more engaged with coursework tasks using this environment. It is liky that pupils achieving grades 4,5,6 are unlikely H candidates so is there a need to teach them very syntaxy program code? As I see it, in cases like this, the process of breaking down the problem into logical steps, using simple control, selection and repetition structure and *identifying* data types are the key principles.
I would expect most C/G and Int 2 pupils to learn a language in prep for Higher as it is far appropriate for them.
The features of scratch are great for visualising concepts and introducing real code (especily in S1/2). I feel the addition of text handling allows us to encourage lower ability pupils in S3/4 to remain motivated during what they find a particularly tricky unit of work.
Am not saying it’s the ideal solution – it’d be quite tricky if you have the full range of abilities in one class to have some program in scratch and the others in VB, but for an F/G class, I think it could work. Am just thinking of some of the classes I have had over the past 13 years and the challenges that teaching them VB/pascal/comal posed. Unmotivated, frustrated and unfocussed pupils. There must be many classes like this out there every year. Just thought Scratch could be a tool to help on these cases. A good tool coupled with good pedagogy = successful learners?
Anyway, just my thoughts! Really I interesting conversation to have though!
Brian
[Reply]
Peter Liddle Reply:
February 16th, 2010 at 6:47 pm
I disagree with the idea that it would make pupils less able to program. Scratch’s syntax/semantic detail is exactly the same as BASIC. Visual BASIC is in fact less conceptually challenging (in my view) than a traditional procedural language. Schools still use Visual BASIC at both Standard Grade and Higher, even though event-driven languages can remove the need to understand certain programming concepts.
If you were to look at a Scratch implementation of, say, the Car Hire task, you would see that it is virtually identical, line by line, to a BASIC version. So I can’t see it being easier to understand in that way. It is definitely easier to assemble, but not understand.
I find that some pupils have a very low ability in programming compared to other practical work – and this seems to mainly caused by literacy issues. Kids cannot understand what is a fairly complex system of tokens and meanings if they can’t understand the structure of a sentence in the first place. Scratch gives them the help they need to focus on the understanding, not the literacy. Any child taking Higher (or Int2) I’d fully expect to be able to identify the similarities in two languages and ‘convert’ to a new language in a small amount of time.
But in Computing I don’t feel I’m supposed to test their literacy skills as much as their problem solving abilities and practical abilities. They can fulfill these by programming in Scratch.
[Reply]
Brian said,
Apologies for all the typos above! iPhone replying not the easiest!
[Reply]
Ella Rogers said,
Hi Brian,
Saw your post on Consolarium and followed it to this blog. Love the content, do you think you would be able to give me your email so that I can contact you easier?
Regards,
Ella:)
[Reply]
Brian Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Have dropped you an email Ella.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Brian
[Reply]
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