First let me start by discussing my experience in using Scratch. Overall, I can say that the program is a very good one. At first, I was completely lost and honestly didn’t know where to begin. After reviewing the “Getting Started Guide” and some of the tutorials, I just jumped right in and started going at it. I will say that I have gained a newfound respect for programmers. Now the tutorials assisted me in creating my story, but I still ran into a few challenges.
The challenges I came across were figuring out the timing through when the characters were having conversations as well as when transitioning to a new location. I overcame that figuring out how to calculate the times throughout the conversations and also with the help of my son who has used Scratch a little bit in the coding club at his school. I also ran into the of trying to make the characters face and walk in certain directions. I haven’t quite cracked that one yet, but I am most certainly determined to with some time.
The insight I gained from using Scratch was very interesting. As I stated earlier, I have developed a newfound respect for programmers. Initially programming doesn’t seem all that difficult but let me tell I’ve learned that it’s so much more to it than I thought. Calculating every step, every action, and timing the script for conversation are tough and has to be spot on in order for everything to be smooth. I’m sure that over time it gets easier but initially it’s not.
Learning the different programming languages was interesting as well. Prior to this I honestly thought there was only one. However, there is machine language, assembly language, and high-level language. Machine language is the language that the actual piece of equipment understands. Basically 0’s and 1’s! Assembly language is the human understandable language of 0’s and 1’s. Higher-level language is a programming language that has a bit more instruction included.
When programming first started, I feel as though machine language was an easier language to program. However, with the advancement in technology I think that assembly language is an easier programming language to master. Clearly it takes practice, but I think that it’s by far an easier language to understand and learn. I would say that the high-level language is most popular because you are able to provide detailed instruction for what you are trying to program. I would also say that that’s the language used to make video games, CPU’s in vehicles, smartphones, etc...
In conclusion I would have to say that even though I ran into some challenges operating on Scratch, I’m glad that I have the opportunity to create a story on it and I’m also looking forward to creating more stories or other animations using Scratch.
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