I decided, based on my colleagues' recommendations, to use the web-based Scratch application (https://scratch.mit.edu/) to learn how to create and share games. My goal is to design a game on Scratch that other Scratch users can play and comment on to enhance my coding skills. I am really interested in how coding works and I enjoy puzzles and logic challenges. This would be the play aspect of my project. I would have to sit down, work at and innovatively create a game using the provided software to demonstrate my learning. This would be the making aspect of my project. And lastly, I would have to research, watch videos, interact with other Scratch users and learn about how to code in order to create my own game. This would be the knowledge aspect of my project. There are also areas in which I can fail because coding requires trial and error as well as learning how to put certain pieces of the puzzle together to make a comprehensive game.
Throughout the five weeks of learning and creating, I would like to answer these 10 inquiry-based questions:
Throughout the five weeks of learning and creating, I would like to answer these 10 inquiry-based questions:
- What is code, at its most basic level?
- Why would coding be beneficial for someone to learn?
- What life skills can be practiced when coding?
- What are the different aspects of a game that combine to make it entertaining?
- How can interacting with other users improve my coding skills?
- If my game does not get many players or comments, how do I find out how to make it better?
- What can I learn from playing other games that will improve my games?
- Is Scratch the best coding web-based software? What else is out there?
- How advanced are the games that can be created using Scratch?
- Are there communities outside Scratch that can help with making more advanced games?