Consumer versus Creator

There are many, many benefits to students becoming creators rather than simply consumers of technology.  Personally, the largest benefit was how truly fun and engaging writing code was!  This was an activity where I watched the clock - not because I was trying to fill time, but rather I had to make sure I didn't spend too much time in front of a screen.  Each 'sprite' that I worked on could have had multiple, multiple effects.  I wanted to keep recreating what the final product would look like.  For students who struggle with stamina or perseverance in the classroom this activity could help not only build skills, but a sense of success!

Another benefit to this particular activity is how easily you can change and update the final product.  As teachers we try to have students focus not only on a finished product, but the process as well.  When the process can't be edited easily (i.e. students creating a poster) students quickly become frustrated and rather than reworking their project they often just give up and settle for what they have.  With this activity, I could easily adjust how things looked until I was truly pleased with the product.

A few other things I noted while working:

- My only frustration came when I tried to create a Scratch account and then lost all of the work I had already done.  It would be a good idea for students to spend just a few minutes exploring and then try to save work.  This way if there is a learning curve for keeping work they haven't lost a huge amount of time or energy.

- The way this activity was set felt like it had access points for all learners.  Young to old. Experienced to novice. And most importantly for me independent learner versus someone who likes guidance (me).  You could simply play around or if that feels overwhelming you can watch the tutorials and use them immediately.