Zainab Khan (260930561)

Dr. Ravinder Gill

Media, Technology and Education

March 16th, 2021

Reflection on the Scratch Workshop

The purpose of the following Scratch activity was to create an educational game for our

future students that we would be able to implement into our classrooms. To begin, Scratch is a

visual programming language that gives students the opportunity to create their own interactive

stories and games for their learning. In fact, it is also a tool that teachers can use to create games

to enhance their students’ learning. Scratch projects allows an individual to think creatively as

one can incorporate various learning tools into their projects.

For the following workshop, I was able to create a math game for students in the lower

level of elementary school (Grade 2-4). The game specifically targets the following

mathematical concepts: Addition and Subtraction. The game offers students the chance to solve

multiple mathematical operations, generated by the game, to which the students are able to

practice their mathematical skills. The game begins as the mathematician penguin introduces the

instructions for the game. The game asks the students to choose which mathematical operation

they want to focus on for the game, subtraction or addition. As the student chooses the operation,

the equations are displayed on the screen. The students’ score improves/increases by how many

correct questions they answer. One thing that I made sure to include in the game, is for students

to be able answer a question as much as they can (if they get it wrong); they have an infinite

amount of trials to submit the correct answer. This will motivate students to keep trying and will

ensure that they receive the correct answer by the end of the game.
 Prior to this course, I had never heard about Scratch, therefore, as it was my first time

creating a game, it was very difficult to say the least. I did encounter a few problems along the

way, such as changing the sizes of the addition and subtraction box on the screen, or learning

how to incorporate different tabs for different sections. I was able to mitigate the following

issues as I watched tutorial videos on YouTube and on the Scratch website itself as well.

Watching clips that explained various issues, such as adding sound in the game or even creating

a link, allowed me to create an interactive game for students. I think that one of the best ways

one can enrich their learning is by learning from others, hence watching tutorial videos about

complex websites such as Scratch, allows one to enrich their learning platform as well.

By concluding on the Scratch workshop, I think that this is a great media tool that

teachers can incorporate into their teaching. I would integrate Scratch into my future classrooms

by creating educational games for my students for the end of their units, for instance a math unit

that concluded addition or subtraction for their level. I think that with this, it will not only be a

learning game for students, but also be fun and interactive for them. The students will be able to

further enrich their knowledge on the topic and ensure that they’ve understood what was being

taught to them. Additionally, I think that by integrating Scratch activities can further prepare

students for their assessments, such as quizzes or class tests, as they are able to practice their

skills while playing the games. Scratch is a great learning tool that empowers student learning

because it is different from what everyone is used to using or seeing in their classrooms. As

previously mentioned, I never knew about Scratch and was intrigued by all the possibilities it

incorporates. Therefore, for teachers to integrate the following learning tool into their classrooms

opens-up to students’ knowledge and increases their motivation and creativity throughout their

learning. Both teachers and students can greatly benefit from using Scratch because it gives the
opportunity to share and create educational games that will further promote a student learning

environment.