SCRATCHING THE CODE
AIS Innovation Center
Coding Lab - Second Floor
Date:
September 2022 - December 2022
Teacher (s):
Boris Dousdebes, Daniela Márquez
Participants:
4th - 6th grades
Context:
When designing a video game with Scratch, it is important to foster creativity to create a game that is original, engaging and entertaining. In this context, video game developers are interested in knowing strategies and techniques to foster creativity in the design of video games with Scratch, while educators are interested in how to foster creativity in the process of teaching programming.
Driving Question(s):
1. How can gamification be incorporated into a Scratch video game to motivate players to keep playing and learning?
2. What are the programming techniques that can be used in Scratch to create more complex and challenging games?
Learning Objective(s):
1. Understand the concept of gamification and how it can be applied in the design of educational video games.
2. Identify gamification techniques that can be used in a Scratch video game, such as points, challenges, and rewards.
3. Learn how to design and program gamification elements in a Scratch video game, using specific programming blocks.
4. Learn to design and develop a complete video game in Scratch, from the creation of characters and scenarios to the implementation of the game logic.
5. Evaluate the effectiveness of gamification in the Scratch video game in terms of player motivation and learning.
Justification
Scratch can be an effective tool for teaching STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) skills to students. Scratch provides a platform for students to explore and experiment with STEAM concepts in a hands-on, engaging learning environment. In addition, its use can foster important skills such as creativity, logic, and problem solving.
Process:
1. Explore the different ways to create a video game with programming.
2. Research on programming:
a. What are programming variables?
b. How can conditionals be used in programming?
c. How can I operate with symbols according to the code sequence?
d. How can I follow a logical sequence?
3. Learn about designs already made the structure of a video game based on programming.
4. Necessary specifications based on the concepts to be acquired.
5. Make your own video game development work plan including design elements.
6. Define the list of requirements and steps you need for the game according to the objective of the game.
7. Validate list of learned concepts to adjust and add as needed.
Results and Impact Generated
1. They can help novice programmers understand how Scratch works and its possibilities for creating video games.
2. Game developers can use the results to improve their game programming skills and improve the quality of their products.
3. Game developers can use the identified learning objectives to ensure that their game fosters creativity and critical thinking in players.
