[years 1 to 12]

What is it? Lego for programming. With Scratch, you can program your own interactive stories, games, and animations - and share your creations with others in the online community. Programs are constructed from graphical elements which are displayed on the screen, and can be used to animate sprites. The website (see below) has many different examples.

Scratch helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively.

What do you need? Mac or PC computer

Where do you get it from? Download it from the website (see below)

What does it cost? Free

Who is using it? Scratch has a worldwide user base; it has procedures to share programs and support is available in many languages. More information is available from the website (see below). If anyone in the Great Southern is using Scratch, please let us know.

More information: Scratch is a project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. It is provided with extensive support for educational use. There is also Scratchjr, a simpler version for pre-chool children.

Links: scratch.mit.edu

[teachers]

What is it? The Australian division of an international organisation providing support for teachers. It offers recruitment information (job seekers and job providers), classroom resources matched with the Australian curriculum and teacher forums. There is also a newsletter. The resource material is provided by teachers and covers all subjects and pre-school, primary and secondary education.

What does it cost? Free

Who is using it? Widely used throughout the world

Contact details:
TSL Education Australia Pty Ltd,
Suite 2924, Level 29 Chifley Tower,
2 Chifley Square,
Sydney NSW 2000

Email: help@tesaustralia.com

Links: www.tesaustralia.com