Never before has technology had as much of an impact on our lives as it does today. We will soon be moving beyond what we would have thought would have been impossible to achieve. Such rapid development means that the core curriculum in IT subjects is not enough.
More space is needed to enable children to develop their creativity. Both the youngest and, as well as adults need challenges that stimulate their effective development. Ailleron offers them an opportunity to develop by organizing a regular programming workshop – Scratch Academy.
The first workshops took place in 2016. So far, 18 open workshops have been held, during which children were provided reliable and practical knowledge through play.
Scratch Academy shows how many possibilities there are for working with a computer or a tablet. Children learn to program using Scratch, a language designed with the youngest software developers in mind. Thanks to block commands, children can learn and understand programming in a friendly and approachable way, enabling them to create simple games and animations.
“Of course, making games is not the only thing that can be done with Scratch. There are millions of projects on the website, encompassing almost everything – from animated stories to school research projects, animated soap operas, virtual construction kits, classic video games, political surveys, trigonometry tutorials, interactive graphics, and interactive cards for Mother’s Day” – says Mitch Resnick, creator of the language.
During classes children also use Makey Makey – a device that allows them to add new, surprising functionalities to everyday use items. For example, fruit attached to Makey Makey become musical instruments, and an ordinary piece of cardboard transforms into an interactive dance mat. The possibilities for things that can be done with this set are unlimited. More information about Makey Makey can be found on the Scratch Academy blog.
Bearing the needs of children in mind, Ailleron is still meeting their expectations. The program of activities is constantly enriched and expanded with new propositions. During the last workshop, participants had an opportunity to get to know Dash and Dot (Wonder Polska) – blue robots that can be programmed in many ways.
“We would like to make it as easy as possible for the children to start. The more useful skills they acquire during their school education, the easier it will be for them to transition into adult life. We make every effort to ensure that Scratch Academy is an opportunity for them, allowing them to develop on various levels. Apart from the most obvious one – programming – we also focus on understanding causal links and teach working in groups. We also show that the process of creating modern technologies is, above all, a happy time,” says Magdalena Krzysztoń, VP People & Organization Development Ailleron SA.
Scratch Academy is a program of regular meetings which is carried out in Rzeszów and Bielsko-Biała. The next workshop will take place on May 26 at Ailleron’s headquarters in Rzeszów. You can sign up using the form located on the company’s website.
Participation in the workshops is determined by the order of applications.