Tanaiste and Minister for Education and Skills Mary Coughlan was on hand at the launch of the 2011 Scratch Competition.
Run by Lero, the Irish Software Engineering Research Centre, and supported by the Irish Computer Society (ICS), the Scratch Competition promotes computing and software development at both primary and secondary school levels.
The 2011 Scratch Competition gives students the opportunity to understand how software is built and how it works, as opposed to simply knowing how to use software tools and devices. It allows students to be creative with software and gives them the opportunity to create something new. Two first year students from Colaiste Chiarain scooped the overall prize last year by combining Scratch and a Dance Mat to create a very exciting and fun winning project, Ultimo Dance.
Minister Coughlan welcomed the use of this technology in both primary and secondary classrooms: “As we build the knowledge economy and encourage more school-leavers to opt for programmes in computing at third-level, it is vital that we stimulate an interest in computing through initiatives like the Scratch Competition.”
Developed at MIT, Scratch Software is freely available to students and can help them to combine their problem solving skills with their ingenuity to create games, animations, stories, and simulations. Lero has developed extensive teaching materials and student exercises that are readily available to support teachers and students using Scratch in the classroom.
Jim Friars, CEO of the Irish Computer Society, said: “There continues to be strong demand for computing graduates and total employment in the technology sector grew by 6% last year. This project gives students practical experience of many of the skills required in this interesting, well-rewarded and growing profession.”
Students can register online at www.scratch.ie until 15 April 2011.
Students and teachers can email info@scratch.ie for more information.
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