Week 12

This week we're trying to connect Italian classes to programming, but creating a game that has students matching objects to Italian words.  Check out : https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/76524776/

The goal of the projects is to select the correct translation for the center “card”, repeating for each possible entry. This  puts quite a few of the previous lesson's knowledge into a single program which some students completed in the 1.5 hours of the session.  If you having completed it yet, keep going as the Italian teacher is really keen to have games made by her own stduents.

Week 11

Delayed in getting this out.  In week 11 we got our new Uni-students to start running the club sessions while I and other parents looked on.  I think having young adults run these sessions is perhaps more inspiring that having an old foggy like me.  We're also starting to share projects that each session is based on.  This weeks session is about angles and flipping.  We're using right and left arrows to rotate a central object and space bar to fire some object see: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/74621572/

the stuents are encouraged to change the central chaarcter and what is being fired to customize the game.  then maybe add some objects coming in from the side.  This is the basis for an old asteriod style game, see:  https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/73867726/

Then we looked at a spinnign wheel game, where the the trick is to have a message that says where it lands (in what quadrant) to do this you need to understand where is 0->90, 90->180 etc to identify what quadrant you are in see:  https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/74620612/

Angles are really important in later schooling both for maths as well as gaming
Good luck

Week10

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Week 9 (11 Aug)

This week we discussed scrolling games.  Such games are particularly important for platform based games which many students are familiar with.  We had a demonstration of a great "potato" run game and then discussed the basics of scrolling in Scratch.  The key concepts are:
1) a backgound is not used, instead a whole screen is used as a sprite that can be moved
2) the player is basically stationary, but that the screen sprite moves to the left or right
3) multiple scren sprites can be used to may a very long scrolling game, but you need to be carful to match the items and color of each screen sprite used

The basic process is demonstarted below that was shown to the stduents this week.  Students were actively involved with many starting , and some completing a basic game in under an hour.  We even had someone scrooling up and down !!!.  Keep going and let me know what your create .  Please post comments.
Scrolling game concepts.  See Figure 1,2 and 3 for an outline to creat a basic scrolling game.  I have used the Cat and changed the costume to make him look like he is moving , but only when the arrow keys are pressed.  Create a ScrollX variable.  This is used to set the current location of the screen sprite.  Change the ScrollX variable by a NEGACTIVE number when moving to the right and a POSITIVE number when moving to the left

Figure 1: Sprite 1 (The cat or other object moving through the scene).  The blocks are shown to the right.  

Figure 2 shows the Screen Sprite and the blocks required in this sprite.  By setting the x-position of the screen sprite to ScrollX, the Screen Sprite moves in the OPPOSITE direction to the direction the arrow key is pressed !!  This gives the illusion that the cat is moving.

Figure 2.  Left most Screen Sprite (Sprite4) and the blocks required in this sprite.  

Figure 3 shows the 2nd Screen Sprite (Sprite3) and the blocks required in this sprite.  In this code 480 is added to the ScrollX value.  Note the 480=2*240, which is the entire with of the screen.  So when the ScrollX value reaches say -490 (because you pushed the right array key many times), the Sprite3 is now centered at x=-490 + 480 = -10.  This is on the screen and very near the enter, so the 2nd Screen Sprite (Sprite3) is now in the center of the screen.  We can keep repeating this by adding more screens.  I will think of an easy way to explain how these screen can be looped around to may the game appear to be infinite and get back to you.  An example of this Scrolling example is shown as an animation in Figure 4

Figure 3:  Screen Sprite #2 (Sprite3) and the blocks required in this sprite.  

Figure 4:  Animation of the Cat showing how Scrolling works.  Check out the ScrollX number in the top left and how each Screensprte seemlessly moves across.

Week 8 (4 Aug)

This week we discussed logic statements in Scratch and in particular AND lofic.  This is illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 1.  A possible use of the AND logic in Scratch.  AND logic table is shown.  Both A AND B must be true for the combined statement to be true and the block within the If statement run.

We can use this kind of logic to determine if two events are true.  I asked the students this week to try to use an AND statement in their code.  An example application might be an game where you need to find specific items to completed specific tasks.  These items can be collected by a player and these items are sometimes called pick-ups.  This is particularly important when creating role-playing games (RPG).  For example, see the list shown in Figure 2a.

Figure 2(a) a simple list which could be combined with the AND logic function to check if to two items are available, and if so, the action that would result;  (b) an example of such an application, being  a key brought up to a door, at which point the door opens.

 It may be that each item must be collected in order to operate a specific thing and produce a specific result.  For example s shown in Figure 2b, a key must be collected and brought to a door in order for the door to open.  Try this AND concept with a simple RPG and let me know how it goes.

Week 7 (21st July)

We're back from the break and the Scratcher and Guru's were hard at work.

Scratchers:  This week we discussed the concept of cloning, and how this concept was borrowed from the field of biological sciences where cloning of cells and a sheep (Dolly) has resulted in the cells (and the sheep) being copied.  Perhaps the most popular use of the term clone comes from Starwars and the clone wars.  Scratch uses this same concept to make copies of objects.  We do this by using the [create clone of {myself}] block (see image right/below).  When this is inserted into a repeat block, it's easy to make many copies to your sprite.  It can make your code far more re-useable.   For example, have you tried to make lots of duplicates in the past, only to find a simple error the spite that required all the sprites to be deleted and then re-duplicated ?  Cloning removes that problem as you only need to add the code once.  Some issue to watch out for when creating clones in sprite:
1)  Make sure to include a [When I start as a clone] block and then give some actions.  This is a good place to add random actions so each sprite acts differently.
2) when you make the clones, they all pile on top of each other, so you can't see them.  Make sure  in the [When I start as a clone] block you add a move, glide or other motion command to separate them
3) the original sprite just stands there and does nothing in the code shown.  It's important to [hide] the original sprite after all the clones are created.
4) don't make too many clones or the computer will cry :(

Start inventing new game that use cloning !!!

Gurus again did a great job of mentoring and some showed their new tablets that the year 5's are using in class.  It appears Scratch now runs on the tablets so you can bring these if you like.  However we may start the Gurus on Apps if they all have access to tablets.
Appers - while no Appers turned up this week, it appears we have fixed the networking problems that stopped App Inventor from working over the school network (hurray).  Some basic setup instructions are shown below for those schools having similar problems.  Some comments.  App inventor does not work with Internet Explorer (only Chrome or Firefox).  However when setting up the schools proxy server access, we needed to set it up using Internet Explorer as indicated below.  Once done, the other browsers inherited the setup configurations.  Please comment if this information is useful or if your're also having issues.  Many Many thanks to the Jeremy and IT support for making this happen.  This term we will be full steam ahead to develop some cool apps.
Proxy Server setup details to allow MIT App inventor to work are s follows:

Week 6 (30th June)

This week the scratchers focused on creating variables.  This is a huge concept for primary students to be exposed to.  It is the beginnings of appreciating how algebra works.  With variables we let a "letter" equal a number, such as a=1. We can create lots of variables (such as a=2 and b=3) and then use these variables in calculations.  So the kids set to work making programs that could help them solve maths problems.  They did a great job just in the 90 minutes of the session, and over the break, some students have developed these to look like calculators and solve addition, multiplication, subtraction and division problems.  There's such great learning going on here.

The Gurus continued working on their games and our 3 Gurus who acted as mentors to the scratchers this week did a great job to help the students craft their programs.

The Appers are still limited by the proxy settings which are stopping access to App inventor.  Many thanks to the parents and IT support who are helping to solve these issues.   Instead this week I set the Appers the task of looking at creating objects in 3D using modeling software which can slice objects.  This is very similar to how 3D printers do it.  This activity was designed to select a standard design (an apple see right) and then slice that apple into smaller pieces, that can be cut out in cardboard.  The separate pieces can then be assembled to create a final 3D apple from the separate slices.   The pdf of the slices is here which you can glue to a some card board and then assembly by stacking up the numbered sections in order.  To try it yourself:
The very simple approach
Download this one page PDF of the apple and stack to build
The more challenging approach
Goto  http://www.123dapp.com/
Register then download the application AutoDesk 123D Make
Download this Apple.stl file (image of an apple generated by Omar Zuniga, Arizona)
Start AutoDesk 123D Make and IMPORT the Apple.stl file
Change parameters as indicated below and play

The really advanced approach
Goto  http://www.123dapp.com/
Register then download the application AutoDesk 123D Make
Goto the 3D Models at the top of the www.123dapp.com page, and search for the Apple

 Select the Apple  by Omar Zuniga, Arizona   (on the 2^nd page of models)

Download and play, then search for more models to build, or create your own

Enjoy