Scratch

Scratch is a programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art -- and share your creations on the web. As young people create and share Scratch projects, they learn important mathematical and computational ideas, while also learning to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively.

In addition to the Scratch Getting Started Guide etc that can be found under Scratch's support link (http://info.scratch.mit.edu/Support), There are a few picoboard specific ideas that have been documented by various Learn 2 Teach, Teach 2 Learn students. The students are never really into documenting their lessons so your mileage may vary with respect to how detailed things are, but here are a few links:

Musical Instrument lesson http://learn2teach.pbworks.com/f/Musical+Instrument.doc

Simple slider example http://learn2teach.pbworks.com/f/scratchsheet2.jpg

The ever-popular brick breaker example and others can be found by perusing: http://learn2teach.pbworks.com/w/page/15779445/Computer-Programming-with-Scratch

The start of an example project:

• https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B-kMZWl84ibONmVlY2I3ZTItOWM0ZS00ZGQyLTg3YWItNDkxNTgxYmI1NmIx&hl=en_US

The full example project:

• https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B-kMZWl84ibOMmRlNmZiNjMtMTQ3Ni00MWI5LWI1YzktMThlZWNlYzgzNTNi&hl=en_US

The walkthrough document:

• https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B-kMZWl84ibONDA0OGExZWEtZTZkZC00YTg4LWE1ZjctMTZkZjRlZDBjN2Ew&hl=en_US

The teacher's note:

• https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B-kMZWl84ibONDdhNjllMDctYmE4ZS00ZmI2LWEyN2EtMjY1YzI3NzM1N2Zk&hl=en_US

Further development

Harris Sunyoto modified the Python scripts that Neil had provided with the hello boards so they can send data to Scratch:

• http://academy.cba.mit.edu/2011/labs/amsterdam/harris.sunyoto/input_devices/input_devices_with_scratch.zip

If you've never programmed before, Scratch probably a logical start:

• http://scratch.mit.edu/

• 0. You need to start Scratch first, and run the example Scratch program I have included in the zip file above.
• 1. Then right click on the sensor value block, and choose "enable remote sensor connections" (which sensor you choose at this step is not important).
• 2. Start the Python script (I am assuming you can get data normally from the sensor board).
• 3. Back to Scratch and choose either one of these (depends on which Python script/sensor board you use): (1) step, (2) mic, (3) light, (4) temp.
• 4. You should get data streaming onto Scratch.

Further references:

• http://wiki.scratch.mit.edu/wiki/Remote_Sensor_Connections
• http://scratch.mit.edu/forums/viewtopic.php?id=9458
• http://scratched.media.mit.edu/
• http://www.learnscratch.org/

Pico Cricket

For ideas with the PICO Cricket -

Sites made during the old days of picocricket predecessors have some things-to-try pages on their sites (some are still relevant):

• http://www.pienetwork.org/
• http://llk.media.mit.edu/projects/bbb/sections/projects.html