Meet the Scratcher: Zach S.
New to Scratch? There’s a video for that.
By My Nguyen
Click play and a friendly, enthusiastic voice begins to speak.
“Hi, and welcome to my tutorial on. . .”
The voice belongs to 11-year-old Scratch user, Zach S.
Zach began programming in Scratch five years ago when he was in first grade. Since joining Scratch, Zach has shared nearly 200 projects, and developed a knack for creating projects and games that highlight music, science, math, and computer science principles.
He’s also learned a few things.
Now in seventh grade, Zach is eager to share the knowledge he’s gained with other Scratchers, so he started his own series of Scratch Tutorial Videos.
Although Zach is now a proficient Scratcher, he recalls not knowing where to start when he first began programming with the language. He hopes the tutorials will help other Scratchers get started.
Available on YouTube, the videos range from basic topics, like how to sign-in to Scratch, to more involved topics, like how to create “gravity.”
Still, Zach is mindful to encourage users to tinker and discover in Scratch for themselves: “I try not to give everything away and just give an overview of what Scratch is about and what it can do.”
When asked to describe Scratch in one word, Zach immediately replies, “community.”
In fact, Zach says that the Scratch community is partially to thank for the tutorials. Members have shown excited interest for the videos, and many have asked him to make new ones, focusing on specific topics or actions.
The Scratch Foundation spoke to Zach to learn more about his experience in the Scratch community and to discover what’s next for his Tutorials channel.
Tell me about your first Scratch project.
My first Scratch project was a simple randomized program. It drew squares around the screen, and the squares were all different colors.
When I made that project, I realized it was only one of the infinite things that I could do with programming. That idea really inspired me — I could do anything on a computer.
What is the most exciting project you have worked on?
A project called “Cloud drawer.” I made it pretty recently — about a year ago. The idea is, two separate people in different locations can draw in the same project at the same time, live on two different computers.
What do you do when you run into problems in Scratch?
When I’m programming in Scratch, I look to other people for help, but only after I’ve tried very hard to fix the problem. One thing I’ve learned from Scratch is how to be a problem solver. But, if I can’t solve it, I know that I can find somebody who can.
You have created many Scratch projects. What’s one thing you’ve learned in the process that you would like to share with others?
The one thing I’ve learned is that you have to be very patient. You can’t speed through it, because you’ll get bugs. If you’re patient and work very carefully, that really will help you out. You won’t have to fix the problems you make if you don’t make them in the first place.
You’re also sharing what you’ve learned through Scratch tutorial videos. What motivated you to make these videos?
I wanted to create Scratch tutorial videos because I felt like a lot of Scratchers had no idea what they were doing, or didn’t know where to start.
How has the Scratch community responded to your tutorials?
They’ve asked me for new tutorial videos! So, in my helping them by offering these tutorial videos, they’re also helping me in their own ways.
Why do you use Scratch?
I use Scratch because I simply enjoy Scratch! I enjoy making tutorial videos. I like to browse random projects. I enjoy doing complicated projects.
If Scratch went away, what would you miss?
I’d miss the community and the friends I’ve made on Scratch. Programming comes in at a close second — but it’s great to have people you can rely on to give suggestions.
When you first join Scratch, you may join for the programming language, but I think you stay because there are so many friendly people out there who want to help you. You’re never alone when you have people who want to help you.
How has Scratch impacted you?
When I started helping people in Scratch, I realized that I started helping people in real life, too. The idea of helping others carried over. I’ve evolved because of it.
Complete this sentence. Scratch is. . .
Scratch is a programming language with a great community.
What makes the the Scratch community great?
The Scratch community is stronger than you think. When someone loves and favorites your project, it doesn’t mean they just loved or favorited your project. It means they’re showing you support, and encouraging you to keep doing what you’re doing.
What do you plan to work on next?
I want to continue helping people. I want to continue making tutorials that people can refer to all the time.
My Nguyen is Communications Specialist for the Scratch Foundation.
