Post #1: My First Programming Project with Scratch

Project Link: Nice Weather on Scratch

When I started using Scratch, I didn’t expect it to be this fun. I created a short interactive scene called Nice Weather, where two characters, Abby and Avery, exchange a few lines about the day. The Scratch platform uses drag-and-drop blocks, which makes it easy to build a program without worrying about writing real code. The most challenging part was getting the timing right between the characters' dialogue. I had to jump back and forth between their scripts to make sure their conversation flowed smoothly.

Luckily, Scratch has built-in tutorials that helped me get the hang of it. By the end of the project, I felt like I had a better understanding of how computers follow instructions and how programming logic works. Although Scratch appears simple, it helped me understand important concepts such as sequencing and event triggers.

What I Learned About Programming Languages

This project provided me with the opportunity to compare Scratch with other programming languages. Scratch reminded me of interpreted languages like Python or JavaScript, which run code one step at a time while the program is running. Compiled languages like C or Java are different because they have to be turned into machine code before they can run. These are faster and are used for things like video games or high-performance software.

Assembly language is even lower level and much closer to machine code. It gives more control over the computer, but it’s harder to learn. There are also query languages like SQL, which are used mainly for working with data and databases.

Which Language Felt Easiest

For me, HTML has felt the easiest. It is not a true programming language, but I’ve used it before when editing websites. Back in high school, I helped manage a restaurant website using Wix. I liked that I could tweak the layout or text and instantly see the result. It made me feel comfortable working with code, even though I didn’t know much about how it worked behind the scenes.

Final Thoughts

Working on this Scratch project helped me better understand how programming languages work and how each type is used. A study I read (Umezawa et al., 2021) found that students using visual programming languages like Scratch had less mental strain compared to those using text-based languages like C. That definitely matches my experience.

Each type of language has its own purpose. Compiled languages are good for big, fast programs. Interpreted languages are often used for websites and automation. Assembly is useful for hardware control. SQL is great for managing data. HTML is perfect for web content. Scratch is ideal for beginners who want to learn how programming works without getting overwhelmed.

Reference: 

Umezawa, K., Ishii, Y., Nakazawa, M., Nakano, M., Kobayashi, M., & Hirasawa, S. (2021). Comparison experiment of learning state between visual programming language and text programming language. 2021 IEEE International Conference on Engineering, Technology & Education (TALE), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1109/TALE52509.2021.9678608