Sometimes, it’s tough to imagine something you want to create with code. The key to getting started is to design and code something small. Starting a program gives you a real thing you can see and touch, something you can build on. You can finish the program or you can take it in a new direction. But at least you’ll have done something! Here are some ways for getting creative and getting underway.
By clicking the See Inside button on the project page of any Scratch project, you can see the code and assets used to make the program. This is a great way to learn and grow your understanding of the many creative things you can code. You’ll be amazed at the programs that other Scratchers (Scratch programmers) have coded and shared in the Scratch studios, which are collections of projects for everyone to use. To see Scratch studios, click the Scratch logo (in the upper-left corner), click Explore, and then select Studios.
If you find a project you love, you can remix it. Remixing means starting with a project shared by another Scratcher and then changing it to make it your own, adding new graphics and new snippets of code. Sometimes, starting with an example project can help relieve the stress of trying to create something from the nothing of a blank screen.
You can also comment on a project, click the heart icon to like the project, and click the star icon to make it a favorite. The eyeball icon shows the number of project views.
To remix a project made by another Scratcher, click the Remix button at the top right of a project page. A copy of the project is then added to your My Stuff folder, for you to modify however you want. An attribution — a thank-you to the original coder— is added to your copy. Other Scratchers can remix your projects, too. The number of remixes of your project is shown next to the spiral symbol on your project page. To see all remixes of your project, click View All in the Remixes area of your project page (in the bottom-right corner).
You can access any of your projects — original ones you’ve created or projects you’ve remixed from other Scratchers — by clicking the My Stuff icon (the little folder in the upper right of the Scratch dashboard).
MakeCode doesn’t have a public collection of shared projects made by other people. But MakeCode’s Ideas page at https://microbit.org/ideas provides some great material that might spark your creativity. Another good place to get tutorials and example projects is the MakeCode home page at https://makecode.microbit.org. You can reach this home page also by clicking the Home button at the top left of the workspace when working in any MakeCode project. In addition to the MakeCode website, the main micro:bit website at https://microbit.org/code/ gives you resources in many different coding languages for making micro:bit gadgets! Exploring with these files is a good way to get started with a new language, such as Python.
MakeCode doesn’t use a login system, so the files you create live in your browser on your computer. You can’t access the files from other browsers or computers.
As you go through your day, try to notice some of the little things that could be done better — and then think about how you could use your coding skills to fix them. Can you build a Scratch game to quiz you on your Spanish vocabulary? Can you build a micro:bit alarm gadget that messages you when someone moves your backpack? You might be able to turn some of your ideas into apps that could help people save time or money — or improve the safety and happiness of their lives!
One way to spark ideas is to enter coding competitions. The annual Congressional App Challenge (www.congressionalappchallenge.us) invites students to code an app that will be useful to people in their community. One student team came up with an app to help local veterans find nearby support resources. Another contest, the Games for Change Student Challenge (www.gamesforchange.org/studentchallenge), invites students to make computer games that “make a difference” on themes such as Endangered Species, Disrupting Aging, or Automated Communities 2050. New contest sponsors and events appear online all the time — just Google student app development contests to see what’s out there!
