‘Programming your future with Google’ is a free project sponsored by Google Asia Pacific (APAC) and implemented by the Mekong Center of Community Development and the Dariu Foundation.
It will bring around 10,000 hours of learning Scratch programming for more than 1,200 pupils while helping to train 30 teachers in 10 state primary schools in Ho Chi Minh City, Tien Giang Province, and Vinh Long Province.
The project is expected to give children, especially those living in remote or suburban areas with limited learning conditions, the utmost convenience when approaching programming knowledge.
Scratch programming was developed by Lifelong Kindergarten at the Media Lab Center of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Targeting children, Scratch is built to be interactive with lively graphics. Children can scientifically create products at once and apply the studied knowledge to other basic programming languages.
Instead of writing lines of codes, children can apply their critical thinking into arranging codes by dragging and dropping colorful blocks of codes to the stage on the right. These codes will control subjects called sprites on the left.
According to Ms. Ha Lam Tu Quynh, Communications and Public Relations Director in Vietnam of Google APEC, with the belief that children are wonderful inventors in the future, the project serves as an incentive to provide more motivation and happiness to children on their way to discover new knowledge and develop their critical thinking.
This educational project, which will begin from May to September 2018, is supposed to help pupils by:
● Evoking passion on computer science via the learning of programming
● Equipping children with basic knowledge on programming via Scratch with lively 2D instruction
● Developing foundation abilities in the modern society such as critical thinking, logical thinking, creative thinking, systematic thinking, ability to solve problems and process data
● Developing team-working skills, abilities to visually present ideas and communicate with others in the information technology environment
