Coding is a gateway to 21st-century creative expression and a really fun way to tell stories, animate characters, and graphically design almost anything. There are two apps that we'll use in this club -- MIT's Scratch and Microsoft's MakeCode Arcade (which is modeled after Scratch). Both offer pure block-based coding environments, but MakeCode, for those who want to wade into the waters of text-based coding, allows young coders the option to toggle to JavaScript. Grown and continually cultivated by the students and faculty at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT) Media Lab's Lifelong Kindergarten group, Scratch is the best platform ever developed to encourage kids to jumpstart their computational thinking journey by coding quirky creations. Grounded in the fundamental building blocks of computer languages, this visual-based programming web app offers everyone the chance to build games and bring stories to life. Our primary goal is to code our own arcade games while weaving an engaging narrative through it. We're excited to play the games that will be made and hear the stories that must be told! (Please note: There are no sessions on March 19 & 26.) Matt is TPS’ Director of Educational Technology and works closely with teachers to integrate progressive technology into the classroom. Read more here! (Please note: If you choose to enroll your student in this club, please know that attendance at a Saturday/Sunday regional event in December is required.)