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Meet William Blake
The Programming Teaching Assistant at
Ivy Seed Academy
William Blake
Oct. 25. 5 min read
How would you describe yourself as a programmer?
I was first introduced to programming when I was in fifth grade. My teacher decided to show the class scratch, and everyone went through some short lessons. Around one year later I became interested in programming and started using scratch during some of my free time. I advanced quickly and began using Scratch on a daily basis. By eighth grade I had a pretty good idea about how to use scratch and had begun entering and winning competitions. I also started learning a few other programming languages including JavaScript and Python.
How would you describe yourself as a teacher?
I first started working with kids when I was in middle school. My first job was helping out with after school activities and tutoring younger children. The following years I began to private tutor small groups of kids, in which we would learn programming. Eventually, two schools contacted me and I began teaching after school classes. Since then I have continued teaching programming to many kids of various different ages. Now I have been teaching programming for around five years and hope to keep doing so.
What do you love about Scratch?
Scratch is a great programming tool with many great features included. Some of my favorite things about Scratch are that it’s easy to use, has few limitations, and is completely free! Additionally, Scratch is made for younger people to use, which makes it great for use in schools, and helps children get into the idea of coding. Overall, I think Scratch is the best way for kids to learn how to program.
Why should kids start learning programming?
There are many reasons for kids to learn programming, from forming life skills, to impressing people in school, it can even be used as a source of entertainment. It’s also important for people of the new generation to learn programming because all good future jobs will revolve around their ability to work with computers. Currently, new technologies are being discovered, and jobs are being replaced by machines that are far more efficient and cheap. By learning to program as a kid, new paths are opened up for jobs, and advantages are gained. Overall, learning to program as a kid opens up many new opportunities, and gives you many advantages later in life.
How would you describe your teaching philosophy?
My teaching philosophy is probably a common one, because I believe that everyone in a classroom contributes as both a student and a teacher, as well as a thinker. As a teacher I help others learn, but I am also a student because I am always learning from others.
What are some free resource &* tools you suggest students to learn and use in Scratch?
One thing that I like about Scratch is that it has many features included that can help you learn by yourself. One of these features is a tutorial tab that you can use to learn with, even if you don’t have a teacher. Scratch also has a section called ‘tips’ that programmers can use to learn on their own. This includes ideas/things to try, ‘activity cards’, and starter projects. If someone really needs help, Scratch also has a forum linked, which can be used to ask the creators questions that need answering. Scratch is great because you can almost always find answers and solutions without leaving the website.
Why do you suggest students learning programming at Ivy Seed Academy?
Ivy Seed Academy is a company focused on helping kids learn how to program. One reason I recommend students attend programs at Ivy Seed Academy is because they get the opportunity to learn interactively and are able to continue learning even after the sessions are over. I believe Ivy Seed has some of the best learning programs open to students anywhere.
Read William’s article “A Beginner’s Guide to Scratch.”
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& is HTML for “Start of a character reference”.
& is the character reference for “An ampersand”.
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