Mitch Resnick: Let's teach kids to code

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

翻译人员: Duoduo Qu 校对人员: dahong zhang

It was a Saturday afternoon in May,

五月的某个周六下午,

and I suddenly realized

我突然意识到

that the next day was Mother's Day,

明天就是母亲节了，

and I hadn't gotten anything for my mom,

而我目前还没有给我妈准备礼物，

so I started thinking about

因此我开始考虑

what should I get my mom for Mother's Day?

应当送她什么母亲节礼物呢？

I thought, why don't I make her

我想，为什么我不给她做一个

an interactive Mother's Day card

互动型的母亲节贺卡呢

using the Scratch software that I'd been developing

恰好可以借助Scratch软件-这是我和

with my research group at the MIT Media Lab?

我的研究团队在麻省理工学院媒体实验室开发的软件。

We developed it so that people could easily create

我们的研发成果使得人们能够很容易制作

their own interactive stories and games and animations,

他们自己的互动故事、游戏和动画，

and then share their creations with one another.

并将他们的杰作与他人分享。

So I thought, this would be an opportunity to use Scratch

因此我想，这正是个好机会使用Scratch软件来

to make an interactive card for my mom.

为我母亲做一个互动贺卡。

Before making my own Mother's Day card,

在制作母亲节贺卡之前，

I thought I would take a look

我觉得应该先看看

at the Scratch website.

Scratch网站。

So over the last several years, kids around the world

在过去的几年中，全世界的孩子们

ages 8 and up, have shared their projects,

一般8岁以上，分享了他们的作品，

and I thought, I wonder if, of those three million projects,

我想，我很好奇，这300万作品中，

whether anyone else has thought to put up Mother's Day cards.

是否有专为母亲节而制作的贺卡呢。

So in the search box I typed in

因此我在搜索框中输入

"Mother's Day,"

“母亲节”，

and I was surprised and delighted to see a list

我惊讶而欣慰地发现搜索列表中

of dozens and dozens of Mother's Day cards

有几十个母亲节贺卡

that showed up on the Scratch website,

呈现在Scratch网页上，

many of them just in the past 24 hours

其中有很多就在此前24小时内完成的，

by procrastinators just like myself.

大概作者都是像我一样的拖延着。

So I started taking a look at them. (Music)

然后我开始看这些贺卡。（音乐声）

I saw one of them that featured a kitten

我看见其中一个的主角是一只小猫

and her mom and wishing her mom a happy Mother's Day.

和她的妈妈，小猫祝妈妈节日快乐。

And the creator very considerately

制作者还很体贴地给她妈妈

offered a replay for her mom.

设计了重复播放的按钮。

Another one was an interactive project where,

另外一个互动卡中，

when you moved the mouse over the letters of "Happy Mom Day,"

当你把鼠标挪到“母亲节快乐”的字母上时，

it reveals a special happy Mother's Day slogan.

就会显示出一句母亲节祝福语。

(Music) In this one, the creator told a narrative

（音乐声）这一个贺卡中，制作者讲述了

about how she had Googled to find out

她用Google查出

when Mother's Day was happening.

母亲节时间的经过。

(Typing) And then once she found out when Mother's Day was happening,

（打字声）然后当她得知母亲节的时间后，

she delivered a special Mother's Day greeting

就发出了一份特别的母亲节问候，

of how much she loved her mom.

告诉母亲自己有多爱她。

So I really enjoyed looking at these projects

我很喜欢看这些作品

and interacting with these projects.

并且和这些作品互动。

In fact, I liked it so much that, instead of making my own project,

事实上，比起我自己制作，我更喜欢看这些作品，

I sent my mom links to about a dozen of these projects. (Laughter)

所以我最后把几个作品的链接发给了我母亲。（笑声）

And actually, she reacted exactly the way that I hoped that she would.

事实上，她的反应就如我所希望的那样。

She wrote back to me and she said,

她给我回信说，

"I'm so proud to have a son that created the software

“我很骄傲，我的儿子能做出这样的软件，

that allowed these kids to make Mother's Day cards for their mothers."

让孩子们能够为自己母亲制作母亲节贺卡。”

So my mom was happy, and that made me happy,

我母亲很高兴，这也让我很高兴，

but actually I was even happier for another reason.

但事实上，还有另一个原因让我更高兴。

I was happy because these kids were using Scratch

我很高兴，因为这些孩子将Scratch

just in the way that we had hoped that they would.

按照我们所希望的方式来使用了。

As they created their interactive Mother's Day cards,

当他们制作母亲节互动卡时，

you could see that they were really

你会发现，他们真的

becoming fluent with new technologies.

能熟练运用新的技术。

What do I mean by fluent?

什么是熟练呢？

I mean that they were able to start expressing themselves

我是指他们能够开始表达自己

and to start expressing their ideas.

并且表达他们的思想。

When you become fluent with language,

当你能熟练运用语言时，

it means you can write an entry in your journal

这意味着你能够写日记，

or tell a joke to someone or write a letter to a friend.

能够给别人讲笑话或是给朋友写信。

And it's similar with new technologies.

这就类似于新的技术。

By writing, be creating these interactive Mother's Day cards,

通过书写，也就是制作这些母亲节互动卡，

these kids were showing that they were really fluent

这些孩子们展示出他们对于驾驭

with new technologies.

新技术的纯熟。

Now maybe you won't be so surprised by this,

现在你可能不会为此觉得惊讶，

because a lot of times people feel that

因为很多人都觉得

young people today can do all sorts of things with technology.

现在的年轻人能够用现代科技做任何事情。

I mean, all of us have heard young people referred to as "digital natives."

我是指，我们都听说过年轻人被称作“数字原住民”。

But actually I'm sort of skeptical about this term.

但事实上，我有些怀疑这个词。

I'm not so sure we should be thinking of young people as digital natives.

我不确定我们是否应该称呼年轻人为“数字原住民”。

When you really look at it, how is it that young people

仔细思考一下，年轻人们是如何

spend most of their time using new technologies?

花大多数时间来使用新技术的呢？

You often see them in situations like this,

你总是看见他们这样，

or like this,

或是这样，

and there's no doubt that young people

毫无疑问，年轻人

are very comfortable and familiar browsing

很喜欢而且能够熟练地

and chatting and texting and gaming.

浏览网页、聊天、发信息和玩游戏。

But that doesn't really make you fluent.

但是仅此并不能令你熟练。

So young people today have lots of experience

而今天的年轻人有很多经验和

and lots of familiarity with interacting with new technologies,

和很高的熟练度来与新技术互动，

but a lot less so of creating with new technologies

但少有人用新技术来制作东西

and expressing themselves with new technologies.

或用新技术来表达自己。

It's almost as if they can read

这就像他们能够用新技术阅读

but not write with new technologies.

但是确不会用它书写。

And I'm really interested in seeing, how can we help young people become fluent

我很关心，如何帮助年轻人熟练运用技术

so they can write with new technologies?

使他们能够用新技术书写。

And that really means that they need to be able to

这意味着他们应当能够

write their own computer programs, or code.

自己进行计算机编码。

So, increasingly, people are starting to recognize

所以，人们越来越多地意识到

the importance of learning to code.

学习编程的重要性。

You know, in recent years, there have been

你知道，最近几年，

hundreds of new organizations and websites

出现了几百个新组织或网站

that are helping young people learn to code.

来教人们学习编程。

You look online, you'll see places like Codecademy

你看看网上，你会看见“编码学院”(Codecademy)

and events like CoderDojo

或“编码道场”(CoderDojo)这样的地方

and sites like Girls Who Code,

和“会编码的女孩”(Girls Who Code)

or Black Girls Code.

或者“黑女孩编码”(Black Girls Code)这类网站。

It seems that everybody is getting into the act.

好像每个人都行动起来了。

You know, just at the beginning of this year,

你知道，就在今年初，

at the turn of the new year,

在新旧年交际之时，

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg

纽约市长迈克尔·布隆伯格

made a New Year's resolution that he was going to learn

做了一个新年决定，即他将要

to code in 2012.

在2012年学习编码。

A few months later, the country of Estonia decided that

几个月后，爱沙尼亚决定

all of its first graders should learn to code.

该国所有一年级生必须学习编码。

And that triggered a debate in the U.K.

这在英国引起了一场有关

about whether all the children there should learn to code.

是否所有孩子都应该学习编码的讨论。

Now, for some of you, when you hear about this,

现在，对你们中的一些人来说，听到这个，

it might seem sort of strange about everybody learning to code.

会觉得让每个人都学习编码会很奇怪。

When many people think of coding, they think of it

很多人想到编码时，会觉得

as something that only a very narrow sub-community

这是一个很小圈子的人

of people are going to be doing,

会做的事情，

and they think of coding looking like this.

他们会这么觉得。

And in fact, if this is what coding is like,

而事实上，如果编码的确如此，

it will only be a narrow sub-community of people

那么它应该是只有很小范围内

with special mathematical skills and technological background

有着特殊数学技能和技术背景的人

that can code.

才能做的事情。

But coding doesn't have to be like this.

但编码不一定如此。

Let me show you about what it's like to code in Scratch.

我来给你展示一下在Scratch上编码是什么样的。

So in Scratch, to code, you just snap blocks together.

在Scratch上编码，你只需把方块拼到一起。

In this case, you take a move block,

在这个作品里，你拖动一个“移动”方块，

snap it into a stack,

放入一个堆里，

and the stacks of blocks control the behaviors

这些堆控制你作品中

of the different characters in your game or your story,

不同角色的动作。

in this case controlling the big fish.

这个堆是控制大鱼的。

After you've created your program, you can click on "share,"

当你完成作品之后，可以点击“分享”，

and then share your project with other people,

你就可以跟他人分享成果了，

so that they can use the project

这样他们就可以使用你的作品

and start working on the project as well.

并对它进行加工了。

So, of course, making a fish game isn't the only thing

当然，鱼的游戏并非是唯一

you can do with Scratch.

一个Scratch能做的东西。

Of the millions of projects on the Scratch website,

Scratch网站上的几百万个作品中，

there's everything from animated stories

从动画故事

to school science projects

到校园科学作品

to anime soap operas

到动漫肥皂剧

to virtual construction kits

到虚拟建设工具箱

to recreations of classic video games

到经典视频游戏改编

to political opinion polls

到政治民意调查

to trigonometry tutorials

到三角学教程

to interactive artwork, and, yes,

再到互动性艺术作品，对

interactive Mother's Day cards.

就像互动性母亲节贺卡。

So I think there's so many different ways

所以我觉得有很多方法

that people can express themselves using this,

能够让人们表达自己，

to be able to take their ideas and share their ideas with the world.

能令他们产生想法并与他人分享。

And it doesn't just stay on the screen.

而且这不仅仅停留于频幕。

You can also code to interact with the physical world around you.

你也可以用编码来与你周围的真实世界互动。

Here's an example from Hong Kong,

这是一个来自香港的例子，

where some kids made a game

一些孩子做了个游戏

and then built their own physical interface device

然后做了物理设备接口

and had a light sensor, so the light sensor

连了一个光敏元件，这样光敏元件

detects the hole in the board,

会探测到木板上的洞，

so as they move the physical saw,

在他们拉动实体锯子时

the light sensor detects the hole

光敏元件就探测到洞

and controls the virtual saw on the screen

并控制频幕上的虚拟锯子

and saws down the tree.

并将树锯倒。

We're going to continue to look at new ways

我们还会继续看到一些其他方法

of bringing together the physical world and the virtual world

能够将实体世界和虚拟世界连接起来

and connecting to the world around us.

连接到我们周围的世界。

This is an example from a new version of Scratch

这里有一个来自新版Scratch的例子

that we'll be releasing in the next few months,

新版Scratch我们会在几个月后发布，

and we're looking again to be able

我们希望再次

to push you in new directions.

将你们带到新的方向上去。

Here's an example.

这儿有个例子

It uses the webcam.

它使用了网络摄像头。

And as I move my hand, I can pop the balloons

我移动手时，可以打破气球

or I can move the bug.

或者移动虫子。

So it's a little bit like Microsoft Kinect,

这有点像微软体感游戏，

where you interact with gestures in the world.

你可以用动作来与频幕互动。

But instead of just playing someone else's game,

但在这儿并不是让你玩别人的游戏，

you get to create the games,

而是你可以自己做一个游戏，

and if you see someone else's game,

如果你看见一个人的游戏，

you can just say "see inside,"

你可以点击“看里面”，

and you can look at the stacks of blocks that control it.

你就可以看见里面用于控制游戏的块堆。

So there's a new block that says how much video motion there is,

会有一个新的块，说明有多少个视频动作，

and then, if there's so much video motion,

然后，当动作数到达一定数目时，

it will then tell the balloon to pop.

它会控制气球爆开。

The same way that this uses the camera

它使用摄像头

to get information into Scratch,

来向Scratch传送信息，

you can also use the microphone.

同样的你也可以用麦克风来做。

Here's an example of a project using the microphone.

这里有一个使用麦克风的例子。

So I'm going to let all of you control this game

所以我会让你们用你们的声音

using your voices.

来控制这个游戏。

(Crickets chirping) (Shouts) (Chomping)

（蟋蟀叫）（大叫）（咀嚼声）

(Laughter)

（笑声）

(Applause)

（掌声）

As kids are creating projects like this,

当孩子们制做这类游戏时，

they're learning to code,

他们就在学习编码，

but even more importantly, they're coding to learn.

但更重要的是，他们也在通过编码来学习。

Because as they learn to code,

因为对编码的学习，

it enables them to learn many other things,

使他们也能同时学到很多其它东西，

opens up many new opportunities for learning.

并获得学习 知识的机会。

Again, it's useful to make an analogy to reading and writing.

同样的，可以用阅读和写作来比喻一下。

When you learn to read and write, it opens up

当你学习阅读和写作时，就有更多

opportunities for you to learn so many other things.

机会来学习很多 东西。

When you learn to read, you can then read to learn.

当你学习阅读时，你就可以通过阅读来学习。

And it's the same thing with coding.

这与编码是一样的。

If you learn to code, you can code to learn.

你学习编码时，也就可以通过编码来学习。

Now some of the things you can learn are sort of obvious.

你可以学到的事物，有些很明显。

You learn more about how computers work.

你会学到计算机的运行方式。

But that's just where it starts.

但这才是个开始。

When you learn to code, it opens up for you to learn

学习编码时，你会得到机会学到

many other things.

更多东西。

Let me show you an example.

让我来举几个例子。

Here's another project,

这里有另外一个作品，

and I saw this when I was visiting

我是在参加一个计算机俱乐部时

one of the computer clubhouses.

看见的。

These are after-school learning centers that we helped start

这些是我们帮助建立的课后学习中心，

that help young people from low-income communities

可以帮助低收入家庭的年轻人

learn to express themselves creatively with new technologies.

学习使用技术来表达自己。

And when I went to one of the clubhouses a couple years ago,

几年前，当我去一个俱乐部时，

I saw a 13-year-old boy who was using our Scratch software

我看见一个13岁的男生在使用Scratch软件

to create a game somewhat like this one,

制作一个像这样的游戏，

and he was very happy with his game and proud of his game,

他对这游戏很满意并且感到骄傲，

but also he wanted to do more.

但他还想做更多。

He wanted to keep score.

他想计分。

So this was a game where the big fish eats the little fish,

这是一个大鱼吃小鱼的游戏，

but he wanted to keep score, so that each time

但是他想计分，这样每次

the big fish eats the little fish,

大鱼吃掉小鱼时，

the score would go up and it would keep track,

分数会上升，就能够记录游戏动向，

and he didn't know how to do that.

但是他不知道该怎么做。

So I showed him.

于是我就做给他看。

In Scratch, you can create something called a variable.

在Scratch中，你可以制作变量。

I'll call it score.

我给它取名为分数。

And that creates some new blocks for you,

这样会出现一些新的块，

and also creates a little scoreboard that keeps track of the score,

并出现一个能够计分的计分板，

so each time I click on "change score," it increments the score.

每次我点击“改变分数”时，分数就会增加。

So I showed this to the clubhouse member --

我向这位俱乐部成员展示——

let's call him Victor -- and Victor,

我们叫他维克多吧——展示给维克多看，

when he saw that this block would let him increment the score,

当他看见这个块可以增加分数时，

he knew exactly what to do.

他就知道该怎么办了。

He took the block

他拖动这个块

and he put it into the program

放入游戏中

exactly where the big fish eats the little fish.

也就是大鱼吃小鱼游戏中。

So then, each time the big fish eats the little fish,

这样，每次大鱼吃小鱼时，

he will increment the score, and the score will go up by one.

他就增加分数，这样分数就增加1.

And it's in fact working.

这样就成功了。

And he saw this, and he was so excited,

他看见后，十分兴奋，

he reached his hand out to me,

他向我伸出手，

and he said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

说：“谢谢你，谢谢你，谢谢你。”

And what went through my mind was,

那时我心想，

how often is it that teachers are thanked by their students

作为老师，因为教会学生变量而被感谢的

for teaching them variables? (Laughter)

机会有多少？（笑声）

It doesn't happen in most classrooms,

这在大多数课堂中都不常见，

but that's because in most classrooms, when kids learn about variables,

但那是因为在大多数课堂中，当孩子们学习变量时，

they don't know why they're learning it.

他们不知道为什么要学这些。

It's nothing that, really, they can make use of.

真的，他们学的东西根本用不上。

When you learn ideas like this in Scratch,

当你在Scratch学到这样的思想时，

you can learn it in a way that's really meaningful and motivating for you,

学习的方式是有意义而且激励人心的，

that you can understand the reason for learning variables,

因为你会明白学习变量的意义，

and we see that kids learn it more deeply

我们发现这样孩子们会学得更深入

and learn it better.

学的更好。

Victor had, I'm sure, been taught about variables in schools,

我确定维克多在学校学过变量，

but he really didn't -- he wasn't paying attention.

但他并没有重视过。

Now he had a reason for learning variables.

现在他有了学习变量的理由。

So when you learn through coding, and coding to learn,

所以当你通过编码学习时，为了学习而编码时，

you're learning it in a meaningful context, and that's the best way of learning things.

你是在有意义地学习，而这正是学习的最佳方法。

So as kids like Victor are creating projects like this,

所以像维克多这样的孩子制作这类作品时，

they're learning important concepts like variables,

他们也在学习变量这样的重要的思想，

but that's just the start.

但这仅是开始。

As Victor worked on this project and created the scripts,

当维克多为这个游戏制作脚本时，

he was also learning about the process of design,

他也在学习如何进行设计，

how to start with the glimmer of an idea

如何将一个小的想法

and turn it into a fully-fledged, functioning project

变成一个完整的能够运行的作品，

like you see here.

就像你看见的作品这样。

So he was learning many different core principles of design,

因此他能够学习各种这句的原则，

about how to experiment with new ideas,

以及如何尝试新的想法，

how to take complex ideas and break them down into simpler parts,

如何将复杂的想法简化分解成几个部分，

how to collaborate with other people on your projects,

如何与他人合作完成作品，

about how to find and fix bugs when things go wrong,

出错时如何发现并纠正错误，

how to keep persistent and to persevere

如何坚持，

in the face of frustrations when things aren't working well.

如何在失败时面对挫折。

Now those are important skills

这些都是重要的能力

that aren't just relevant for coding.

而且不仅仅是编码所需的。

They're relevant for all sorts of different activities.

这些能力适用于所有的事情。

Now, who knows if Victor is going to grow up and become

说不定维克多长大后会成为

a programmer or a professional computer scientist?

程序设计员或计算机科学家呢！

It's probably not so likely,

当然也有可能不是，

but regardless of what he does,

但不管他做什么工作，

he'll be able to make use of these design skills that he learned.

他都能够运用这些学到的设计技能。

Regardless of whether he grows up to be a marketing manager

不管他长大后成为市场营销经理

or a mechanic or a community organizer,

或是技工或是社区组织者，

that these ideas are useful for everybody.

这些思想对任何人来说都是由用的。

Again, it's useful to think about this analogy with language.

同样的，也可以用语言来比喻。

When you become fluent with reading and writing,

当你能够熟练地阅读和写作时，

it's not something that you're doing

并不是说你一定要

just to become a professional writer.

成为职业作家。

Very few people become professional writers.

很少有人成为职业作家。

But it's useful for everybody to learn how to read and write.

但学习阅读和写作却对每个人都有用。

Again, the same thing with coding.

同样，编码也如此。

Most people won't grow up to become professional

大多数人长大后不会成为职业

computer scientists or programmers,

计算机科学家或程序设计员，

but those skills of thinking creatively,

但这些技能，如创造性思维，

reasoning systematically, working collaboratively --

系统地推理，合作——

skills you develop when you code in Scratch --

这些都是即在Scratch编码时学到的技能——

are things that people can use no matter what they're doing in their work lives.

是人们在做任何工作时都很有用的。

And it's not just about your work life.

而且它们也不仅仅适用于你的工作中。

Coding can also enable you to

编码可以使你

express your ideas and feelings in your personal life.

在个人生活中表达思想和感情。

Let me end with just one more example.

让我再用一个作品来结束吧。

So this is an example that came from

这个作品是

after I had sent the Mother's Day cards to my mom,

在我将母亲节贺卡发给我母亲后，

she decided that she wanted to learn Scratch.

她决定学习Scratch。

So she made this project for my birthday

因此她为我的生日做了一张Scratch

and sent me a happy birthday Scratch card.

生日贺卡发给我。

Now this project is not going to win any prizes for design,

尽管这个作品不可能得什么设计奖项，

and you can rest assured that my 83-year-old mom

而且你可以确定，我83岁的老母

is not training to become a professional programmer or computer scientist.

并不是要成为职业程序设计员或计算机科学家。

But working on this project enabled her

但是制作这个作品使她

to make a connection to someone that she cares about

能够将自己与关心的人联系起来

and enabled her to keep on learning new things

并使她不断学习新的东西

and continuing to practice her creativity

继续她的创造力

and developing new ways of expressing herself.

并找到新的表达自己的方法。

So as we take a look and we see that

所以就像我们看见的

Michael Bloomberg is learning to code,

纽约市长迈克尔·布隆伯格在学习编码，

all of the children of Estonia learn to code,

爱沙尼亚的所有孩子都在学习编码，

even my mom has learned to code,

连我母亲都在学习编码，

don't you think it's about time that you might be

难道你不觉得，你开始学习编码

thinking about learning to code?

只是个时间问题么？

If you're interested in giving it a try,

如果你有兴趣尝试，

I'd encourage you to go to the Scratch website.

我鼓励你去Scratch网站。

It's scratch.mit.edu,

网址是scratch.mit.edu，

and give a try at coding.

试试编码吧。

Thanks very much. (Applause)

谢谢。（掌声）