ScratchJr

How it works

ScratchJr is a programming language. You can make anything you want; a story, animation, game; let your imagination run wild! Start by selecting your background and a character. Then, use the buttons to program your character.

Feeling creative? You can draw and record your own backgrounds, characters, and sounds!

sample ScratchJr code

Try this at home 

  • ScratchJr is available as a free app for iPads and Android tablets. 
  • Scratch is available online. This version is intended for those eight and older.
  • Want a little bit more guidance? Try the courses on Code.org!
  • Feeling ready for the next level? Check out Codecademy.

Definitions/glossary

  • Programming language: a formal language used by computer scientists and software engineers to give instructions to computers and machines 
  • Computer Science: the study developing, designing and understanding programs and algorithms for computers. 
  • Software Engineering: Applying computer science concepts to develop large systems.

What's going on at the University

How can you find every occurrence of a word in a book? Use a computer! With today's e-books and CTRL-F, this kind of search takes less than a minute. But how did we get here? 

In the mid-1980s, University of Waterloo researchers computerized the Oxford English Dictionary to make it entirely searchable. The software that they developed to do this became a spinoff project now know as OpenText. 

View on YouTube

How to become a software engineer

The first step to becoming a software engineering student is to graduate from high school with the required math, chemistry, physics, and english courses. You will also need programming experience. After high school, you will attend an accredited engineering program. Software engineering students at Waterloo use both computer science and engineering philosophies, principles, and practices to the design and development of software systems. 

The co-operative study program will provide you with up to 24 months of practical experience complements and reinforces in-class learning.  This will prepare you for a career as a software engineer.