Training Youth Workers in Basic Robotics and Programming (Scratch)

Step into the exciting world of robotics and programming with our Basic Robotics and Programming course, designed around Scratch!

Are you curious about how robots work and how programming brings them to life?

Do you enjoy building, exploring, and bringing your ideas into action?

Are you ready to start your journey into the world of robotics and programming in an engaging, visual, and interactive way?

Join our Basic Robotics and Programming online interactive course!

This project is financed under the Erasmus+ Youth KA2 strategic partnership, which explicitly targets the professional development of youth workers and the innovation of youth work practices. The course aligns with the key priorities of Erasmus+, particularly in enhancing digital skills and fostering innovative educational practices among youth workers, which are essential to meeting the evolving needs of young people in today's digital and technological landscape​.

In our course you will learn how to create 11 amazing projects in Scratch, a free high-level, block-based visual programming language. This training module focuses on the following basic concepts related to robotics and programming:

1. Orientation; 2. Logics; 3. Counting/Data; 4. Variables; 5. Constants; 6. Sequences; 7. Conditions; 8. Loops; 9. Algorithms; 10. Functions; 11. Structures.

As such, our curriculum integrates both theoretical elements and practical exercises from the basic areas of robotics and programming.

Getting started

Whether you're passionate about technology or taking your first steps, this course offers the perfect introduction to the world of robotics and programming. Designed for ages 13 to 30, it's your opportunity to innovate, create, and dive into programming basics!

In order to enrol to our online training course, please follow this link: https://forms.gle/P98civkFVLeAfYQHA.

Deadline: The deadline for registration is: 02.10.2024.

Who can participate? This course is open for participants from Programme and Partner countries of the Erasmus+ programme. Programme countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, North Macedonia, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Turkey and Serbia.

Course elements

During the course, you will use different tools, including the following: e-books, audio-video presentations, interactive slides, infographics/diagrams, quizzes, interactive tasks, assessments, and even real-world applications/case studies.

Objectives of the course – key elements

By the end of this course, the participants are expected to:

• Successfully install Scratch on their computer and/or get accustomed with the virtual Scratch website interface;
• Familiarize with the Scratch programming environment: learn to navigate the Scratch web interface/offline software and understand its key components, including the stage, sprite library, blocks palette, and scripts area;
• Learn essential programming concepts such as variables, loops, conditions, algorithms, and functions through both theoretical elements and hands-on practical activities;
• Learn how to incorporate multimedia components such as images, sounds, and animations into projects, enhancing interactivity and creativity.
• Build interactive animations within Scratch by using its visual interface to program movements, sounds, and user interactions.
• Discover how programming powers robotics and explore how sequences, conditions, and loops work together to control robotic systems;
• Develop skills/competencies such as analysis skills, analytical thinking, algorithmic thinking and expression, problem-solving skills, logical and critical thinking, computational thinking/automation, pattern recognition, functions and abstraction, fault isolation and debugging, digital literacy;

Additionally, participants can develop aptitudes and attitudes such as: imagination, creativity, strategic focus, interest in exploration, maintenance of engagement, self-confidence, perseverance etc.

Time: The course will take approximately 32-35 hours to complete, though this may vary based on your study pace, as it is designed for asynchronous exploration. The first group is scheduled to run from the 7th of October 2024 until the 27th of October 2024.

Price: Our course is offered at no cost to participants, which is made possible by funding from the Erasmus+ program and the dedicated efforts of our project team.

Certificate: Upon meeting the basic requirements, you will receive a course attendance certificate.

Languages: The course is currently offered in English, with Romanian, Italian, Lithuanian and Finnish versions coming soon.

Level: The course was designed for beginners (basic level), but it is also open to participants with different levels of familiarity with the subject.

The project: This online training course is provided through the Erasmus+ project “The first steps in STEM, Robotics and Programming”, funded with support from the European Commission. More about the project and the other online modules that are developed in the project can be found by accessing the project’s website at this link: https://stemtrainings.eu/.

The consortium of the project is formed out of ZURY Association (Romania) – coordinator, and the partners: Predict CSD Consulting (Romania), Euro-Net (Italy), VsI Robotikos mokykla (Lithuania) and Vantaan Venäläinen Klubi ry (Finland).

Contact: If you have any questions or need any help, you can contact us by email at stemtrainings.eu@gmail.com or call us at +40 731 342062.

Enjoy the learning journey!

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the ANPCDEFP. Neither the European Union nor the ANPCDEFP can be held responsible for them.

Time - update for the first enrolments: We needed to start a few days later (on the new timeframe showed above - 7th of October 2024 until the 27th of October 2024), as a longer time was necessary to have some last updates on the technical side of the platform, considering the recent feedback we just got from the first group exploring the first course there - https://stemtrainings.eu/course/view.php?id=3. If this new timeline does not fit your schedule, we will offer a second group possibility for enrolments plus a longer time to finish the course. Thank you for your understanding!