8.1 Preparing to start your coding club
Infrastructure
Scratch can be used both online and offline. Therefore, there needs to be some infrastructure in place before your club can start.
Computers
Students need access to computers to be able to use Scratch. For schools that have computer labs, that is a blessing but also for those that have no labs they can arrange how students can have computers to use. Since there will be 3 clubs per school, it is better to organize clubs on different days and reduce the size of a club just to ensure proper utilization of the computers and other facilities. In cases where computers are still few, students can share a computer.
Internet
After getting computers, students will also need the internet in the process of downloading and installing the software. Afterward, they will still need the internet to utilize online resources and get more understanding of the Scratch platform. Access to the internet will help them to interact with other people in the Scratch community. Once Scratch has been installed on a computer, students can access the program and design projects without access to the internet.
Projector
With computers, participants can work individually or in pairs. Having a projector to show examples and demonstrate how to get started will be very useful.