Why Scratch?

After reading the article about Scratch and exploring the Scratch website, what are some observable benefits in creating a space to share student work?

After I began reading the article I decided that I wanted to visit this site. I then spent almost an hour exploring and playing some games that had been created, some better than others, but all were unique. I enjoyed this experience and believe that the fun I had just messing around for a bit must be amplified for the people that create their own games and presentations then look at other people's programs. Not only is this site fun and filled with mini games but it also has intelligent presentations and school projects.
One benefit is that students can use this space a means to get creative and learn all at one time. No matter what the student is creating they are learning basic programing skills. If the student must do research to create the project then that student is also learning about that topic. Students would get excited about this type of project for school and really enjoy working on it, which would in turn produce higher quality work.
The fact that it is online programing add to the student's experience. I feel that in today's society understanding and learning about technology is vital. This website allows for technological education at the same time as other learning can be taking place. The website also allows for student to edit the work of other programmers. If a student uses an incorrect fact or other misconception, comments can be left so that the creator can fix it or that same person can download the program and make edits themselves.
Along the same lines of collaborative work all users can see all the other user's published work. If an educational presentation is looked at by other students that same information can be learned by others. Teachers could even download a presentation to use in class if it was good enough, which many seemed to be. Teachers can also createv there own presentation or educational game and provide a link to the class so that they could learn that way.
I feel that using this website students are opened up to a new branch in education. They are not just using online resources but also creating them. It is a fun and educational experience to create their own program. The website breaks down many barriers including the language barrier and the barrier between subjects. When creating a program about history students would be using computer science and technology skills, language skills, and also the history skills.