Tag Archives: Computing

Barefoot Computing Resources⤴

from @ Education Scotland's Learning Blog

Small- Barefoot ImageJoin us on Monday 23rd May at 4pm for a fun session introducing the changes to the Technologies curriculum and the principles of computational thinking and programming.

We will explore the free Barefoot Computing resources, including excellent classroom activities that will save planning time and get teachers and pupils excited about computing. Free posters and sample activities will be available for you to download and we will also provide you with a simple presentation that you can use to quickly and effectively introduce your colleagues to key computing science concepts and approaches.

The session is aimed at Primary teachers and digital leads and the aim of the session is provide teachers with the tools and confidence to support their colleagues in delivering the new computing science significant aspects of learning.

Register now to join us live in Glow TV – Barefoot Computing Resources.

Computer Science is Changing Everything (@codeorg) [Video]⤴

from

I've written about code.org lost of times before. Here and here for example. They launched a nice little video last week called 'Computer Science is Changing Everything'. 

I like some of the descriptions that peopel use to describe what coding is, such as,

 'the crux of it is looking at the world and being dissatisfied by it and then working out how you can improve it'

and

'basically, its the chance to re-invent things and put something in the world that wasn't there before'. 

 

 

Computer Science is Changing Everything (@codeorg) [Video]⤴

from

I've written about code.org lost of times before. Here and here for example. They launched a nice little video last week called 'Computer Science is Changing Everything'. 

I like some of the descriptions that peopel use to describe what coding is, such as,

 'the crux of it is looking at the world and being dissatisfied by it and then working out how you can improve it'

and

'basically, its the chance to re-invent things and put something in the world that wasn't there before'. 

 

 

Learning to Code?⤴

from @ John's World Wide Wall Display

If you want your kids to have a solid computer science education, encourage them to go build something cool. Not by typing in pedantic command words in a programming environment, but by learning just enough about how that peculiar little blocky world inside their computer works to discover what they and their friends can make with it together.

We shouldn’t be teaching kids “computer science.” Instead, we should provide them plenty of structured opportunities to play with hardware and software. There’s a whole world waiting to be unlocked.

from: Jeff Atwood: Learning to code is overrated – NY Daily News

The article stems from the news that all New York City pupils will be coding in 10 years.  English education is away ahead of them: National curriculum in England: computing programmes of study – GOV.UK

The counter argument is that there are a lot of coding jobs in Scotland waiting for applicants:

Scotland’s tech sector is booming and our employment partners have existing vacancies just waiting to be filled by CodeClan graduates. Learn with CodeClan and become part of shaping the future of the digital world.

from: Home | Digital Skills Academy Scotland | CodeClan
and
Digital tech sector ‘to see strong growth in Scotland’.

This links very much to the views expressed by Charlie Love on Radio #EDUtalk: we have a lack of these skills in Scotland.

I do wonder how we can gear up for typing in pedantic command words in a programming environment with our current decline in computer science teaching. Should we go down the same road as England or would it be better to take Jeff Atwood’s advice? Is there a happy medium?

Image my own from a brief encounter with processing.

Raspberry Pi Projects on Pinterest [@raspberry_pi]⤴

from

Porta-Pi-Raspberry-Pi-Mini-Arcade-Cabinet

I'm a big fan of the Raspberry Pi and we have invested in a class set (with potable monitors) at Kingussie. We are using the Raspberry Pi's for various computing / maker projects at the moment. I am also enthusiastic about other similar devices such at the Intel Galileo and the new BBC MicroBit.

"The Raspberry Pi is a low cost, credit-card sized computer that plugs into a computer monitor or TV, and uses a standard keyboard and mouse. It is a capable little device that enables people of all ages to explore computing, and to learn how to program in languages like Scratch and Python. It’s capable of doing everything you’d expect a desktop computer to do, from browsing the internet and playing high-definition video, to making spreadsheets, word-processing, and playing games."

"What’s more, the Raspberry Pi  has the ability to interact with the outside world, and has been  used in a wide array of digital maker projects, from music machines and parent detectors to weather stations and tweeting birdhouses with infra-red cameras. We want to see the Raspberry Pi being used by kids all over the world to learn to program and understand how computers work."

You can make lots of cool stuff with a Raspberry Pi and I recently discovered that the Raspberry Pi Foundation has a Pinterest Board where that showcase some of the coolest Pi Projects. My favourite is the board on Games and Gaming but I also like the one on Wearables, Textiles and Fibres.

 

Neocities⤴

from @ John's World Wide Wall Display

Earlier this month I read The Web Feels Fine to Me on the CogDogBlog, it contained lots of interesting links to pretty amazing websites. I am still mining the vein.

Along the way I discovered Making your own static web site isn’t nostalgia. It’s the future of the web. – Neocities Blog

For starters, nothing is more creative than HTML. Instead of a sad, tiny, highly constrained little square box to put your thoughts in (that ends up being sold to marketers) on ephemeral social networks that have been scientifically proven to make people miserable and depressed, you get the entire web page to put your thoughts into. Or your drawings. Or your music. Anything you can come up with using your imagination. When you make a web page, you’re not working for your social network’s stock brokers – you’re working for yourself.

Which fitted nicely along with various ideas I’ve been nodding along to recently.

Neocities says We provide free web hosting and tools that allow anyone to make a website. and Neocities will never sell your personal data or embed advertising on your site.

There is a browser based html/css/javascript editor and you can upload files via DragAndDrop.

You get 100mb of space.

It looks like they have education plans:

Neocities for Educators. A lot of teachers have been using Neocities to teach HTML to students. We think this is important, so we want to help them by providing special Neocities features for educators. We are also working on developing an integrated tutorial for those learning how to program HTML for the first time.

We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn HTML as a way to obtain technical literacy. It’s also the perfect first step to learning how to design and code software – one of the few careers that keeps growing fast in our information society.

from: Introducing the new Neocities – Neocities Blog

The site is as straightforward as can be, the html editor is pretty nice without being overpowering. It close tags and has nice colour schemes. Uploading files is simple. Perhaps it could be a useful resource for pupils learning a bit of html/CSS/JavaScript as a next step after using some of the online turtorials of the sort Ollie has been blogging recently.

I have kicked the tyres of the site a little producing the rather silly, but fun for me: GifDub (Which probably will not work on Internet Explorer, but seems ok on mobile. )

gif-dub-screenshot

Free web based resources that teach you how to write code – Summary Post and Online Handout⤴

from

  Free Coding resources

up-dated August 2015

 

In a country facing a massive shortage of computing teachers we need to eventually face the reality that computing and computer programming are two of those rare things in schools that could actually probably be delivered quite successfully via distance / online learning. 

This Digital Hand Out (mainly linking to articles from August 2015) provides a portal to connect to various thoughts, articles and videos showcasing just some of the great tools and web based services that are available to help teach young people to code. Some of the sites mentioned are tools to get you into coding (such as Scratch) others are resources that introduce you and coach you though some popular coding languages (eg: HTML & CSS, JavaScript, iQuery, PHP, Python, and Ruby).

Throughout the series I try to stick to tools that are platform agnostic so Microsoft Kodu and the Apple Development Library don't to get a mention. I also try to highlight FREE tools (although with some of the tools highlighted you have to pay for advanced tutorials or for certification).

_______________________________________________ 

Starter for ten!

 

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Summary of August 2015 Key posts:

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From the Archive:

ICT Programming with Scratch and Kodu (Teach primary Magasine) – July 2012

Lets Make Things! – Using Technology to Innovate in STEM (5 of 5): Games Design (#Kodu #Scratch #ProjectSpark) – June 2013

 

Free web based resources that teach you how to write code (13 of 13) – Code School Website⤴

from

Free Coding resources

This is part of a short series highlighting some free web based tools that can help teach kids to code.

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Like Programmr, Code School wants you to ‘learn to code by doing,’ which means you will be thrown into hands-on exercises.  

There are a number of different ‘paths’ you can choose which includes Ruby Path, JavaScript Path, HTML/CSS Path, iOS Path and Git Path. There is also an Electives Path, which focuses more on development strategies.

Code School

Code School courses are meant to be fun and are designed similar to a game with a storyline, points and reward badges. The introductory courses are normally free, but to go beyond the free courses, you will need to pay a monthly subscription charge.

Free web based resources that teach you how to write code (12 of 13) – Programmr⤴

from

Free Coding resources

This is part of a short series highlighting some free web based tools that can help teach kids to code.

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Like TheCodePlayer, Programmr offers yet another different approach to learning which is based around the concept of ‘you learn best while doing’.

The courses on Programmr take you through it step-by-step with hands-on coding practice. It also offers coding simulators, so you can write your code and test mobile, databases, Web, and rich media apps right in your browser. It's a very good option for those who have a basic knowledge of different programming languages, but want to develop their skills even further or pick up a new language.

Programmr

Programmr is free, but (I think?) there are some costs associated with certification. it also has a great section based around community challenges.

Free web based resources that teach you how to write code (11 of 13) – W3 Schools⤴

from

Free Coding resources

This is part of a short series highlighting some free web based tools that can help teach kids to code.

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W3Schools is a website that you probably haven’t heard of BUT it is one of the most popular sites for Web developers on the net, pulling in over 40 million visits a month.

W3 Schools focuses on HTML/CSS, JavaScript, HTML Graphics, Server Side, Web Building, and XML Tutorials. Along with its YouTube Channel it is a great resource for people new to coding as well as those looking to fill in some missing gaps in their knowledge. One of the nice features within the tutorials are code examples that you can manipulate and test in your browser to see if you have the right commands in place.

W3school1

W3 Schools is free, and easy to use. There is also a W3Schools Certification Program that lets you study in your own time and you can complete the program in a matter of a few weeks. Certificates include HTML, HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, PHP, Bootstrap and XML. There is a cost associated with certification.