Resources
A variety of supporting material from the Technocamps workshops can be downloaded below. These can be developed and adapted to suit the interests and abilities of the young people in your class.
This is a highly useful facility containing slides presented at the workshops, a fact-pack on key themes and theory, a copy of in class worksheets that the young people can use, and links to websites we think might be useful to you. We have also included a ‘Friends of Technocamps’ section, which highlights the successful partnerships we have developed with industry and academia since the launch of the project.
Teachers Resources
Technocamps Teachers Welcome Pack
Introduction to Programming Workshop
Downloadable Software
The “Aberbots” program uses the Player/Stage robot controller/simulator to allow you to control robots. All you have to do is to click on the link to download it. Then start the installer by double-clicking on it and follow the instructions that it gives you. After it’s installed, click on the new icon that’s appeared on your desktop. After a few moments a window will come up that’s mostly white and then after about 3 seconds a smaller, yellow window will pop up with a button on it saying “connect”. Click on that button and another yellow but much bigger window will appear. Now you’re ready to start coding!
Scratch is aimed at 9-11 year old students, although we also use it for 12-14 year olds. Scratch is a fun program to teach. Its drag and drop and does not expose the user to errors. It does not take much to get things happening. E.g. getting a cat to move forward 10 steps is a case of using two drag and drop boxes and pressing start. This is great for younger pupils who are impatient and looking for results straight away. It is free to download and does not take too long to learn.
Alice is very different to Scratch, in that the application deals with concepts such as objects, methods and properties and relies on the user being able to think ‘independently’. It is a drag and drop program, so it’s a good follow on from Scratch. The approach we have used to teach Alice is by getting participants to go through the Alice tutorials before getting them to make their own 3D animation. This is an excellent way of getting participants to get to grips with its concepts and the vocabulary involved in object-orientated design. It is satisfying when 15 year olds are leaving the room discussing objects and methods! Again this is free to download and it helps with concepts
Greenfoot teaches object orientated design using Java. It is recommended that this is taught to students who have had prior programming experience and/or doing A-level / A/S Level computing. They allow users to create ‘actors’ which are in ‘worlds’ to make games, animations and simulations. Its interactive and interaction tools are built into the Greenfoot environment. Unlike the two above, this introduces students to common syntax errors and is a lot more real than the other two.
Useful Links
cs4fn was created and is written and edited by Paul Curzon, Peter McOwan and Jonathan Black of the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science of Queen Mary, University of London with the aim of sharing our passion about all things to do with Computer Science.
Kodu a visual programming language made accessible for children
In this series of Christmas Lectures, Professor Chris Bishop invites us on a journey into the high-tech world of computer technology. From the origin of the microprocessor to the development of the internet, the field of computer science has literally changed the way in which we live our lives. But the world of computers is vast and complicated, ranging from the architecture of microchips to use of quantum mechanics for data encryption – it’s not always easy to know what exactly is going on inside the box. So how do computers work? How is so much information stored within a single hard-drive and how do computers communicate with each other over the internet?
Ri Channel – Programming Cells
The Biological Computation group at Microsoft Research in Cambridge are working to design synthetic life by creating a computer language that allows them to ‘reprogram’ cells.
Ri Channel – The Mathematics of Machine Learning
This video from LSE Research explores the work of Martin Anthony, a theoretical mathematician who is interested in the design of machine intelligence.
Ri Channel – Putting the Fun into Functional Programming
A functional computational language that allows programmers to solve complex problems through simple methods.
Ri Channel – The Emotional Computer
Could computers one day understand human emotion?
Friends of Technocamps
BigAmbition, is a revolutionary programme whose primary strategy is to attract teenagers towards education and careers within the IT sector. The initiative focuses on helping 14-19 year olds make informed choices in an inspiring and accessible way – stimulating demand among young people for technology-related degrees and careers plus improving the gender imbalance in IT. BigAmbition is a branch of e-skills UK, which is a not-for-profit, employer-led organisation, licensed by government as the Sector Skills Council for Business and Information Technology.
The Computing at School Working Group (CAS) is a grass roots organisation that aims to promote the teaching of Computing at school. CAS is a collaborative partner with the BCS through the BCS Academy of Computing, and has formal support from other industry partners.
Microsoft Partners in Learning
Microsoft Partners in Learning provides professional development to government officials, school leaders, and educators around the world to help them take new approaches to teaching and learning, using technology to help students develop 21st century skills. Stuart Ball, Microsoft Partners in Learning Programme Manager UK, was an integral part of Technoteach launch event and regulalry guest speaks at our events, giving us a glimpse into the wonderful world of Kodu.
The Digital Schoolhouse (DSH) has been set up to offer pupils in years 5 and 6 from local primary schools the opportunity to study in a dedicated ICT and Computer Science environment.
Dr Phil Legg is a Research Associate of Swansea University, UK. His current research focus is on Sports Video Analysis and Visualization. His background is in Computer Science, with particular interest in Image and Video Processing. Phil works closely with the Technocamps team in Swansea and is one of our regular speakers, chatting about his background in Computer Science and the cool apps he has developed to date, including a Rugby App, which was used by the WRU during last year’s World Cup.
Waters Creative is a design and marketing studio based in Swansea. The directors, Rhian Hullin and Rachel Wheatley, are regular speakers for the Technocamps programme, discussing the exciting career choices on offer in technology for young people in Wales.
