I’ve always been of the strong opinion that (a) people should talk about programming, not coding, and (b) people learn best on a kind of need to know basis.
Read MoreQuestion mark - Terry Freedman
Just because everyone says something is good, doesn't mean it is.
Making and programming
Is 'making' really an effective -- or cost-effective -- way of learning programming?
Read MoreQuestion mark - Terry Freedman
National Coding Week: why?
I’ve always been of the strong opinion that (a) people should talk about programming, not coding, and (b) people learn best on a kind of need to know basis.
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On this day #20: Digital literacy and "coding"
Is being digitally literate synonymous with being able to code?
Read MoreComing soon in the Digital Education newsletter
The next edition of this esteemed newsletter has a cornucopia of links that will be of interest to teachers of computing and media literacy especially, and very little commentary! Read on to find out more.
Read MoreBook review: How to think like a coder
This book aims to teach you how to think like a coder, rather then merely learning how to code. How far does it succeed?
Read MoreMaking and coding
Is 'making' really an effective -- or cost-effective -- way of learning programming? Guest contributor Derek Blunt has his doubts.
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Shakespeare is alive and well!
Ode to Code
"I wonder if it's possible to write a poem about coding", I thought to myself. Well, it is, and here it is. First Chaucer, then Shakespeare, and now me. No doubt schoolchildren of the future will be studying this for their Eng Lit exams, but in the meantime you can read it here first! Enjoy.
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7 reasons to teach coding through problem-solving
Should you start with the raw components when teaching coding, or get the kids problem-solving immediately? This article argues in favour of the latter.
Read MoreA Koan, Computing and QuicK Tips
News, reviews, two competitions, free resources, interesting reading, a new Computing scheme of work, and women in computing -- just some of the stuff featured in the new issue of Digital Education. Subscribe for free!
Read MoreHow I got into coding and why I think everyone should do it!
"As soon as I found out about how to write code, I was hooked. I realised that this was what I should have been doing all along." Anna Shipman, who works for the Government Digital Service, talks about her love of coding.
Read MorePupils don't always benefit from doing it themselves
We all know and love the concept of learning by doing. Because of that, many teachers get pupils to type out a program, create a Scratch program or populate a spreadsheet or database themselves. However, there are a number of problems that can arise from this approach.
Read MoreHow learning to code might improve writing skills
There's no point in just starting to write a load of code. You should at least have some idea of what you want to achieve.Hour of Code–this week!
The Hour of Code allows anyone to try out coding for the first time by teaching the basics of computer programming in just sixty minutes.Quick look: Literacy from Scratch
If you’re concerned that young children won’t be able to grasp computing concepts, or are worried about how you’re going to teach it, have a look around the Literacy from Scratch website.
Managed – and, I think, written by – Lawrence Williams, the website contains examples of pupils’ work in Scratch, cross-curricular ideas and examples, and notes on pedagogy.
Review of Espresso Coding
This application is designed to teach Computing at Key Stages 1 and 2 (a more sophisticated version for older pupils is being worked on).
What struck me immediately on using it is the amount of guidance available, both in verbal form and videos. There is quite a large range of modules to choose from, including “Starter” ones which take you through the basics and, where appropriate, recapitulate what has already been learnt.
Review of Code Academy
Code Academy is an online tutorial-based website for teaching yourself how to code. You can select which programming language you wish to learn, from the following listReview of J2Code
As usual, I gave this application a workout without seeking help from a manual or anything like that – which is just as well because there does not seem to be a comprehensive manual.
There are three applications in one: JIT5, LOGO and Visual. This is quite useful because if you are familiar with LOGO but not JavaScript, you can start pupils coding in an environment that is familiar to you. Also, if you teach very young children, JIT5 is highly visual and colourful.
An advantage of J2Code as a whole over 2Code is that it covers the age range from Key Stage 1 (5-6 year olds) to Key Stage 3 (13-14 year olds).
Review of 2Code
2Simple’s answer to the question “How can we teach coding to little ones?” is 2Code. The first thing that greets you when you go to the 2Code section of Purple Mash is the plethora of files to open.Preparing to teach the new Computing curriculum
I've been giving talks on preparing for the new Computing curriculum, and as well as waxing lyrical that also involves listening to others' concerns. It also means hearing about some innovative approaches that colleagues have adopted.
At the same time, I have been conducting a survey of what people have been doing to prepare for the new curriculum. I'll be publishing the results in due course. In fact, some of the resources mentioned in the collection of coding resources in the early July 2014 edition of Digital Education came to my attention from that survey.
So, given that at the time of writing there's about 2 or 3 days to go till the end of term, what can you realistically do at this stage to prepare for September?