OCR GCSE Python Training Course - Starts Thursday the 24th April at 4.30pm

Final Reminder about the OCR GCSE A* Python Training Course

£100 per person for the entire 8 week course (valued at £500 per person)

Please join us (8 places left)

 

The venue address:

The Petchey Academy

Shacklewell Lane

London

E8 2EY

School Telephone Number: 020 7275 1500

Jonny Davey Phone Number 07595024251

Please wait in the main entrance; I’ll be there from 4pm to greet you.

The room will be accessible from 4pm and the course will start at 4.30pm prompt and will run until 6.30 or before if we stop learning due to fatigue.  We want this to be a pleasurable, relevant experience so please be vocal about breaks and comprehension. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be available at 4.15pm.

Shahid Khan has confirmed so we are going ahead.

Please pass me the names of your staff who will attend the course.

Looking forward to seeing you all on Thursday.

Jonny Davey

jonnydavey@gmail.com

HLT - Python Training Course

During the recent audits conducted in secondary schools a clear training priority emerged - Python.  As a response we have sourced a capable Python tutor (via Alan Urwin) with a first class Computer Science degree who teaches private clients and tutors GCSE Computer Science with City Tutors.  HLT Computing support has met with Shahid Khan who has now agreed to go ahead with the course.

It would be really useful if you could look at the dates and times of the evening course in which Shahid would teach Python fundamentals and the OCR GCSE Python elements including the project elements.  We are sure this would provide a good platform for you to tailor your own approach to teaching GCSE and would also be applicable to Edexcel GCSE.

The subsidised cost would be £100 per person for a 20 hour course.

We have identified some potential dates with Shahid and have initially planned for the course to run from the 24th April 2014 for 8 out of the following possible Thursday sessions:

1. 24th April
2. 1st May (unless a holiday)
3. 8th May
4. 15th May
5. 22nd May
6. 5th June (unless Shahid is away)
7. 12th June
8. 19th June
9. 26th June
10. 3rd July

The course will run on Thursdays from 4.00pm to 6.30pm or 4.30pm to 7.00pm at one or possibly two of the Hackney secondary school sites.  

There are 12 places maximum which HLT will try to fill, currently we have 5 places verbally agreed.

Could we please ask you contact Jonny Davey on jonnydavey@gmail.com to express an interest or book a place.  If Thursdays or the dates clash with your events it would be good to know.

HLT Computing Support Team

HLT Programming Training Event - 8th May 1.30pm Tomlinson Centre - You are invited to this Free event

Over the last few months we have been collecting information about your support  requests in preparation for September 2014 and the clear priority for everyone is programming training.  In response, the next Network Meeting at the Tomlinson Centre on May the 8th at 1.30pm is to be a hands-on programming training event.

Our trainer is the highly experienced Halgurd Saleh (Burberry's current Business Analyst) who has extensive real world knowledge of programming for the Web and beyond. Halgurd designs and builds sophisticated web environments for Burberry and other clients and has a complete understanding of corporate web production processes.

The schedule for the afternoon:

1. A short biography of Halgurd Saleh's programming learning journey
2. An exploration of the lineage of HTML5, CSS and JavaScript
3. A hands-on coding training session focusing on P10, P11, P12, P13 and P14 of the 'Subject knowledge requirements for entry into computer science teacher training' document
4. Q and A. Halgurd will take any questions you have about programming

We are very excited about the session and hope you can attend.  Please RSVP to jonnydavey@gmail.com to confirm you plan to attend.  If you do come along bring plenty of questions because Halgurd really has mastered the area.

School Recommendation - The Turtle Prize



http://turtleprize.com/

Lisa Cookson has also shared this great free Python competition resource with lesson plans and good supporting resources. Thanks Lisa.

Professor Paul Curzon - Free Programming Training Offer

Hello World, I attended a great 'Programming Without Computing' training session at Queen Mary University on Monday in which Prof. Paul Curzon delivered three practical/visual activities to illustrate programming fundamental concepts. It was very good and the activities could be replicated by you in both primary and secondary settings. Responding to school requests for programming training I spoke to Paul afterwards to see if he would be available to come to Hackney and he is but I have to arrange dates, times, invitations and a room (Only a whiteboard required).

Here are the course titles which last about an hour and a half each:

1. Computational Thinking: Searching to Speak
2. Invisible Palming! Intelligent Paper? So what is an algorithm?
3. Programming Unplugged: Learning programming without computers
4. Computational thinking: It's about people too

Deeper details of each session can be found at http://teachinglondoncomputing.org/free-workshops/

Please let me know if you would like me to organise these events, probably one evening a week for four weeks in a row.  Paul would like at least 15 staff members there so please let me know either way by commenting or ticking the reactions boxes below.

Expert Tip - This (I'm told) is the future of building cross platform websites and apps (Advanced Level)

Coding Tip - Python School .Net (Sue Sentance)

This looks quite well organised.

School Find - Teach Computing (Wordpress)

This is another great resource shared by one of our secondary champions. Thanks

School Find - Matt Britland on Pinterest - You need to see this!

Matt Britland's Pinterest page was brought to our attention by City Academy's Ahmed Mangera - a fantastic resource, thanks Ahmed.

Coder Tip - Brendan Eich built Javascript in just 10 Days

HLT Idea - Code Family Tree Display

Watching Douglas Crockford we got interested in the family tree of code. If we are going to teach Javascript, Python and HTML it's worthwhile setting the historical context in as many ways as we can.

Coder Tip - Douglas Crockford on JavaScript - Episode IV: The Metamorphosis of Ajax (If you liked episode 1 you may also like 4 (IV) - stick with it though to hear how the browser wars were played out in the 90s)

Coder Tip - The Only Real Javascript Expert is Douglas Crockford - Part 1 of 5 - 'Javascript's Proper Historical Context' (very interesting)

Coder Tip - Sublime Text 3 - It's so pretty!

Sublime Text 3 is a beautiful text editor which comes recommended by Burberry's business analyst. The reasons are listed on the website but we like the way the interface colour scheme can be changed. 

A more colourful way to learn with features like distraction free editing etc.

HLT Recommendation - Better Than Code Academy - W3Schools

W3Schools teaches code in a clean, repetitive format which we think may better suit some of our students. 





We like it because:

• The individual lessons are short and listed on the left hand side
• Explanations are clear
• The lessons can be repeated
• Each lesson has a 'try it' option 

School Find - Code Avengers - Cool

A new school recommendation which we must say looks pretty cool for teachers and students alike. We'd love to know if you've tried it. Thanks for sharing it.

School Find - KS3, KS4 and KS5 ICT/Computing Resources - Gr82BGeeky

This site is highly recommended by one of our Secondary ICT/Computing HoDs. 

Take a look!

Idea - Computing Skills Passport to Support Transition

Considering the work we have done around transition and the feedback we got about carrying NC levels and student information over from KS2 to KS3 we have come up with an idea. Working with a local artist/designer Louise Best we have come up with an idea to provide students with a Computing Skills Passport. It would look and feel like a normal passport with rubber stamps adapted for new NC Computing and ICT skills. Being a physical object the passport can easily travel with the student and has an authentic feel to support and motivate.

What do you think? 

KS4 OCR GCSE in Computing - New Support Materials and Resources

OCR have posted quite a few NEW support materials and resources which may be of interest to you. They include:

• Summary Brochure
• Erratum Notice to Centres
• Unit A451/01 - Computer Systems and Programming - Specimen 2, Mark Scheme and Question Paper
• January 2013 and June 2013 Examiners Reports
• An 'Unofficial Guide to Computing GCSE' by Mark Clarkson
• Unit A452 - Practical Investigation - Sample scheme of work and lesson plan booklet

If you are considering offering this course in September it might be worth having a look, perhaps at the unofficial guide first.

Let us know if you need any help with pathways/plans or any other ICT/Computing/Computer Science matter.

OCR Cambridge - GCSE Computing MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) - Please Register and Comment

Register as a teacher and gain access to the content which is being updated in April - a lot of it is video instruction - it's good quality and all free.

OCR (Sponsored) Computer Science - Round Table Discussion 'Coding the Future' - It's long (1h 17m) but very interesting (Especially at exactly 18m in)

New - KS4 Edexcel GCSE Computer Science - Teacher Support Materials - Block 4 Scheme of Work with Task-Sheets (And Answer Sheets)

School Find - Matt Britland's 'Computing Curriculum Projects for Students in Years 7 - 9'

Thanks to Oktay who flagged up this great resource. It's a blog by Matt Britland who does advisory work for The Guardian and gives away great resources such as the comprehensive, 16 Mb's big:

'Computing Curriculum Projects for Students in Years 7 - 9'

Will you sign up for the Master Teacher programme?

 

Computing GCSE Board Comparison - Will you offer Computing in 2014? If so please Comment on which Board you will go with

Government Release - Year of Code

See the Government Release

KS3 REsources - more to come..

Here is a useful link for KS3 resources - any feedback welcome..

http://missictteacher.com/ks3-year-8/

School Find - Appshed - Some amazing projects taking place in our schools - Want to know more?

School Find - Kodu (I think you might know about this - but just in case)

BETT Find - Quadblogging - Some 'big names' were supporting this one

BETT Find - What's My Heart Rate (Free) - I'm recommending it but I don't believe it - How can this really work?

BETT Find - Hopscotch - Like Blockly but it's an App (Free and highly rated)

BETT Find - Blockly - Learning Games and Code Without Typing (Like Scratch)

Google Buys UK DeepMind AI Start Up

A brilliant publishing blog by the co-founder of Twitter - Inspiring reading, writing and publishing on any subject

The film 'Her' is well worth watching - He falls in love with his operating system! - AI that's almost believable

Hour of Code via Code.Org

Code Academy - NEW Brilliant Classroom Resources

HTML/CSS/Python Teaching Resources for use in the classroom. Includes Powerpoints which are really helpful

Python Examples with Code

This Site has many Python examples.  

Java - Examples and Code

This Site provides example code to look at and run providing an authentic link between Code and Run Code we may have seen before. Is the level of reinforcement enough?

The BECTA Self Review Framework

I think the NAACE BECTA SRF is still a great reflective tool which helps ICT coordinators to set appropriate targets. What do you think?

Primary Tracking Blog

6 Ways to track in Primary. Is this a useful Blog?

Assessment and Tracking Progress Blog

This Blog made sense as I read it and provides a nice overview of the tracking progress challenges we face. With some solutions too.

TES Primary ICT Planning Resource KS1 and 2

We found a Primary planning resource for KS1 and KS2 on the TES Resources Website.  It looks great (Is it?) and has structured overviews for each year (1 to 6) and half term breakdowns.  We'd love to know your opinion about how transferable this is to your setting.

Links to the Specifications

Here are links to the GCSE Computer Science Specifications:

AQA

OCR

Edexcel

Computer Science and the EBACC (Notice)

Welcome to Hackney Learning Trust's Computing Support Blog

We will use this blog to broadcast and share ideas, guidance and resources.