![]() As Programming has become such an integral part of the new Primary Computing curriculum, the following blog will explore different elements of programming that I have tried to date. Scratch Scratch is one type of programming language used extensively by primary schools. It involves writing code for a sprite (two dimensional image or animation) that is a cat called Scratch. One of the main advantages of using Scratch is that it is very visual and you can see how the different bits of code fit together. Moreover, the programme allows you to experiment with sequences, selections, repetition and variables which are the core elements of programming. It is clear that Scratch has considerable scope for students to build on their games in a fun and engaging way too. Nevertheless, this could be seen as a disadvantage too as I for one initially found the amount of options slightly overwhelming. Overall, a really great programme. Hour of Code
During my Key Stage 3 placement I completed the “Hour of Code” course. The Hour of Code is a project that has been set up by the non-profit-organisation Code.org to encourage students to learn computer science. On the Hour of Code website students can try to write code for different themed projects from Star Wars to Frozen to Minecraft. The student is taken through the project through progressively more difficult steps until all centred on their chosen theme. The programme works in much the same way as Scratch as students have to put the blocks of code together to make it work. It was great fun trying out the Hour of Code and I think I prefer it to Scratch. For starters, the steps are progressively more difficult and you feel like you are gaining confidence all the time but are not overwhelmed at the start (which could be the case with Scratch). Also, the different themes like Star Wars are very engaging and in my eyes a better way of hooking students in than Scratch’s approach which is much more student led.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Paul LArchives
January 2016
Categories |