Upcoming CPD Events

As with SAMR event last week, there are many more upcoming CPD events across the region for those with an interest in Computing. 

Delivered by Master Teachers, these events are designed to help teachers feel more secure in their own professional development within the subject. 

They are always very practical and friendly events, with lots of opportunities for hands on experience and other teachers to help you find the solutions you need. It would be great to see you at some of them.

For more information about each event please click on its title:

Start to teach Python

Wednesday, 18 March - 15:00 to 17:00 – Cirencester

GCSE Computing | Exploring the A453 Programming Controlled Assessment

Monday, 23 March - 13:30 to 16:30  - Bristol

Teaching Networking for GCSE

Wednesday, 25 March - 13:45 to 17:30 -  Street

The Arduino Classroom

Friday, 17 April -17:00 to 19:30 – Bristol

KS2 Create Webpages using HTML and CSS

Monday, 20 April 16:15 to 18:30 Taunton

Computational Thinking for the Primary Classroom - A Beginners Guide

Tuesday, 21 April - 16:30 to 19:30  - Bath

GCSE Computer Science Exam Knowledge

Thursday, 23 April - 16:00 to 18:30 - Chippenham

Programming Through the Primary Years

Wednesday, 29 April - 13:30 to 16:30 - Cotham, Bristol

Scratched Out – Teach Dynamic Primary Programming

Tuesday, 5 May 2015  16:30 to 19:00 - Wimborne

Another great place to find out about upcoming Computing CPD events in the Bristol area is Master Teacher's Terry Watts CAS Website. Here you can not only find out about the events Terry will be running, but much more.

SAMR CPD

Recently I had the pleasure of welcoming a host of educators for our latest Apple Regional Training Centre event - SAMR:  Using technology to redefine learning.

The aim for the session was to provide a medium through which educators can share experiences with iPads in the classroom and to demonstrate our understanding of the model.  As a 1 to 1 iPad school across Years 5 and 6, SAMR has proven instrumental in my school’s approach and highlights the importance for meaningful integration of technology.

The session began with an overview of the SAMR model itself and examples as to how it applies to learning.  Using Maths and English as a focus, my aim was to demonstrate how you can take a regular activity and use technology to redefine the learning experience.  Take Math for instance:

LO - to demonstrate understanding of ratio.

Substitution - access a worksheet on Google Drive

Augmentation - use an annotation tool to mark the document and add voice notes.

Modification - create a short movie using manipulative resources.

Redefinition - add that video to an ebook/share online with others around and beyond the school

Throughout the session, we shared a variety of key apps that can help to achieve this whilst ensuring that our focus remained consistent throughout - will the technology have impact on learning outcomes?  If not then it shouldn’t be used. 

It was lovely to also hear from other educators at my school.  Asima Qureshi, our Science Leader, shared with the group how the use of iPads has ‘removed the shackles’ when it comes to scientific enquiry and allows for more hands on learning.  Alice Henley, our Assessment Leader, provided a snapshot of the assessment opportunities this technology brings and how we can use it to impact feedback. 

Being able to provide students with digital verbal feedback is far more accessible for all involved and takes away the need for long written comments and distance marking.  

Furthermore, the use of video has allowed our school to give feedback through demonstrations rather than a static diagram on a page.  Sharing this with everyone then opens up the possibility for all to gain from one piece of feedback and extend the net of communication to a wider audience.  Not to mention the obvious save in teacher time!

Overall, I believe the session provided all with food for thought and if nothing else, has prompted those who attended to reflect on their use of technology and ask - how do I redefine the learning opportunities I provide for my students?

SAMR - Learning to Use Technology to Redefine Learning

I am really looking forward to attending the SAMR event at Meadowbrook Primary School this evening. SAMR is a relatively new and innovative approach to using technology to help redefine what is possible with technology. Using technology effectively and creatively in the classroom is one of the biggest challenges facing schools and the SAMR model is a really exciting and transformative approach to doing this.

From technology used to substitute previous approaches to learning, all the way through to using technology to redefine the possibilities of teaching and learning; this is a field of practice that all teachers would benefit from understanding and using in their classroom.

Personally, I cannot wait to see it in action and pick up some new tips and techniques to use in my own classroom. Not to mention being able to then pass this on other teachers to widen their own practise. Having used the SAMR model for a while now, it is something I am continually working to refine and tonights CPD event will be the perfect place to do that.

The course is being run by primary Master Teacher Matt Smith at Meadow Brook School, a Regional Apple Training Centre. It runs from 16.30 and is a free event. So, if you want to find out about this important new approach, you can find more details about the event here. 

However, if you are unable to make the event itself, I hope to write a review as soon as I am able. So please check back in a day or so to find out how it went and how SAMR can work for you.

If you cannot make this event you might want to have a look at some others that are happening this week that you might have missed. These include:

Primary Computing with L-Plates  - 10th March (Wimborne Dorset)

Classic Algorithms for Sorting and Searching - 12th March (Bristol)

Start to Teach Python - 18th March  (Cirencester)

CAS Bristol Hub – 17th March

Next Tuesday the At-Bristol Centre will host the inaugural CAS Bristol Hub meeting. 

In collaboration with the At-Bristol Centre and UWE, CAS would like to welcome all teachers, and anyone else with an interest in the new computing curriculum, to attend this friendly forum.  

As well as enabling participants to share ideas, resources and effective practice; the hub will work to help participants identify CPD needs and give practical training sessions from CAS Master Teachers.

As part of our first meeting we will be providing free hard copies of the QuickStart CPD materials for those who can attend; as well as a guide to how to use them to help provide the most effective CPD and subject development within schools. 

We are also very fortunate to have Mark Dorling as our opening speaker for the event.

We look forward to hearing from those who will be able to make it on the 17th; or who would like to contribute to the hub in future.

If you would like to find out more, or reserve a free place you can do so by following this link.

AQA A Level Computing Practical Exam

The pre release material for the AS Comp 1 exam is now out. There is already much discussion about this on the CAS secondary discussion forum and CAS members have already produced a number of good resources to help you prepare your students for this.

Resources that I would recommend include 

The wikibook

The CAS discussion thread 

2015 COMP1 Pre-Release Question Randomiser

AQA COMP1 2015 Simple Board and Piece Exercises

If you want to discuss how to approach this part of the course over coffee and biscuits with a number of other teachers please come along to the CAS Somerset Teachers Hub: AQA Comp1 Pre Release Brainstorm 2015 on Tuesday, March 10, 2015 from 4:15 PM to 6:00 PM at Millfield School in Street.

CAS at DigiMakers in the At-Bristol centre.

I know it sounds like a tongue twister, but it is in fact where I spent a vary enjoyable day last Saturday. 

DigiMakers is a regular event organized by Bristol University to give young children, and their parent's, hands on experience of a range of Computer Science and Engineering activities. It was really well attended and the children that came had a wonderfully creative  time hacking Minecraft, programming their own pianos, creating 3D prints and loads more.

I was there after being invited by Code Club to help deliver some workshops on programming with Scratch for children beginning their journey in coding. It was a really great day and, from the feedback we received, both the children and the adults got a lot from the workshops themselves.

For me it was seeing the range of abilities and experience each child brought to the workshop and how, by talking through their code with them,  they were each able to move forward in their understanding of how to use Scratch.  I think it made me more aware of the power of one-on-one teaching where children are actively thinking through the structure of their code and not just following instructions.  

I am now looking forward to the next DigiMaker event and dragging my own teenage children along for the day. Which shouldn't be that difficult once I mention Minecraft in the same sentence as 'hacking'.