Comments for CompEdNet http://www.compednet.com Scottish Computing Science Teachers' Forum Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:20:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on Computing update: Royal Society report, CPD, competitions, resources and CASS meeting on Sunday by Kate Farrell http://www.compednet.com/2012/01/computing-update-royal-society-report-cpd-competitions-resources-and-cass-meeting-on-sunday/#comment-30 Kate Farrell Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:20:13 +0000 http://www.compednet.com/?p=456#comment-30 As a little extra, if you're thinking of doing the Codebreaker competition, there's a suite of excellent resources available to support this competition that CAS are running in association with Animation12. The purpose of these resources is to support teachers in running a number of session to help pupils to develop their Java abilities using the Greenfoot environment (for information on how to install Greenfoot please visit their website). These resources are intended for use as part of an after school club although they can be adapted as required. Resources for 10 hour long sessions are provided and they cover making three different games/scenarios using Greenfoot. These scenarios are as follows. 1. Ship Game – player navigates a ship around the screen to collect crates while avoiding submarines that will stop them. 2. Air Raid Game – player controls a rocket launcher that moves along the bottom of the screen. Rockets are launched to destroy crates dropped to destroy planes flying across the top of the screen. 3. Cannon Game – player controls a cannon that must shoot over a wall to hit a target on the other side of the screen. Go to: http://www.computingatschool.org.uk/index.php?id=cb-programming-club to download They have been put together by Brian Cullen (thanks Brian!) from Rossett School, Harrogate As a little extra, if you’re thinking of doing the Codebreaker competition, there’s a suite of excellent resources available to support this competition that CAS are running in association with Animation12.

The purpose of these resources is to support teachers in running a number of session to help pupils to develop their Java abilities using the Greenfoot environment (for information on how to install Greenfoot please visit their website). These resources are intended for use as part of an after school club although they can be adapted as required. Resources for 10 hour long sessions are provided and they cover making three different games/scenarios using Greenfoot. These scenarios are as follows.

1. Ship Game – player navigates a ship around the screen to collect crates while avoiding submarines that will stop them.
2. Air Raid Game – player controls a rocket launcher that moves along the bottom of the screen. Rockets are launched to destroy crates dropped to destroy planes flying across the top of the screen.
3. Cannon Game – player controls a cannon that must shoot over a wall to hit a target on the other side of the screen.

Go to: http://www.computingatschool.org.uk/index.php?id=cb-programming-club to download

They have been put together by Brian Cullen (thanks Brian!) from Rossett School, Harrogate

]]> Comment on Something is happening #csmatters by Jeremy Scott http://www.compednet.com/2011/12/something-is-happening-csmatters/#comment-29 Jeremy Scott Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:46:44 +0000 http://www.compednet.com/?p=408#comment-29 @Peter I understand your trepidation, Peter; however, in the context of a statement about increasing teacher numbers, I'm more inclined to take a positive view of this. For the first time in a long time, Computing is getting a mention at a senior government level. @Peter
I understand your trepidation, Peter; however, in the context of a statement about increasing teacher numbers, I’m more inclined to take a positive view of this. For the first time in a long time, Computing is getting a mention at a senior government level.

]]> Comment on Something is happening #csmatters by Yussef Ghafoor http://www.compednet.com/2011/12/something-is-happening-csmatters/#comment-28 Yussef Ghafoor Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:30:27 +0000 http://www.compednet.com/?p=408#comment-28 I think this is in response to Eric Schmidt, chairman of Google, condeming British education system in the Computing sector. He discussed how there are a number of people responsible for what computing is taught to kids who wrongly think delivering ICT/GPP's is computing rather than the promotion of Computing Science and Software Engineering which UK pupil's lack in comparison to a lot of other countries globally. I think this is in response to Eric Schmidt, chairman of Google, condeming British education system in the Computing sector. He discussed how there are a number of people responsible for what computing is taught to kids who wrongly think delivering ICT/GPP’s is computing rather than the promotion of Computing Science and Software Engineering which UK pupil’s lack in comparison to a lot of other countries globally.

]]> Comment on CS:Matters – Let’s make some noise! by turingtest http://www.compednet.com/2011/11/csmatters-lets-make-some-noise/#comment-27 turingtest Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:44:07 +0000 http://www.compednet.com/?p=364#comment-27 I got a reply to my email "Thank you for your e-mail of 2 December to Scottish Ministers about computer education in Scotland. A number of e-mails have been received on this subject and we are currently reviewing the position. Mr Russell, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning has asked for further information, following which he will consider the matter and we will reply fully to the points you have raised. I got a reply to my email

“Thank you for your e-mail of 2 December to Scottish Ministers about computer education in Scotland. A number of e-mails have been received on this subject and we are currently reviewing the position. Mr Russell, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning has asked for further information, following which he will consider the matter and we will reply fully to the points you have raised.

]]> Comment on Something is happening #csmatters by Peter W Donaldson http://www.compednet.com/2011/12/something-is-happening-csmatters/#comment-26 Peter W Donaldson Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:43:13 +0000 http://www.compednet.com/?p=408#comment-26 I would be extremely careful that we don't read too much into this statement as it can be interpreted in either a positive or a negative way. Modern foreign language departments have been shrinking over the years in a number of schools and local authorities and the same could also be said of Computing departments. It will be interesting to see the way in which our subject specialism is re-prioritised. I would be extremely careful that we don’t read too much into this statement as it can be interpreted in either a positive or a negative way. Modern foreign language departments have been shrinking over the years in a number of schools and local authorities and the same could also be said of Computing departments. It will be interesting to see the way in which our subject specialism is re-prioritised.

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