In Primary 3-7, learners at Saint Matthew’s Primary School discovered what an algorithm is. For this lesson I used resources from Barefoot Computing. After watching a short video and discussing algorithms we see everyday, learners followed my class algorithm to create a monster using a Whiteboard app. After the algorithm was complete, the learners shared their creations and discussed as a class why every monster was not the same. We discovered that when creating an algorithm, each step has to be clear and specific otherwise it wouldn’t work in they way we want it to.
I then introduced learners to a great resource, Hour of Code. This is a website that can be accessed at home or in school. Learners are not required to create accounts, unless it is necessary to keep an online record of work. Each tutorial available is designed for all ages in over 45 languages and contains teacher notes and resources.
Today, learners were instructed to use a self led tutorial, Minecraft Hour of Code to create algorithms which would allow them to design a game. This was very popular as many of the children play Minecraft at home and were interested in how games are created through block coding. Children who have English as their second language were also able to opt for their first language to work through each challenge independently. Each stage of the challenge had pre recorded videos of the creators of Minecraft explaining how games are made and how to complete the following challenge.
When I left the class, they were thoroughly engaged, remembered and understood what an algorithm is and were eager to test out new tutorials. A recent update is an Hour of Code for Moana, a recently released Disney film.
Next week between 5-11 of December, there is a global Hour of Code which learners can take part in. You can take part by visiting this link: Global Hour of Code .
No experience is needed and is recommended for ages 4 to 104.
As part of our Technology Experiences and Outcomes, all learners should have experience of “developing problem-solving strategies, navigation and co-ordination skills, as they play electronic games, remote control or programmable toys” TCH 0-09a/ TCH 1-09a.
Today at Saint Matthew’s Primary School, I delivered a lesson on giving instructions and positional language. Learners from Primary 1 to 3 discussed different places they can find instructions and what they are used for. They also played Simon Says to consolidate their understanding of the commands forward, backwards, right and left. From there, the children were asked to open the Beebot app and work through the game, programming the Beebot to move onto the flower.
The children had to use problem solving skills and collaborated with others to find the correct sequence of instructions to complete each level. At times this was tricky as they had to think about the direction the Beebot was facing and not the position they were in.
As groups worked on this independently and with teacher support. Small groups had a chance to give instructions to a physical robot, Dash. This was a great way to demonstrate to younger children the realistic outcomes of programming.
Meet Dash and Dot, robots that make learning to code fun. There are 5 free apps available from the apple store which provide learners the experience of simple to more technical programming. We now have a Dash and Dot available in our Loanbank. For extra information please contact the team.
Last week, pupils at Saint Mary’s Primary School experienced controlling the spheros from an iPad. They used a variety of apps to programme the robotic device and used some of the kit to create obstacles. If you are interested in using these in your own class, please contact the Learning Technology Team for more information.
ources from Barefoot Computing. After watching a short video and discussing algorithms we see everyday, learners followed my class algorithm to create a monster using a Whiteboard app. After the algorithm was complete, the learners shared their creations and discussed as a class why every monster was not the same. We discovered that when creating an algorithm, each step has to be clear and specific otherwise it wouldn’t work in they way we want it to.
algorithms which would allow them to design a game. This was very popular as many of the children play Minecraft at home and were interested in how games are created through block coding. Children who have English as their second language were also able to opt for their first language to work through each challenge independently. Each stage of the challenge had pre recorded videos of the creators of Minecraft explaining how games are made and how to complete the following challenge.
eeded and is recommended for ages 4 to 104.
