Computing at School

Scratch - more details

I am delighted and impressed to hear that my son's primary school is introducing Scratch into the ICT curriculum for Year 6.

"In our first ever Computer Science based unit of work, the children will be learning the fundamentals of programming using an online programming language – Scratch. They will invent a new platform game with their skills and test each other’s games. This is a fantastic new area for the school and one which will really challenge your children’s problem solving skills. If they would like to continue to explore this area of work at home, you can download the Scratch program from the following website:

http://info.scratch.mit.edu/Scratch_1.4_Download

It is free to use and great fun for all the family!"

Coincidentally I had just introduced Scratch to him myself and he loves it. He started by just playing around with the program and then I gave him the following book, which I thoroughly recommend.

Super Scratch Programming Adventure

With this he has been able to follow instructions for ready made programs. He has then adapted them and introduced concepts into his own games. This is how I got started back in the 1980s on a Commodore Vic20 - typing in pages of code from magazines.

Scratch can also be used to control and interact with external devices via a Lego Wedo USB hub and/or a PicoBoard. And to make the homemade games feel a little more authentic, standard USB games controllers can be used via the fantastic Joy2Key program.

I have several projects in mind for my son to assist with and will report back with our results. In the meantime, I am about to fire off a letter to the school offering my help with this exciting development.

Introducing programming such as this into primary schools requires a teacher or two that are very 'e-confident' and I feel very lucky that my son's school has such teachers. If you would like to see such innovation in your own child's school, then check out Code Club which is busy setting up "A nationwide network of volunteer-led after school coding clubs for children aged 9-11".

Adding sound to wall displays

Each term, my son has to complete a 'project board' on the topic his class has been studying. He is provided with a piece of card (size STRA2) which he is expected to fill with mounted pieces of writing and artwork relevant to the topic. He is also encouraged to 'be CREATIVE'. This usually means some form of interactivity, a game for instance.

For his last project board on 'Rainforests' I bought a sound module like you find in some greetings cards and he created a 'lift the flap for sounds of the rainforest' element.

As this went down well last time (especially with his peers), he asked for another one for his 'World War 2' project board.

They are very simple to setup. Here are instructions for creating your own 'lift the flap for the sound of ...': You will need a recordable sound module such as this, a piece of card cut according to the template and some thin double sided sticky tape. For the card, we used an old folder.

1. Cut out the card and fold where indicated.
2. Choose and record your sound according to the instructions provided.
3. Carefully stick your sound module onto your card.
4. Cut two strips of double sided sticky tape and apply:

5. Fold bottom flap to cover the sound module.
6. Add writing and artwork.

As the modules are re-recordable, it may be possible to re-use them for future displays but I have not tried this.

Anamorphism - a Victorian ICT activity

Anamorphoscopes such as this were popular nineteenth century toys. I first came across them on this TV programme (CR-8) and thought that this idea would make an interesting ICT club activity.

The software they are using is called Anamorph Me; it is simple to use and is free.

Mirror card is available in craft shops and works well for this activity but the best material I have found is sticky back mirror film. This is available on ebay in A4 sheets and also in rolls; more economical if you are working with a large group of children.

If you would like to try this either in an ICT club or at home then I have written the following anamorphoscope activity sheet which is aimed at children. To make the cylindrical mirrors I wrapped the sticky mirror film around empty kitchen and toilet rolls.

There is a commercially available craft kit aimed at children which explores the use of the anamorphoscope:

Morph-o-scopes by Ooz and Oz. The site includes a child friendly history of the technique.


And the following books are all worth a look:

“Victorian Kinetic Toys and How to Make Them” by Philip and Caroline Freeman Sayer includes a section on anamorphoscopes. The book is out of print; try amazon’s marketplace sellers for a copy.

“The Magic Mirror: An Antique Optical Toy” by the McLoughlin Bros has reproductions of Victorian images that can be used directly with your homemade anamorphoscope.

“The Magic Cylinder Book: Hidden Pictures to Colour and Discover” by Ivan Moscovich is aimed specifically at kids and includes a template to create your own images.