p3-7

Ideas to teach control

for primary teachers,
by primary teachers.

p8-13
Physical computing
ideas for secondary
teachers, inquiry
based learning, using
It is just over three years since the Raspberry Pi was launched. Inspired partly
magic and more!
by the success of the BBC Micro in bringing computing to a mass audience the
aim was simple - to put an affordable computer into the hands of enthusiastic
p14-17
youngsters. Five million sales later, its probably no exaggeration to say that the
Developing re-
Pi is driving a revolution. Its not just that the Pi has begun to find a home in
sources, Hubs, the
classrooms as well as bedrooms, nor the multitude of innovative uses to which
Network of Excel-
it is being put. The real legacy lies in the proliferation of very cheap, program-
lence. Building com-
mable devices that are now finding their way to market.
munities of practice.

Using control technology in schools is not newit was part of the IT curriculum
p18-19
from its inception. However, circumstances conspired to push it off the curricu-
Getting to grips with
lum in many schools. Now, all that may be changing. It is widely recognised
GCSE. Making the
that physical computing is hugely motivational. Hands
most of QuickStart
on challenges with a real world feel help bring
CPD materials
Computing to life. Physical computing pro-
vides natural links with other curriculum are-
p20-22
as, in particular Science and Design and
Higher level apprentice-
Technology. Many creative minds are now
ships, industrial place-
engaged in producing a raft of devic-
ment schemes and find-
es, including the BBC and part-
ing visiting speakers.
ners. Engaging contexts, real
outputs and the immediate
p22-23
feedback inherent in flashing
Female pioneers and
lights, beeping buzzers and whir-
the fascinating ori-
BBC ring motors is the sort of stuff that stimu-
MicroBit prototype gins of algorithms.
lates young brains. Exciting times are ahead.

The Computing At School group (CAS) is a membership association in partnership with BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT
and supported by Microsoft, Google and others. It aims to support and promote the teaching of computing in UK schools.

ISSN: 2050 -1277 (online) 2050 -1269 (print)


The details of the plans, announced
by the BBC, to equip all Year 7 pupils
with a Micro Bit were just emerging
as this issue of SwitchedON was be-
ing prepared. Teachers will obviously
be clamouring for more information
and will look to the latter stages of the
summer term as a time to think about
ways the initiative can support their
emerging Computing curriculum. A
flurry of questions were raised on the
CAS forums, and elsewhere.
The BBC responded by launching a
blog at bbc.in/1CxXhx6. The first post,
written by Cerys Griffiths, Executive
Producer for BBC Learning emphasiz-
es two points. Firstly the devices, de-
signed to enthuse, excite and empow-
er, will be owned by children. Second,
that the distribution will be through
schools with a view to them being
used in lessons as well. The logistics
are huge, but Cerys writes We also
realise how important it is for teachers
to get a chance to see and use the
Micro Bit in advance. We are working
through the detail but we aim to en-
sure that IT teachers get their hands
on the device before the summer holi-
days. We also want to give them the
opportunity to explore ways of using
the Micro Bits in lessons so there will
be some curriculum resources made
available at the same time.
An initiative on this scale sends a very
important message to schools about
the importance of Computing. Putting
the kit in the hands of the children will
help engage parents too. Keep an eye
on the blog for more news as it emerg-
es, and ensure your school leadership
is aware of the plans afoot.
SWITCHEDON: www.computingatschool.org.uk
Joe Finney, Senior Lecturer at Lancaster
University provides a heads up on plans
to give a million Micro Bits to Year 7 pu-
pils next academic year.
In a move that will no doubt bring a nostalgic smile to anyone of my genera-
tion, the BBC recently announced the launch of the Micro Bit (a working
name that may change): a small, lightweight computer designed solely for
one purpose to encourage children to become digital creators rather than
digital consumers. Although initially conceived by the BBC, the Micro Bit has
developed into a collaborative project bringing together industry, including
the likes of ARM, Barclays, Microsoft, Samsung and ScienceScope, as well
as universities and charitable organizations with a single shared aim: to cre-
ate one million of these devices by this autumn, and deliver one, free of
charge, to every year 7 child in the country.
Its difficult to avoid drawing parallels to the BBC Model B of the 1980s a
device for which I personally have very fond memories. Admittedly, this may
in part be due to me holding the top score in my class at Chuckie Egg, but
also because it provided my first taste of coding. Drawing those geometric
patterns on the screen. Writing guess-the-number puzzles for my sister to
play. Creating my own simple computer games. I was hooked. Before I knew
it, computing was my hobby, my passion, my specialist subject and my ca-
reer. Now I look at my own kids and wonder where do they start?
The Micro Bit is still under development, so confirmed details remain scarce,
but it is being designed to be a standalone programmable device that is
small enough to wear. It also aims to provide a programming environment to
suit a range of abilities. It reduces the amount of technical setup and installa-
tion required from teachers or parents at home to the absolute minimum. It
will contain an integrated LED matrix display, and be extensible enough to
allow interfacing with other devices such as Arduino and Raspberry Pi.
There will no doubt be teachers reading this short article who have perfectly
understandable concerns that this initiative might bring new challenges into
their classroom. I know that producing a wide range of resources for teach-
ers well ahead of the autumn is a priority for the BBC and their partners, so I
would say this: fear the Micro Bit as much as you would fear Fuzzy Felt. It
provides the material through which children can explore digital creativity.
The very best computer scientists seamlessly blend creativity with computa-
tional thinking. In 1967 Seymour Papert famously created the Logo language
with its ubiquitous robot turtle that inspired children to write programs that
create geometric lines and shapes. Yet forty five years later, so many teach-
ing examples I still see create robots to follow lines, not create them. My fear
is that we create a generation of line followers, not line creators.
I, for one, am very proud to be part of the core team designing and develop-
ing this device, and working alongside companies such as ARM, Microsoft
Research and Samsung to develop something that blends technology and
creativity, and bring that into the hands of the next generation. As Arthur C.
Clarke famously stated Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistin-
guishable from magic. So, borrowing the immortal lines from Disneys Fro-
zen Do you wanna build a snowman?
2
 It is computing co-ordinators that other pri-
mary teachers turn to in their hour of need.
Andrew Shields, from Leicestershire, flags
up resources to give them a quick start.
A lot of the computing coordinators I
talk to are not feeling confident
enough to be the mentor for others
that they feel they should be. I was so
glad then that the CAS
Barefoot Computing materi-
als (barefootcas.org.uk)
were created. I have shown
the website in a number of
schools and used some of
the videos and off-line activi-
ties with staff. The explana-
tions of terminology, lesson
ideas, extensions and differentiation
were always well received. Staff were
pleased because they had things they
could use in class with very little prep-
aration. They could find out what
terms like algorithm and decomposi-
tion mean and quickly feel more confi-
dent. This leads to productive discus-
sions and staff begin to see that a lot
of what they need does not have to
involve 'kit' as such. Limited kit can be
used more purposefully with time for
discussion, planning and preparation
before children try things out for 'real'.
I was just getting used to the materials
when along came Quickstart Compu-
ting (primary.quickstartcomputing.org).
Quickstart Computing is a CPD pack-
age aimed at helping staff develop
their own knowledge and skills in rela-
tion to the computing curriculum. It
draws upon materials produced previ-
ously such as 'Barefoot Computing'
and Phil Bagge's 'http://www.code-
it.co.uk/' website,
and ties it all
together with
new material.
The CPD
package is set
out in such a
way that if
you were the
computer
3 SWITCHEDON: www.computingatschool.org.uk
coordinator you could up-skill yourself
before using the materials to train your
other staff through short sessions tak-
ing place during staff meetings. It in-
cludes videos, skills audits,
a useful glossary, Power-
Points and suggested CPD
outlines. The materials are
designed to be chopped
and changed to suit your
particular needs. Hard copy
versions are distributed via
CAS Hubs but all materials
can be downloaded from the website.
More details in the review on page 19.
I originally left a copy of the complete
handbook in the staffroom to read
before delivering a session for staff.
I'm not sure how many people actually
picked it up, so I printed a copy for all
staff as a reference as we worked
through our training. In our first ses-
sion we only managed to get through
what an algorithm is; there was lots of
discussion over what things meant
and how these linked to other sub-
jects. Everyone left feeling more posi-
tive finding the handbook a useful
document. Someone even asked me
when the next session would be!
Do take the time to have staff com-
plete the skills audit prior to delivering
training. Completing the audit gives
you an idea of where to focus your
sessions and then revisiting the audit
after the sessions, later in the year,
staff can see how far they have come.
Another resource that I have found to
be of use is the BBC's Primary Com-
puting website. There are lots of vide-
os and guides there to help both staff
and children. Knowing how to get to
grips with the new computing curricu-
lum can be quite difficult so I hope you
find the materials as useful as I have.
How time flies when
youre: teaching, mark-
ing, planning, chasing
wi-fi installation, oh
and having an Ofsted
inspection! We now
have the technology
well some of it and
more is on the way...
Like many schools, change has
not been as quick as we hoped,
yet this helps focus our determina-
tion and enable us to make the
most of other opportunities. Our
programming understanding is
developing and will continue to
use the amazing un-plugged re-
sources available. The children
enjoy their practical nature and it
helps understanding of sequence
and consequently algorithms.
Our learning platform Frog has
now been created and some of
the pupils and staff are piloting it
to become our Champions as we
roll it out to the rest of the school
community. This cloud-based
technology will enable us reduce
our paper footprint and have more
integrated home / school learning.
It will also help us to meet some of
the IT elements of the new curric-
ulum requirements storage, ma-
nipulation and utilising digital con-
tent. In conjunction we have invest-
ed in the some online resources,
which will help less confident staff
with ideas and resources.
Throughout all of this I cannot
thank the great team at CAS who
have gently supported, reminded
and cajoled me to organise CPD
sessions. An email from Mark
and phone calls with Dave White
my regional coordinator have real-
ly helped me to stay focused on
the new computing curriculum and
ensure we dont lose sight of what
we still need to do.
 The availability of low cost micro-
controllers can help cement the links be-
tween Computing and Design and Tech-
nology. The iterative process of designing
and making lies at the heart of D & T.
Computational Thinking skills are often
best realised through designing, imple-
menting and debugging a solution to a
known problem. The new subject require-
ments for D & T make reference to pro-
gramming, monitoring and controlling prod-
ucts at KS2. The guidance becomes even
more explicit, making specific reference to
the use of micro-controllers at KS3. Creat-
ing programs in order to control products
that pupils have designed and made them-
selves is a highly motivating, tangible ex-
perience, enabling them to test out and
develop their capability in computer sci-
ence within a range of real-life contexts.
Last term, col-
leagues from
CAS and the De-
sign and Technol-
ogy Association
(DATA) met to
discuss joint guid-
ance for teach-
ers, drawing links
between the two
subjects, with a
view to promoting cross curricular projects.
The day was hosted by The Royal Acade-
my of Engineering.
Alongside the discussions attendees ex-
plored the capabilities of an easy to use
programmable controller; the Crumble
(bit.ly/1IBOSOE). It can drive two high cur-
rent motors and has 4 low current I/O con-
nectors to which a range of sensors,
switches or LEDs can be attached. Digital-
ly controlled, full colour LEDs, called Spar-
kles provided simple output with immediate
feedback. The controller is programmed
via USB, using a simple visual language
providing a low floor of entry, with minimal
setup time, allowing children to tinker and
experiment. With other similar devices now
coming to market and a BBC Micro Bit
heading to all Year 7 pupils, theres now a
real opportunity to start developing joint
projects. Roger Davies
SWITCHEDON: www.computingatschool.org.uk
A makey-makey board may seem like a toy
but Ben Davies, a CAS Master Teacher at St
Pauls Primary School, Manchester highlights
its wider educational potential.
After letting my class play with a Makey-Makey board I soon realised it
had more educational value than it was letting on, providing a great tool
for engagement and motivation. My first use came while trying to extend
some high achievers when using Scratch. The children were making
games with an Olympic theme (think Daley Thompsons Decathlon) and
creating a controller with the Makey-Makey was a suitable extension.
The problem was it was an extension that everyone wanted to access!
By the end of the unit I had bought four more and all of the class had
programmed a Scratch game controlled by the board.
For the uninitiated, a Makey-Makey board connects to a computer via a
USB lead. Once connected certain computer inputs can be mimicked by
connecting the device to electrical conductors and completing the circuit
with an earth connection. The unit that I now teach developed as a result
of our tinkering.
We watch the Makey-Makey promotional video before giving several
boards out with the instruction to connect them. Once pupils are able to
type something into a text editor, we move on to playing games on Friv.
The challenge is for children to find games that could be controlled by
the board and design a controller to play the game. The next activity
combines elements of science and computing as children test a range of
materials to see if they act as electrical conductors. The children create
Scratch programs that identify when an object completes an electrical
circuit. By the end of these two sessions children have a sound under-
standing of how
the boards work
and how they
could be used as
input. The next
step is designing
input based pro-
grams in Scratch
with the Makey-
Makey board in
mind.
Their programs
range from maze games, to two-player racing and keepie-uppie games.
My favourite so far is an on-screen piano that was controlled by a play-
doh keyboard (an idea taken from the video). Three children worked
collaboratively to program a piano simulation. The lure of being able to
play this piano gave them renewed resilience and ensured that they
stuck at it until completion. Having used these boards for a few years, I
am still surprised by the ideas that children come up with and the perse-
verance they show. Long may this continue. If you're looking to extend
children in their use of Scratch introducing a Makey-Makey board could
be just the challenge your class needs.
4
 Matthew Parry, a CAS Master Teacher at Stanwick
School and Sports College, Derbyshire outlines how
easy it is to get started developing games in Scratch
that use pupils body movement as the control.
In Scratch 2.0 there are
new blocks to sense the
video input from a
webcam and this can be
used as a simple control-
ler for a game for ex-
ample trying to balance a
ball on your head. How-
ever, these blocks will
sense any movement
within the webcams view
and as such can be quite
limiting in what can be
controlled. Whilst using it, with my
students I recalled seeing a demon-
stration, at the 2013 CAS conference,
of the Kinect sensor for the Xbox 360.
This sensor was used to recognise
multiple body joints and even two sep-
arate players which would mean that
we could create more flexible pro-
grams.
The Software Development Kit (SDK)
for the Kinect sensor has code exam-
ples in C#, C++ and Visual Basic but I
work in a special school and my stu-
dents struggle with text based lan-
guages. I then remembered some
software called Kinect2Scratch devel-
oped by Stephen Howell. It is availa-
ble at scratch.saorog.com (as are
links to the relevant software from
Microsoft to access the data from the
Kinect sensor). The Kinect2Scratch
website also has example scripts such
as a Space Invaders game where you
control your missile launcher by step-
ping left or right and fire missiles by
clapping your hands above your head.
There is also a version of Pong for
one and two players (paddles con-
trolled by using your hands) and a
Hungry Ant Maths Game in which you
guide an ant using your right hand to
eat as many numbers as possible in
one minute. After playing these
games, studying the scripts and inves-
5 SWITCHEDON: www.computingatschool.org.uk
The introduction of Computing to
the National Curriculum may have
come as a surprise to many
teachers, particularly those who
havent followed the debates in
CAS in the years before. The new
orders spell out, in a limited way,
what should be covered by the
new subject, but say little about
why. To teach a subject well,
knowing why were teaching it is
important. CAS has long made the
case for the broad educational
importance of Computing and the
need for all children to have some
exposure to the ideas of Comput-
er Science.
tigating the new sensing blocks that
Kinect2Scratch inserted, I challenged
Last year the
my KS4 students to design education-
Chair of CAS,
al games for our Primary class. This
Simon Pey-
gave them a focus and directed them
ton-Jones
away from first person shooter games.
was asked to
Here are some examples of their de-
speak at a
signs:
local TED
Number Bubbles - pop all of the
conference in
bubbles in the 2 times table as quickly
Exeter. In it
as possible. CAS Chair, Simon Peyton-Jones
he makes a
Ball Catch - different balls fall from
compelling case for the primacy of
the sky and you have to catch only the
the discipline and the emergence
red ones.
of a fourth science. If you have
A racing game drive a car to col-
15 minutes spare let Simon con-
lect even numbers, if you run over odd
vince you about why the change is
numbers they slow you down.
so important. See bit.ly/1DSoYpY
A penalty football game where you
for some very convincing reasons
take the kick and then use your hands
why all pupils should engage with
to curl the ball into the net.
creative Computer Science.
Keepy-Uppy football game try to
keep the ball in the air for as long as
possible by using head and shoulders.
The whole process was also extreme-
The UK Schools Computer Anima-
ly useful for the students to see how a
tion Competition is now in its 8th year
game might get developed. They
involving large numbers of pupils
found out that they had to revisit and
across the full age range. Anima-
change their scripts as they went
ton15 closed in March with 420
along in response to user feedback. It
schools registered and over 800 en-
was more difficult than they initially
tries from 127 schools. Prizes will be
thought but overall my students en-
awarded in May, and Animation16
joyed creating the games as did the
launches in September 2015. More
younger students when they came to
information at bit.ly/1ABX2Uq.
play them.
 In spite of the inclusion of control technolo-
gy on the curriculum since the early 1980s,
an Ofsted evaluation of ICT teaching in
English primary schools from 200811
repeatedly expressed concerns with re-
gard to the teaching of control. Ofsted
reports suggest that it had at best been
patchy and in many schools non existent.
Why, if the subject is so engaging, have
many UK schools been deficient in this
regard? The following reasons have been
identified:
A perception that the subject is conceptu-
ally hard.
Logistical difficulties involved in setting up
and maintaining the hardware to teach
computer control.
The cost of specialist resources: hard-
ware and software and the requirement to
upgrade this at frequent intervals.
The cyclical requirement to upgrade
brings a need to offer additional training to
keep teachers up to date.
More recently, particularly in primary
schools, tablets with no means of connect-
ing control interfaces are replacing desktop
computers. Schools that did make the sub-
stantial financial investment to resource
control in years gone by may have been
forced to upgrade their hardware and soft-
ware on more than one occasion as early
versions cease to be supported by new
operating systems or hardware. This is the
tyranny of the upgrade cycle imposed on
schools by for-profit companies wishing to
sell the next version of their software or
hardware. Raspberry Pi computers using a
gPiO offer a way out of this vicious circle.
SWITCHEDON: www.computingatschool.org.uk
Using the Raspberry Pi as a control work-
station in primary school makes a lot of
sense. Graham Hastings, St Johns College
School in Cambridge puts a compelling case.
When teaching young children to program, context is king. The context
must be both rooted in their personal experience and completely under-
standable. Physical computing is an excellent way of providing an en-
gaging context that is meaningful to primary school children. In addition,
it gives children immediate feedback. This motivates them to find and
correct bugs, helping build determination and resilience. When I first
heard about the Raspberry Pi it occurred to me that with Linux and soft-
ware such as Scratch and Python the device might represent a cheap
and sustainable platform for control technology.
A bewildering array of breakout boards have been rushed to market to
meet the opportunity presented by the new Computing curriculum. Eager
to explore the potential of the Pi, running Scratch as a control language,
I began trials using many of these add-ons. It quickly became obvious
that small pins, jumper leads and breadboards do not work in a primary
classroom. Young children simply lack the manual dexterity to manipu-
late the components. Because my school was beginning to replace tradi-
tional PCs with tablets, making my existing control interfaces redundant,
I persevered with the Pi but with much frustration until I obtained a gPiO
interface (see picture).
The gPiO was designed for use in Key Stages 2 and 3. Extensive trials
have convinced me that there is a role for the Pi as a control work-
station. I now have a class set left permanently connected to their gPiO
interface. In KS2, the children have made rapid progress, completing a
wide range of control projects programmed in Scratch and Python. The
advantages of this Pi / gPiO combination go a long way towards ad-
dressing the barriers previously noted. The Pi / gPiO is affordable; a
complete control workstation including screen, mouse and keyboard can
be purchased for under 200. Many children, and more importantly
teachers, are already familiar with Scratch. The ease with which pro-
grammers can move from Scratch to Python offers a clear progression
pathway and extension activities for the more able children.
This is a sustainable solution schools
will not be required to endlessly up-
grade their hardware and software.
Moreover, schools that already have a
range of legacy components connected
to 4mm plugs can use these with the
gPiO. Cheap generic components can
also be used with it. And the real beauty
of the Pi / gPiO combination is that chil-
dren are able to create complete control
systems that consider human factors
and the needs of the user. Please take
a look at the project on the page oppo-
site as an example.
6
A frequently asked question is what can a Pi do that cannot be done on a desk-
top computer? The niche for the Pi, as I see it, stems from the fact that Scratch
and Python can be used as languages to program physical systems. This brings
the scope to not only program simple feedback control routines but also the
ability to create complete solutions to control problems. This has been difficult to
do with languages written specifically for control technology. Add to this the like- For those who are accustomed to
lihood that desktop computers will all but disappear from primary schools in the Windows PCs the Pi represents a
next five years and that the Pi / gPiO / Scratch combination is a much cheaper steep learning curve. However
alternative then it becomes a very attractive proposition. there is plenty of good advice on
how to setup an SD card and in-
stall Scratch GPIO (see links be-
low). If you then make a copy of
the complete image you can clone
it to your remaining cards via a PC
using a free utility. Alternatively,
purchase cards with the NOOBS
Computing attainment targets
software already installed from the
Design, write and debug programs
Raspberry Pi Foundation.
that accomplish specific goals, in-
cluding controlling or simulating
Class management needs some
physical systems; solve problems by
planning. I have children working
decomposing them into smaller parts
in pairs, each with a numbered SD
use sequence, selection, and repeti-
card. Once they learn how to con-
tion in programs; work with variables
nect the cables it takes about five
and various forms of input and output.
minutes to wire up and start their
Pi. Their first task is to create a
Project aims perhaps slow and simple for young
directory to save their project files.
The project links science (simple children and faster with frequent
There is no need to network the
circuits, forces and friction), design changes of direction for older people.
workstations. It takes about three
and technology (design and make a
minutes to pack away at the end
moving model with a pulley) and Resources
of a session. The setup time could
computing. Using models children A fairground model that rotates,
be avoided if you can leave them
have built for themselves as a con- Raspberry-Pi, SD card with Scratch
permanently set up. Keyboards
text for computer control immediately GPIO and suitable music files in-
with a built in USB port for the
engages them in the activity. Their stalled, gPiO interface, push button,
mouse leave one port on the Pi
desire to see their models brought to range of coloured LEDs, geared mo-
free for a memory stick so children
life motivates children to complete tor (200:1), 6v buzzer.
can save their programs and hand
the control task with determination
in for marking.
and resilience. The design brief asks Solution
the children to consider safety as an Using a pulley wheel glued to the
Despite teething troubles children
important aspect of the task. They motors stub axle and a rubber band,
can now manage the setup with
should also aim to explore ways of the motor is linked to the model. The
confidence, learning the skills of
making their ride more enticing to the motor is wired to motor output B on
fault finding and correcting prob-
public through considering the use of the gPiO (pin11 ON will rotate the
lems as they arise.
lighting and music. motor forwards and pin12 ON will
rotate the motor in reverse). It is up
Task to the children to decide the number
To build a rotating fairground ride of changes in direction and how long
with motor and lights. Program it with the ride should last. A push button is Raspberry Pi SD card NOOBS setup
a safe start button so that it will only attached to the model and wired to instructions: bit.ly/1BAvQnc
rotate when the button is pressed. If input 7 as the start and safety button Scratch GPIO installation:
the button is released the ride must which should act as a dead mans bit.ly/1CURy9T
immediately stop and an alarm sound handle; if the button is released the gPiO interface: www.gpio.co.uk
The ride must have flashing lights to ride stops and a buzzer sounds. How to clone SD cards:
attract peoples attention. Add music Three coloured LEDs are attached to bit.ly/1GxvK5q
to your control program so that your the model and wired to outputs 15, Camera Trap Project - short video of
ride plays a tune as it turns. Exten- 16 and 18. Children can decide the a Pi / gPiO / Python project for Year
sion could program a range of rides - sequence and the music they want. 6/7: bit.ly/1HZD8ER

7 SWITCHEDON: www.computingatschool.org.uk
 Last June I was lucky enough to be
part of the second cohort of Picademy
graduates or Pi Certified Educators
(PCEs). For two very intense days we
learned about ways to use the Raspberry
Pi in our teaching and it was pretty cool
stuff too! (See article right). On returning to
work we looked for inspired ways to har-
ness the Pi. With Sports Day looming it
seemed an ideal opportunity to try out the
Picamera. First we had to address the is-
sue of getting them out onto the field and
where to set them up. We decided to put
one Pi on the finishing line for the relay
races and one Pi on the top bend into the
home straight.
We borrowed some high-jump
posts from the PE department
and my colleague provided a cou-
ple of portable battery chargers to
power the computers. As we dont
(yet) have a cute 2.8 inch TFT
screen for the Pi I persuaded a
couple of Year 9 pupils to carry
out a monitor so that we could set
them up! They were very patient
as we strapped each Pi and power source
to the high-jump posts and tested them.
One of my very talented Year 10 pupils
had created a script for the camera that
would begin running as soon as the Pi was
turned on. This saved us having to mess
around too much with typing in commands
and meant that we could just start up each
Pi and check via the screen that images
were being captured then leave it running.
Lots of pupils and visiting parents were
curious about the strange gadgets it cer-
tainly made an interesting talking point and
gave an opportunity to highlight our use of
the Pi and Computing in school.
It was fun checking our photos at the end.
We discovered the majority of races had
finished in the 29 seconds between shots!
We did manage to capture a couple of rac-
es though so all was not lost. We now
need to add a TFT screen plus a motion
sensor to our shopping list! You can see
the edited highlights of the captured imag-
es in Sports Day in 30 Seconds here:
youtu.be/qm14Daiaveo. Sue Gray
SWITCHEDON: www.computingatschool.org.uk
The word is out about the Picademy
training courses. Kim Sayers, from
Landau Forte College, Derby gives an
insight into whats involved.
Good CPD is often hard to come by and expensive unless that CPD is
run by the Raspberry Pi Foundation! Last June I was part of Picademy 2
held at "Raspberry Pi Towers" in Cambridge and run by the award win-
ning secondary Computing & ICT Teacher, author and Education Pio-
neer at the Raspberry Pi Foundation, Carrie Anne Philbin. Picademy is a
two day training course that doesn't sleep and best of all Raspberry Pi
are offering this training to teachers across the country for free.
Day 1 sees everyone excitedly meeting up before completing a series of
workshops designed to inspire whilst quickly demonstrating how con-
cepts could be taught within the classroom. We had some people form-
ing electric circuits for one demonstration whilst others made music by
"being" notes and
sounds in another. When
I was on the course we
did some Python coding
in Minecraft, used a Pi
camera for stop frame
animation, made music
with the amazing Sonic
Pi and so much more all
using kit included in the
best swag bag ever.
Official training finished around 5pm when the whole group, including
Raspberry Pi staff and trainers, continued with the discussions over din-
ner (again provided for free!). Napkins became notepads whilst ideas
were scribbled down and the creative juices flowed freely. Later that
night I struggled to sleep as my head was so full of exciting things to try
out and ask the next day.
This is where Picademy stands out from other CPD courses - Day 2 is
all about taking the knowledge from Day 1 and the spark from the even-
ing and mixing it up. Those ideas started to take shape and become re-
ality as we started to put into practice the skills from the first day. I
worked with three others including Dan Arnold to create a "glove" that
controlled a character in the GPIO Scratch application. Dan has since
taken this idea further and was recently in Linux User magazine showing
off the completed glove.
One of the great things about Picademy is that it does not stop after the
two days. Everyone shares contact details meaning a constant stream of
ideas through social media continues after the event. This contact also
means that a readily available support network seamlessly forms keen to
help spread the Raspberry Pi love. The two days round off with the offi-
cial cohort picture and the official presentation of our Raspberry Pi Certi-
fied Educator badges given to us by Eben Upton himself. This badge is
worn with pride by all who have it and I often find others trying to steal it!
8
 Clifford French, a CAS Master Teacher at
Camden CLC sings the praises of a self con-
tained programmable board, designed at
UCL to introduce physical computing.
What do traffic lights, a mobile phone
and a bank cash machine have in
common? An obvious answer is that
we depend on these in our everyday
lives. A more technical answer might
be that they all run programs that use
iteration looping through the same
steps every minute of every hour of
every day. Iteration is one of those
essential concepts in computer sci-
ence that many students find difficult
to understand. Thats where physical
computing can come into its own,
helping students to see the concept in
action and moving it off the screen or
the printed page.
In my work in schools and at Camden
City Learning Centre I have found that
the Engduino, a small self-contained
programmable board with LEDs and a
range of sensors, never fails to en-
gage students across a wide age
range and in doing so, helps nurture
an understanding of a wide range of
CS concepts.
Originally developed as a simple com-
puter science teaching tool at UCL
(University College London), the Eng-
duino is now in its third incarnation
with 16 LEDs, a thermistor, a light
sensor, an accelerometer, a magne-
tometer, an IR transceiver, a button
and micro SD card storage, all in a
9 SWITCHEDON: www.computingatschool.org.uk
Since the report in the last issue
of SwitchedOn, Oxford Universi-
tys Turtle System has acquired
compact Arduino based board that another language, a barebones
connects to a computer (Windows, version of BBC BASIC, so that
Mac or Linux) via USB and requires programs in Turtle BASIC, Turtle
no additional peripherals. Java and Turtle Pascal can now
all be seen and run online at
I believe that it is really important to http://www.turtle.ox.ac.uk/turtlejs/.
relate learning in CS to our everyday
lives and my personal preference is to
start with the Engduino as an example
of a wearable. Students can program
it to flash its lights to reflect or alter
their moods or feelings and, if they
wish, wear it. Helpfully, it comes with a
small battery to make it portable and a
hole for a lanyard.
Students readily relate to situations
where temperature is important, for
The project has produced a portable
example, looking after a young child
compiler that can run on Mac and
or someone who is ill: these provide
Linux machines (and Windows), to
scope for exploring the thermistor and
generate code from BASIC, Ja-
while loops. GCSE Science students
va or Pascal that can be run on
can use the device to plot cooling
the same online system. Work is
curves, importing data into a spread-
now underway on a Python com-
sheet either directly from the console
piler, which in due course will be
or via an SD card.
integrated with all these new facili-
ties within a comprehensive down-
The Engduino is for sale at 46.50
loadable and online system.
with a range of free learning resources
covering variables, arrays, for and
With the addition of these new
while loops. Appreciating that schools
languages, as well as further facil-
may find a class set of 16 (one be-
ities (including those for reading
tween two, plus a device for the teach-
and writing files), we are actively
er) to be a considerable investment
seeking more volunteers to con-
particularly for an unfamiliar resource,
tribute lesson plans and related
UCL has a limited num-
resources. Getting started les-
ber of Engduino class
sons in BASIC would be particu-
sets available for leas-
larly welcome, as would more ad-
ing for a notional fee on
vanced lessons in any of the
a full or half-term basis
languages that take pupils be-
as part of a UK-wide
yond the introductory stages (e.g.
pilot scheme. Technical
through further work on algo-
support and learning
rithms, graphics or cryptography).
materials are provided.
We can offer up to 100 per les-
If you are interested,
son for suitable material. If you
feel free to get in touch,
are interested, please email pe-
sooner rather than later
ter.millican@hertford.ox.ac.uk.
as supplies are limited.
 Competitions abound just now inspiring
children to create with code, and giving
opportunities for stretching, challenging
and supporting. Some are local events,
while others are national or global; many
give a chance to interact with others with
different skills, helping broaden the oppor-
tunities available to children, and taking
the pressure off teachers who simply can-
not become Jedi Masters in every lan-
guage and paradigm.
Young Rewired State runs hack events for
under 18s culminating in a Festival of
Code at the end of July each year. Teams
meet in local centres for four days of ideas,
design, coding and testing solutions, using
open source data. At the weekend teams
meet at a central location for the finals
three days of code, pizza and presenta-
tion. Its a hugely exciting event for stu-
dents and is largely free so accessible to
all. Regular Hyperlocal events run in some
centres keeping the festival spirit going all
year round.
First Lego League is a global competition
with more than 250,000 children from 9 to
16 taking part. Using Lego Mindstorms
robots, the competition is based on chal-
lenges that encourage the children to solve
problems from a scientific/engineering per-
spective. Registration opens in May 2015
with tournaments running from November
to January with UK finals in February.
Google CodeJam targets older students:
ages 13 and up may compete, but they
must be 18 to enter the final round. A
qualification round is followed by further
online rounds, based on solving given
problem sets within a specified time.
BAFTAs YGD offers Game Making and
Game Concept competitions in 10-14 and
15-18 categories giving children who like
to draw and coders a chance to get in-
volved. This is great for those who love
games and gives them an insight into the
industry. And there are many more, online
and in local centres, for different ages and
different skills. Have a look at the links on
the CAS Community (resource/43) for
more great ideas. Lyndsay Hope
SWITCHEDON: www.computingatschool.org.uk
Managing multiple Raspberry Pi computers in
a classroom can be a headache. Sixth form
student Liam Nicholson, from Kirkbie Kendal
School in Cumbria suggests a novel solution.
As soon as we started using Raspberry Pis, whenever we wanted to
install a new program or an SD card became corrupted we were spend-
ing a considerable amount of time imaging cards. After searching for a
solution, we discovered Raspi-LTSP, an implementation of the LTSP
protocol specifically made for Raspberry Pi. (Now called PiNet, see the
box below for further details). Our
computing lab is the kind that most
people would want in their school.
Its full of bits of old computers that
we reuse to make our own ma-
chines, so we quickly got to work building our own server for the Pis,
installing Raspi-LTSP and making it compatible with school systems.
After creating a working prototype, I was asked to roll the system out
school-wide on a permanent basis. Extra ethernet ports were installed
over the summer to facilitate this, and we were given a Virtualised Serv-
er. This allowed us to gain insight into network administration, whilst
keeping a secured environment. We could make mistakes as the server
could be easily reinstalled. When we arrived back in September, our
Model B+ Raspberry Pis had arrived. We set to work installing the soft-
ware on our new server, including Epoptes (epoptes.org) for classroom
management, allowing us to restart and shutdown the Pis remotely.
Students can now learn how to interact with the Linux shell, program in
Python and interface using the Raspberry Pis GPIO ports, without hav-
ing to wait up to 30 minutes to image an SD card. You just turn on the Pi
and youre live within 12 minutes. Its easier for teachers to manage as
they now have a dedicated interface for adding user accounts and all
users files are stored on the server.
The school now has a club to learn how to code in Python, using the
Raspberry Pis, and the shared files function available using Raspi-LTSP
helps teachers share code samples with students. But the best bit about
the network is that it is completely managed by Sixth Form students, like
myself. We manage the updates, add new features and programs and
deal with any problems should they arise, although nothing serious has
yet. When the Year 13s leave in June, theyll hand over to the Year 12s
who will manage it for the next year. Weve just started adding our own
customizations to the Raspi-LTSP code allowing us to
change things like the desktop background, and to allow
a deeper integration with our schools network. Were also
looking forward to adding some more features, such as a
GUI for teachers, so they dont need to SSH into the
server to add a user or install a program.
PiNet has been developed by CAS member Andrew Mul-
holland (Queens University). He blogs at pi.gbaman.info/.
All essential links to the PiNet project can be found on his
CAS Community post at topics/4251
10
 Dave White, CAS Regional Co-ordinator for Essex
and Hertfordshire, illustrates how pedagogy devel-
oped in Mathematics and Science can be used to
develop Computational Thinking.
In a new subject there is inevitably a
lack of tuned-in pedagogical expertise.
Established approaches from Mathe-
matics and Science can be adapted to
benefit learning in Computer Science.
Well look at how Geometry becomes
action geometry from a computing
perspective when investigating how a
sprite/turtle traces the outline of a sim-
ple regular shape, revealing through
pattern and symmetry of movement
the properties of the structures. We
then use scientific enquiry-based
learning to unlock these properties.
The following investigation of angles
and spin lends itself to introducing
computational thinking in different
ways and at different levels. Id sug-
gest the teacher uses an enquiry-
based approach to encourage and
support computational thinking by
appealing to patterns, symmetry and
action geometry in the first instance,
and to principles of decomposition and
generalising to complete the task.
For a square, we may have known
Try to devise a set of questions to
the values of the angles x and y. In
help your class discover how to calcu-
other polygons however, pupils may
late angles x and y in the square
be less familiar, hence the im-
below (y is the turning angle for the
portance of how we work out the
sprite/turtle). We are less interested in
values of x and y with the square.
the values, rather how to derive them.
With that we then have a possible
It should be possible to use exactly
basis for generalising to approach to
the same questions but to substitute
the pentagon.
the words regular pentagon wherever
you see the word square in your
Using exactly the same questions
questions and 5 sides instead of 4.
you can try to generalise the process
The questions should lead the class to
by substituting the words regular
discover how to calculate the angles
pentagon for the word square.
x and y when applied to the pentagon.
There are several example questions
Taking it further, how would you gen-
they are not the answer - in the box
eralise to work out the process to
below to help you make a start.
find the answer for angles x, y in
other regular polygons? Try
a 6-sided hexagon
a 7-sided heptagon
Why is the process more significant
for the heptagon?

Finally, how would you work out the

turning angle y in a 5-sided star
(pentagram --- a self-intersecting
pentagon shown above). Hint: Watch
how much the turtle spins in tracing
out the pentagram.

What is special about the number 360?
What does symmetry mean for a square?
Why is The lengths of the 4 sides must be equal not
enough to define a shape as a square.
Why is The internal angles at the 4 vertices of the 4
sided figure must be equal not enough to define a shape
as a square.
What conditions do you have to insist on to make sure
a 4-sided figure is a square?
Hint: If you turn round completely, how many degrees
have you turned through? We will call this a SPIN(360).
What are the other angles at the centre of the square?
Hint: In the diagram, start at O follow the arrow to A,
turn through y, go to B and continue until you return to O
and face the original direction. What angle did you turn
through at B?
How many angles did you turn through in total to face
the same way as you started?

11 SWITCHEDON: www.computingatschool.org.uk
 Sitting at a computer is not always the best way to learn
about computing. Paul Curzon, editor of cs4fn, argues an
unplugged approach gives a solid way to teach concepts
that is both fun and supports a deep understanding.
The Queen Mary University of London cs4fn team have developed a
way of using magic tricks to illustrate computational concepts. The key
ideas are that:
Both magic and programs are a combination of an algorithm and a
presentation.
Both must be right for the trick or software to work well.
In essence a magic trick is just an algorithm and magicians need the
same understanding of human psychology if their tricks are to work as
programmers need if their programs are to be easy to use.

When you teach computing you are teaching the skills to be a good ma-
gician too: computational thinking! For over 10 years we have been giv-
ing magic shows in schools and at science festivals around the UK that
have inspired students about computing. We do a magic trick, challenge
the audience to work out how it is done then explain how it works so
they can do it too. In doing so we also explain the linked computer sci-
ence. We have tricks to introduce, for example, algorithms, variables,
Paul Curzon and fellow assignment and loops, search algorithms and the importance and limita-
computer scientist, Pete tions of testing. Magic can illuminate computational thinking topics such
McOwan have now as algorithmic thinking, logical thinking, decomposition, abstraction, gen-
produced three compi- eralisation, human-computer interaction and much more.
lations of magic tricks
for cs4fn. The books We have previously produced two free magic books for schools. We
are collections of have now produced a third book that focuses on computational thinking
easy to do magic in an interdisciplinary context (see sidebar). Copies are being sent to all
tricks (mainly simple UK schools that subscribe to cs4fns free resources (made possible in
card tricks). The conjunction with Hertford College, University of Oxford by funding from
twist is that every the Department for Education, Google, and the EPSRC funded
trick comes with a CHI+MED research project on safer medical device design).
link to some computer
science too. As you With support from the Mayor
learn the tricks, you of London and Google we
will learn something also have been giving un-
about what computer plugged workshops for teach-
scientists get up to ers on computational thinking
too. Each book that includes magic tricks (see
contains more teachinglondoncomputing.org/
about the talented free-workshops/). Their aim is
magicians past and to give teachers a deeper un-
present who created derstanding of computational
both mathematical thinking and other syllabus topics as well as practical, fun ways to teach
self working and the subject. In addition to writing the magic books, we are now writing
slight of hand tech- these tricks up as activity sheets describing both the tricks and computa-
niques. All three are tional thinking or computing concepts behind them with linked resources
available to down- like slides to download. These are all available from cs4fns sister project
load free from that is specifically to support computing teachers, Teaching London
cs4fn.org/magic/ Computing (see teachinglondoncomputing.org/resources/magic-and-
computational-thinking/). Programmers really are wizards!
SWITCHEDON: www.computingatschool.org.uk 12
Here is a very simple cs4fn trick that anyone can do to give you a
taster. We have found it is a great way to introduce what an algo-
rithm is, thats a bit more exciting than boiling the kettle or mak-
ing toast!
Take 15 cards from a shuffled pack.
Have a volunteer put their hands with
fingers and thumbs touching the table
as though playing the piano. Explain
that everyone must chant the magic
words: Two cards make a pair. Take
two cards and as everyone says Two
cards make a pair place them togeth-
er between a pair of fingers. Keep
doing this until you have one card left.
Place it between the final fingers say-
ing there is one left over. Now take
the first pair back, again all chanting
Two cards make a pair. Place them
face down on the table to start two
piles. Do this with each pair: saying
the magic words and adding one card
neatly to each pile. Eventually only
the last single card is left. Take this
saying: We have one extra card. Let
them place it on top of one of the
piles. Square up the piles pointing out:
So that pile now has the extra card.
Explain that you are going to do
Invisible Palming. The extra card is
on one pile. You are going to invisibly
move it to the other. Place your hand
over the pile with the extra card. Rub
the back of your hand to make the
card go invisible. Lift your palm show-
13
Magicians call this a self-working
trick. It always works if you follow
the steps. It appears magical be-
cause you have confused every-
one. They believe when they add
the last card to a pile they are
adding an extra odd card. You are
actually making up the last pair
making an odd pile even. There
are 15 cards. After dealing out the
pairs there are 7 cards in both
piles. The last card makes its pile
up to 8 cards 4 pairs. When you
count out the pairs there will be
only pairs there, so no extra card.
The other pile will be left with 7
cards: 3 pairs with one left over.
You pretend it has magically
moved without doing anything.
Nothing has to move!
What does this have to do with
ing that the card you are pretending to
computing? Well, Computer scien-
move is invisible. Move your hand to
tists call self-working tricks algo-
the other pile. Tap it, to make the
rithms. An algorithm, like a self-
card drop. Announce that the card
working trick, is a series of instruc-
has now moved piles.
tions that if followed exactly and in
the right order lead to a guaran-
To show the magic worked, take the
teed effect. The instructions have
pile where the extra card was placed
to be precise and cover all eventu-
and count off pairs into a new single
alities. For example, this trick has
face down pile Two cards make a
to work however the cards are
pair. Two cards make a pair. This
shuffled and wherever the extra
pile must be neat so no one counts
card is placed.
the cards. You find there are only
pairs the extra card has disap-
When a volunteer follows the
peared! So where has it gone? Take
steps, the magic still happens
the other pile and do the same, putting
even though they have no idea
pairs back into a pile. Amazingly the
how it works. That is exactly what
extra card is there. Exclaim that the
we need for computers. When we
extra card really has moved from one
write programs we are creating
pile to the other!
algorithms for a computer to follow
blindly as a computer understands
Now tell the volunteer that they can do
nothing. All it can do is follow the
the trick. Put your hands out in the
steps in the program.
piano position and talk them through
the steps shown. To their surprise
For more computational thinking
they will manage to move the card,
lessons from this trick see the
even though they dont know how.
relevant pages of the book itself
See the box right for an explanation of
(illustrated) or download the linked
how the trick works. The book goes on
activity sheet from the Teach Lon-
to show the links to computation that
don Computing website.
can be drawn out of the activity.
SWITCHEDON: www.computingatschool.org.uk
 For those new to our Community, a CAS
hub is a local meeting of teachers and sup-
porters who wish to share their ideas for
developing Computing in their schools. It is
a meeting of like-minded professionals
with the general objective of supporting
each other and the specific aim of provid-
ing (at least) one idea each meeting that
can be taken and tried in the classroom.
Meetings are open to all and your local
CAS Hub will welcome your attendance or
involvement, whether you are a practising
teacher, an IT professional who would like
to help, an academic from the nearby Uni-
versity or a parent of school age children.
We have around 150 hubs and you can
find your nearest one using the Hub map
at bit.ly/14mIpbD. This year the number of
Hubs has already increased by 37 (with 21
of these being Primary Hubs).
We are actively looking for more Hubs es-
pecially in areas where we have gaps in
provision. We would also like to see the
number of Primary Hubs increase as there
is definitely a need for the support that
they can provide. If you would like to find
out more about starting a CAS Hub
(primary or secondary), please get in touch
with either Claire Davenport or myself,
Yvonne Walker . We are here to support
you and work with you to ensure the Hub
is a success. Our contact details can be
found at the CAS Hub In A Box blog
( bit.ly/1ze9tmR ) which provides re-
sources and support for new Hub leaders.
It enables us to be responsive to the needs
of the Hub leaders and to ensures that we
can keep information up to date.
Plans to develop the DfE funded Network of
Excellence are now being finalised. National
Co-ordinator Simon Humphreys reviews the
journey so far and flags up a new stage.
The DfE funding that has allowed CAS to build the Network of Excel-
lence to support the introduction of the new curriculum came to an end
in March. We have come a long way in that time. Over 1400 schools
(935 Secondary and 500 Primary) are now registered as part of the net-
work. This in itself is important. You may have joined CAS as an individ-
ual, but please check your school is registered too. This allows us to
communicate directly with Headteachers whose support, particularly
during times of school austerity will be very important. 428 have been
willing to be designated as Lead Schools (292 secondary and 167 Pri-
mary). If you are confident in what you are doing and willing to share and
support colleagues in your locality, please consider applying to be one.
There are no specific requirements beyond a demonstrable willingness
to support others, be it hosting a Hub, offering transition meetings, ad-
vice or otherwise helping local schools. Each year Lead Schools com-
plete a quick audit outlining their activities. This years compilation
makes impressive reading - a real testament to the enthusiasm, gener-
osity and professionalism within the CAS ranks. During the two years we
have also appointed nearly 400 Master Teachers. Their sterling efforts
have meant we have been able to offer many low cost CPD sessions,
allowing teachers to get to grips with the challenges ahead.
Weve learnt a lot along the way from all these activities. There is a huge
well of goodwill on which CAS members can draw. But its probably true
to say our resources have been stretched, given the scale of the chal-
lenges. New funding would mean we can develop the NoE by creating a
number of Regional Centres hosted in key universities in the regions. It's
an exciting proposition and one which would ensure coherence to all of
the various CAS activities. We hope to develop a sustainable pro-
gramme of support for all teachers, expanding the Master Teacher
scheme, providing training, materials and a closer relationship between
Hubs and Regional Centres. Were busy dotting the is and crossing the
ts to make this work. It promises to offer an exciting and innovative way
forward, building on the collegiality that lies at the heart of our local com-
munities. More details of what it might mean for you in the next issue.

Yvonne
Walker
Teachers are busy people and taking on the leadership of a Hub is an extra task. However,
Hub leaders are clear that there are benefits to be had! They provide a network of people to
work with on shared issues, the opportunity to share ideas and resources, plus the opportuni-
ty to pool expertise within the group.

I recently attended the launch of the Ashbourne Primary Hub and saw this in action. The
teachers attending the meeting all taught in mixed age classes and were facing the same
problem of how you address this with respect to developing a scheme of work for computing.
How do you teach computing to 7 to 11 year olds in the same class? The answer? The group is going to trial different
unplugged computational thinking activities with their mixed age groups and then share their findings at the next meet-
ing. Fantastic! Hub meetings at their best!

SWITCHEDON: www.computingatschool.org.uk 14
 Carl Simmons, CAS Regional Co-ordinator and Sen-
ior Lecturer at Edge Hill University reflects on what
a successful community of practice looks like and
offers suggestions for ways to build them.
Working in Initial Teacher Education
gives me the opportunity to engage
(and sometimes build) communities of
practice and its really interesting to
see how they work and how they inter-
act with each other too. These arent
static groups, they form and merge
and change our community of train-
ee teachers becomes absorbed within
our established teacher network
(which is lovely to see). From our es-
tablished teacher partners we have a
strong community of CAS enthusiasts,
Master Teachers and Hub Leaders.
Theres much overlap between groups
too so our CAS community contains
a large subset of Raspberry Pi enthu-
siasts and in turn that community
draws in many members of the public
including groups from schools. Over
the years Ive developed rules of
thumb for nurturing and working with
these communities, most recently in
building computing capacity and
knowledge in schools through the
CAS Master Teachers. Heres what
Ive learned to date.
Personally attending and contributing
to events matters, whether that be
Master Teacher sessions, CAS Hubs
or school meetings. Support your
community and spread the word in a
polite, but fairly relentless manner!
Use these opportunities to make links
based on individual strengths and
interests. Volunteer them for things, in
the nicest possible way and always
with their consent. For example linking
up a school cluster (who were just
getting started with computing) to their
Master Teacher has had a big impact
in how they use their CPD time. Find-
ing space and time to allow members
to talk to each other makes it more
productive and is the essence of a
community. It might just be finding a
common time for a coffee. In the inter-
15
Google announced three funding
grants as part of a package that
launched the path breaking Digital
Garage in Leeds. The Digital Gar-
im use online tools to stay in touch.
age is the first in a series of pop-
Many of our Master Teachers use
up training venues across the UK,
Twitter to support each other.
designed to provide small and
medium enterprises with help,
If theres a need for a community that
digital skills training and advice
doesnt yet exist, look for ways to cre-
about harnessing the internet to
ate one. CAS hubs are a case in point
their business needs.
here they are an essential glue that
holds all of CAS together. My experi-
Alongside this were delighted that
ence is that a willing volunteer emerg-
Google have given a grant to CAS
es (with a little encouragement) who
to enable us to develop a suite of
just needs some support to get things
Master Teacher training materials
moving facilitate this and you have
and a series of webcasts aimed at
something really special. If you are
providing insights into Computing
thinking of being a hub leader then
pedagogy and departmental man-
dont hesitate to contact Yvonne or
agement. Details are being
Claire (see opposite page).
worked out at present and well
announce more detail on the
Be a facilitator, support your commu-
Community very shortly.
nity by unblocking administrative or
systems issues or find someone
As well as further generous sup-
who is good at that within your com-
port for CAS projects, Google also
munity and ask them for help. Find
announced funding for the Rasp-
opportunities to celebrate success too
berry Pi Foundation and Code
by inviting members to events and
Club Pro to further their work in
give them a chance to raise their pro-
training teachers in Computer Sci-
file, for example via school cluster
ence. As well as school based
meetings, university events, articles in
events, workshops for teachers
SwitchedON or a presentation at the
will be able to utilise the Digital
CAS conference. Also be nice to sen-
Garage spaces. Google also aim
ior leadership teams show them
to develop further online training
what their expert community members
resources. The funding builds on
are doing and how this helps them.
the commitment last year to do-
This gives community members the
nate Raspberry Pis for use in
kudos and recognition they deserve
classrooms.
and may help make a case for further
engagement in their community.
Building a community of practice is not
easy. It requires sustained effort but
extends the impact one individual can The BCS Certificate in Computer
have. The sense of reward when you Science Teaching allows you to
see people working together to build demonstrate your efforts to upskill,
something special as a result of your develop materials and reflect on your
influence is enormous. It is the only practice. A one year, roll on, roll off
way that well scale up and consoli- accreditation with mentor support.
date the steps already taken to intro- Interested? More info bit.ly/1FUsKw1
duce Computing in schools.
SWITCHEDON: www.computingatschool.org.uk

As the CAS Community and Net-
work of Excellence continue to
grow, Catriona Lambeth has been
quietly developing ways to use the
Community to support local or-
ganization. When you log-on to
the CAS Community, youll no
doubt be aware of the links to Re-
sources, Discussions and Event
listings. If you are a teacher, have
you ever looked at the Network Of
Excellence link next to them? If
not, take a look now. It should
display the details we have of
your school. If not, please update
your profile and register your
school with the Network of Excel-
lence. If registered, ask your
school contact to add you if you
dont see the details. These may
seem bureaucratic tasks but they
are the bedrock on which effective
messaging can be built in the fu-
ture. Once we have your school
details and you are linked to the
school we can provide information
about others in your locality.
You can use this area to identify
your local hubs, find other regis-
tered / lead schools in the area,
local Master Teachers and their
contact details. These can be very
useful if you are organizing events
and want to ensure you have pub-
licized it widely.
What else you will see will depend
on your role. If you are a Master
Teacher we are developing this
area as the point for receiving
guidance documents, adding the
Events you organize and keeping
your records of activity up to date.
This is a work in progress. We
want to develop the functionality
further so please share ideas
about what would be useful on the
forum.
SWITCHEDON: www.computingatschool.org.uk
In the recent CAS National Survey access to others resources
was rated the single most important aspect of CAS. Paul Brown-
ing and Margaret Low look at ways you can contribute to the
success of CAS Resources.
Its not just about creating resources! Heres a list of things you can do to help
improve resources for the CAS Community (and which are good for you too).
Likes: Add value to a resource with just one click use the Like this but-
ton. Resources are displayed by View by popularity by default and Likes
counts towards popularity. You can easily find resources that were useful to
teachers in a category. The Show only resources I like check box also provides
a useful personal bookmarking function.
Comments: Add a Comment to a Resource to let others know its useful
(or not!). Please bear in mind that you may be commenting on a work in pro-
gress; CAS actively encourages the uploading of unfinished work.
See Also links: Add See Also links to signpost related CAS resources.
Type a keyword in the box to return a list of resources with that word in its title.
Categorising: There are over 2600 resources in the CAS community.
Categories allow a user to filter their search for a resource (see the annotated
screenshot below). The recently revised categories are highlighted in red, green
and blue. If you find an Uncategorised resource use Edit Categories and you
will move one step closer to digital sainthood. Further advice on using the revised
categories is provided on the page opposite.
Improve an existing resource: Each resource is actually a wiki page. An-
yone can edit or upload additional files to a resource page. All site members are
created equal so, we can all fix a broken link or add a missing hyperlink, replace
an inaccessible file format (e.g. convert a .pub file to .pdf or Open Office), en-
gage in digital preservation (e.g. capturing an off-site Google doc that is about to
expire) or improve a resource title to improve findability. Dont worry about mak-
ing a mistake its a wiki page so use the History function to access earlier ver-
sions.
Convert a pearl of wisdom Topic into a Resource: It's hard to find the
pearls in the thousands of discussion topics! By harvesting the pearls into a re-
source you make it far more discoverable and useful. Why not copy-and-paste
from a Topic to create a resource? For an example see What does the if name
== main in a Python program do? Better still harvest multiple pearls of wisdom
from one or more Topics into a review resource. If this isnt personal CPD then
we dont know what is!
Create a meta-resource: Resource pages can be a a resource about
resources or meta-resource. For examples of existing meta-resources see:
MOOCs for school-level computer science, Learning HTML & CSS using Mozilla
Thimble and Simon Peyton Jones' bookmarks.
Extend an existing resource: If youve expanded an existing resource, or
created a variation, be a good digital citizen and share it with others in the CAS
Community. For example provide a solutions booklet to an existing worksheet/
workbook that lacks one (e.g. CAS Python: Zero to Hero course). When creating
a new resource always take care to follow the licence terms; by default a Crea-
tive Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licence applies to each new resource
but authors are free to vary this so always check the small print.
Please use the CAS Discussion Forums to share your thoughts or questions.
16
TES Connect, BBC BiteSize and the National STEM Centre eLi-
brary Subject and Age Range categories are broadly aligned with
those on the CAS Community; all of which should help the time-
poor teacher find the good resources faster.
When classifying resources we wish Resource Type: This describes oth-
to further develop this standard ap- er characteristics of your resource
proach. There are three important which may include one or more of:
dimensions by which you can classify intended audience (For Teachers
resources (see right): and For Students)
Subject Knowledge a resource collection rather than a
Age Range resource itself (Meta-resource)
Resource Type extra-curricular (Enhancement and
You should consider assigning a cate- Enrichment - trips, open evenings,
gory from each of these dimensions to work placements, etc.)
your resource (e.g. Algorithms for cross-curricular (Careers maybe)
Subject Knowledge). That said, some- gifted and talented (Extension Ma-
times more than one category from a terial)
given dimension is appropriate (and assessment (Quiz/Assessment)
sometimes none are). Each is de- Technology-Enhanced Learning
scribed in more detail below. not part of the curriculum per se but
many generic tools are of interest both
Subject Knowledge: The categories to teachers and students depending
are now fully aligned with the Progres- on the context.
sion Pathways Grid and also bracket
the full scope of the new curriculum There are three additional dimensions:
with the addition of Information Tech- English Curriculum
nology and Digital Literacy. Scottish Curriculum
Language/Platform
Age Range: If the suitability of the Use the categories under these di-
resource spans multiple age ranges mensions to provide still richer
(or you are uncertain about the pre- metadata about any resource. For
cise suitability) then select two or more about the rationale behind the
more categories. classification see the box below.

Considerable thought has

gone into this classifica-
tion. If you are struggling
to categorise a resource
further exemplification can
be found in the TASK
statements explained in
resource/3162. Look for
which Abridged State-
ment comes closest to
characterising the re-
source. The TASK refer-
ence originally derives from the Teaching Agency Computer Science Subject
Expert Groups Subject Knowledge requirements for entry into computer sci-
ence teacher training. These have been in part modified or extended to include
Information Technology and Digital Literacy.

17 SWITCHEDON: www.computingatschool.org.uk
 Technocamps portfolio of Technoteach
teacher training modules has been formal-
ly endorsed by ASFI Accredited Skills
For Industry. Technocamps is a schools
outreach programme established by the
Computer Science Department in
Swansea University. It now has hubs in six
further University Computer Science De-
partments across Wales: at Aberystwyth,
Bangor, Glyndwr, Cardiff and Cardiff Met-
ropolitan Universities and at the University
of South Wales in Glamorgan. These hubs
have hosted 18 Technoteach modules
each typically 20 hours long delivered one
evening per week over six weeks up-
skilling a total of 256 teachers from both
primary and secondary schools.
Technocamps is ideally placed to help
bring about real change in Wales. Profes-
sor Graham Donaldsons Report
Successful Futures (published in Febru-
ary) calls for computing and digital literacy
to be considered as important as literacy
and numeracy; one key recommendation
recognises a need to build teacher confi-
dence and capacity in computer science.
At the time of writing, two further reports
are due in March. Professor John Fur-
longs Report into initial teacher training
will likely reflect on the readiness for
change of ICT teachers in Wales, given
that the General Teaching Council of
Wales reports most have no formal qualifi-
cation in IT let alone Computing. The
Welsh Governments New Deal for the
Education Workforce is expected to devel-
op and deliver new professional standards
for teachers. The Welsh Government has
already looked to Technocamps to consid-
er ways to address the skills shortage,
including becoming involved in their re-
cently-launched Schools Challenge pro-
gramme. Technocamps started as a pro-
gramme to engage pupils as a means to
change perceptions about computing
amongst schools and teachers. After
providing workshops for tens of thousands
of school children over the past decade,
financed through a variety of funding
streams, the Technocamps effect is finally
being felt and acted upon by schools and
government. Faron Moller
SWITCHEDON: www.computingatschool.org.uk
The Cambridge GCSE Computing MOOC breaks
the OCR course into bite-sized chunks. Chris
Swan from The Stourport High School and VIth
Form Centre outlines its value.
I have worked on a number of different projects for OCR but the MOOC
was an exciting if a little daunting opportunity. A constant driver was the
need to allow students to review topics independently. The project start-
ed in 2013 along with the launch of the accompanying website
www.cambridgegcsecomputing.org. Recording the video sequences was
quite gruelling. A number of teachers recorded contributions over sever-
al months. Many other contributors developed quizzes and other interac-
tive activities. Shortly after completion the MOOC migrated onto the
Cogbooks adaptive learning platform. This was a massive step forward
in creating a learning tool for students and teachers. The platform is so-
phisticated and personalises the learning process. We needed to think
about how topics were interrelated. If I understood X, that would act as a
foundation topic for learning Y. More than this, we need to measure
learning by progress. If I take a test on Y and dont perform terribly well, I
probably need to go back and consolidate my understanding of X. I had
some previous experience of adaptive learning with professional certifi-
cation courses, often taken by adults studying at home.
Adaptive learning is a fascinating
blend of algorithmic learning and
psychology. How many times has a
student said to us: I dont under-
stand this! right at the very end of a
lesson. Most other students may
have understood the topic but we
need to help the one. The beauty is
that it is self-paced and reinforcing. It
is never intended to replace a teacher, merely to complement. The
MOOC is a paperless textbook that engages learners through a variety
of media. Personally, it was a great opportunity to think deeply about
how students learn and develop an understanding of Computer Science.
It is also a valuable tool for parents who wish to understand what their
child is studying and for teachers who are looking for ideas on teaching
a topic. There are countless ways in which the MOOC can help you e.g.
in setting homework, livening up a lesson or helping an NQT to get the
grips with a topic. The Cambridge GCSE Computing MOOC represents
many hours of work from classroom teachers. I wanted to say ordinary
teachers but that didnt feel very fair as what we achieved was pretty
extraordinary. I must admit that it is also rather fun when students say:
Hey Miss, youre famous! Rob Leeman - OCR Computing Subject Spe-
cialist adds, "Not every school has a dedicated computing teacher like
Christine and the MOOC is a way that students and teachers can access
her expertise and enthusiasm free of charge. We're delighted to see
how Christine has made the most of the new adaptive learning version
to enhance the learning experience in the classroom."
18
 Tim Eaglestone, CAS Master Teacher at Dorothy
Stringer High School in Brighton reviews the new CAS
QuickStart Computing guides. He urges all teachers
new to Computing to start with the primary resources.
Both Primary and Secondary guides
offer resources on managing the tran-
sition to Computing and, whilst each is
tailored to their respective phase, they
complement each other in a way I
think makes both guides valuable to
all of us teaching Computing. The
Secondary guide draws together tools
to support curriculum planning. It ad-
dresses issues such as schemes of
work and progression through to
choosing the right programming lan-
guage. It is a useful guide to much of
the where, when and how of the should be essential reading for sec-
new curriculum.
The section on making an effective
activity gives an important steer as to
the why of the Computing curriculum.
It develops five aspects of computa-
tional thinking (approaching problems
as a computer scientist might) and
relates them to student activities on
spreadsheet modelling, textual cod-
ing, and Scratch. This section also
points readers to the Interactive Pro-
gression Tool found on the QuickStart
website that cross-references the Na-
tional Curriculum to the CAS Progres-
sion Pathways and links to further
resources. For me, embedding com-
putational thinking in planning is vital
and highlights a key change in em-
phasis between Computing and ICT.
Progression in computational thinking
as a thread that runs through the
planned curriculum can help ensure
Computing has both relevance and
longevity: this is a subject about solv-
19
Good as the Barefoot material is,
it only covers the scope of the
primary programmes of study.
The curriculum in secondary
ing problems and should develop un-
schools is a little more complex as
derlying processes that will outlast
at Key Stage 4 it is typically the
software packages or the shelf-life of
examination boards that deter-
the latest gadget. A focus on compu-
mine the breadth and depth of the
tational thinking helps move planning
taught programme. This impacts
on from the application-centred ap-
on planning for KS3 which, in ad-
proach we often saw in the past
dition to needing to cater for all
(where one half-term might be spent
students (year 9 sees the last for-
on spreadsheets, the next on webpag-
mal education in Computing for
es and so on.
many people), will need to pre-
pare students for further study in
It is in this regard that I believe the
specialist qualifications.
Primary QuickStart Computing guide
The
ondary school teachers. It gives a lot
Barefoot
more information as to the why and
material
what of Computing and hence pro-
makes
vides the foundation on which the sec-
the pitch
ondary guide can build. It begins with
of Com-
a detailed exploration of computation-
puting explicit for primary teachers
al thinking. Drawing on the excellent
but more detail is needed for sec-
Barefoot Computing resources
ondary teachers. For example, the
(barefootcas.org.uk) it provides
discussion of variables does not
breadth and scope to the subject and
go beyond the storage and re-
illustrates the curriculum in action.
trieval of data from memory at run
-time. So, while the pitch of the
The guide also describes some of the
KS3 programme can be inferred
key content from the rest of the curric-
from the National Curriculum and
ulum such as programming, networks
GCSE specifications, I think there
and digital literacy. Much of this is
is a need for explicit exemplifica-
directly applicable to Key Stage 3,
tion in the way that Barefoot does
especially during this transition phase.
for primary.
I think it is a great starting point for
secondary teachers anxious about the
To that end, I have made a start
transition from ICT. Their issues with
on producing some guides that
subject knowledge are the same as
aim to build on the Barefoot re-
those for primary colleagues .
sources for years 7, 8 and 9. The
intention is that they are read
The QuickStart Computing guides, the
alongside the Barefoot guides.
Interactive Progression Tool, further
Material on decomposition and
support resources, and a map of local
variables at key stage 3 can be
places where the guides were distrib-
found on the CAS Community at
uted (check in with your local Master
resources/2934 and I hope to post
Teacher or hub leader) can be found
more as I write them. And as ever,
at quickstartcomputing.org. Further
the CAS Resources is a wiki so
CAS Resources on Computational
please feel free to contribute or
Thinking can be found on the CAS
comment.
Community at resources/252.
SWITCHEDON: www.computingatschool.org.uk
 SAP, a major computing company in Bel-
fast, has been supporting schools through
supplying work experience placements for
pupils aged 14 years up. The placements,
which last for five days, allow pupils to
work on a real IT project. Pupils work as
part of a team working on all phases of a
software development project from require-
ments analysis to implementation, testing
and final presentation. The project aims to
develop a real application to be used by
the companies lab.
Pupils have the opportunity to learn new
languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaS-
cript, JSON, and more. They also gain
expert guidance and have the opportunity
to work with senior developers, research-
ers, PhD and placement students keen to
provide pupils with useful suggestions for a
future career in IT. SAP run 4 work experi-
ence sessions each year, two in February
for 14/15 year olds and two in August for
16/17 year olds. All are provided cost-free
by SAP who additionally provide all materi-
als. If you teach in Belfast and would like
further details contact Claudia Rabuazzo:
c.rabuazzo@sap.com.
Founders4Schools is a free service that ena-
bles primary and secondary teachers to invite
founders of successful, growing businesses
to visit their schools and inspire their stu-
dents. At the events, business founders will
speak about what they studied at secondary
school and what motivated them to become
entrepreneurs. Students also hear about real-
life applications from Science, Technology,
Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects,
making a critical link to how learning STEM
directly relates to growing and scaling suc-
cessful enterprises.
The organisation has over 8000 volunteers
and you can search their directory by area
and category: Arts, Engineering, Maths,
Technology and Science. Their speakers are
well briefed, the sessions are well structured,
and feedback from teachers is overwhelming-
ly positive. The site is very easy to use. Take
a look at www.founders4schools.org.uk
SWITCHEDON: www.computingatschool.org.uk
The Teacher Industrial Partners Scheme gives teachers
the opportunity to experience work in modern engineering
and technology organisations. Lisa Bagnall from the Na-
tional Science Learning Network explains whats involved.
If you teach a subject where you dont have that industry experience, go
out and get it! Its like a missing piece of your jigsaw puzzle! enthuses
Anhar Ali, a teacher from Cumberland School, Newham, who recently
attended one of our placements at IBM. The Teacher Industrial Partners
Scheme, or TIPS can give you just that. As a joint initiative between in-
dustry and education TIPS gives teachers the opportunity to experience
what takes place in modern engineering and technology. Over a two
week placement, teachers gain a wider understanding of the diverse
range of career options available for their students and build closer long
term relationships with local industry. Anthony Smith, from Southbor-
ough High School, Surbiton, another participant of TIPS at IBM, told us
The experience has been the highlight of my year, and I recommend
the scheme wholeheartedly.
After the placement,
participants attend be-
spoke CPD created by
the National Science
Learning Centre to fur-
ther their development
of engineering and ap-
ply it in the classroom.
Anhar said; Now that
Im back at work it all
feels like its clicked into
place and I can relate
my teaching to real life
experience something
I wasnt able to do be-
fore taking part in the
TIPS scheme. First-
hand experience of the
world of modern engi-
Anthony Smith and Anhar Ali visiting The Royal Society
neering and technology
is key for teachers to be able to speak confidently to pupils about future
career paths. Supporting teachers in achieving this is vital to extend their
knowledge in the field. Anthony said, I have been inspired to take for-
ward some aspects of STEM within my school, as with an Engineering
and Computing background I feel that I can help to guide and enthuse
some of the next generation of technologists. If you would like to read
more about Anthony and Anhars placement, you can visit their blogs at
bit.ly/1Dq5dYw and bit.ly/1EG6QBp.
2015 will bring more exciting opportunities for teachers to attend TIPS
placements across the UK including IBM, Crossrail, Portakabin, Gront-
mij, Air Products, Alstom, Thames Water, Staffordshire Alliance, Caril-
lion, TFL and Babcock. For more information and to apply to take part in
this fantastic experience, please visit www.slcs.ac.uk/tips.
20
Higher Level Apprenticeships offer a route to a rewarding career
in the IT industry. John Palmer, Regional Coordinator and CAS 3
Counties Hub Leader explains the quiet revolution happening
in the Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire area.
What career paths are our current
Computing students going to have?
Maybe some of these careers dont
even exist yet? All across Worcester-
shire, Herefordshire and Gloucester-
shire are companies specialising in
Computer Science and more recently,
Cyber Security. Thousands of new
jobs will be created in Cyber Security
over the next 10 years. If you had
sixth-formers with a talent for Compu-
ting and an interest in ethical Cyber
Security, rather than choose an aca-
demic route would you encourage
them to join the workplace at age 18
and earn whilst they learn (modern
apprenticeship)? By the way, these
apprentice programmes have nothing
to do with tool bags, making tea and
sharpening chisels, but would be for
the highest quality candidates whose
career path will be as stellar as a
graduates, most probably steeper. In
return, no student debt, high quality
work, a good salary, travel and
achieving their degree at around 25
rather than 21. Sounds interesting?
Well, we think so, and so do many
employers in the area, such as GCHQ
in Cheltenham, QinetiQ and 3SDL in
Malvern. These organisations and
others offer Higher Level Apprentice-
ships (HLAs) like no other, as appren-
tices have the opportunity gain a
unique insight into a world of cyber
threats, terrorism, espionage and or-
ganised crime.
More and more Trailblazer Appren-
ticeships (the gold standard of mod-
ern HLAs) are coming on-line in areas
such as cyber intrusion analyst, net-
work engineer, software developer
and software tester. Bryan Lillie, Chief
Technology Officer for Cyber at Qinet-
iQ is buoyant about this quiet revolu-
tion. Bryan commented, This year,
21
were focusing even more on our ap-
prentice intake, and without doubt, an
apprenticeship can be a brilliant start
to your career. The new range of
Higher Apprenticeship schemes are a
highly credible alternative to University
qualifications.
Here in the CAS 3 Counties area, we
are supportive and in conjunction with
local firms QinetiQ, 3SDL, Borwell,
PostcodeAnywhere, UTC Aerospace
(and others...) are constantly looking
to challenge and inform attitudes to
apprenticeships. So, to get the debate
started, on 15th January, the first IT &
Cyber Security Apprenticeship Show-
case was held at the University of
Worcester Arena. This showcase
event was run jointly by CAS, The
University of Worcester STEM team,
Worcestershire County Council and
the organisers and students of the
innovative 3SDL / QinetiQ Cyber Ap-
prentice Development Scheme (CADS
- see Switched On: Autumn 2014). It
was a huge success - see report right.
The feedback was so positive that we
are now looking to turn this into an
annual event.
For many, many reasons, the new
breed of Apprenticeships are a valua-
ble and meaningful route into the
Computing profession. We strongly
encourage your students to consider
their options very carefully.
Local training providers and over
thirty companies were on hand
giving information, advice, guid-
ance and providing some excel-
lent Cyber activities for students.
Dibble Clark, cyber lead at 3SDL.
provided a scene-setting brief. He
highlighted some key attributes
employers look for and introduced
some ex-apprentices alluding to
their potential earnings. The event
concluded with a panel discussion
in front of companies yet to take
the plunge and offer HLAs. Dibble
chaired the panel and believes:
Showing companies whats on
offer and having all the stakehold-
ers in one place to answer em-
ployer questions makes this
event unique. What we are
doing in Worcestershire 3
years on from the start of
CADS is testimony to the
Countys drive towards an
internationally recognised
cyber security vision.
Over 140 Sixth-Form Compu-
ting students found out more
about the sector-specific HLAs.
For many, this event changed
their perceptions of routes into IT
careers, opening their eyes to new
opportunities. Fraser Savage, Y13
Chase Computing student said, I
now have a much better level of
awareness regarding the quality of
training, support and development
available on HLA programmes
with local companies. Studying full
time for a degree would cost me a
serious amount of money and other
options may prove to be even better
for me in the long run.
SWITCHEDON: www.computingatschool.org.uk
 Rachel Speirs, 15, is a fourth year student at Douglas Academy, Milngavie,
near Glasgow, with a passion for technology. Her essay below, shared with
senior executives at Google and Apple, received hand written replies and an
offer of work experience at her local Apple Store.
The technology industry is growing at an unimaginable speed, with lots
Jobs in the technology sector are of-
of new gadgets and gizmos being produced. Sadly, the big names in this
ten seen by women as male domi-
industry all seem to be male with hardly any females. I am one of the
nant, with them working alone,
3,420 students in the UK that has taken up studying Computing in
locked away with a computer all day.
school. Im really interested in Computer Science and would love to have
Obviously, this stereotype is not true
a career in technology or computer programming. I feel very strongly
but too many young girls believe it,
that more women should be in the technology industry because as the
leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy.
industry grows we want women to appear more and more.

A Guardian survey showed that the

Every website, piece of software, game or digital product needs to be
technology industry ranked in the top
coded. Ever wonder how your internet, operating system and apps such
5 for the most fun sector to work
as Facebook are made and work? Theyre all made with code. The need
in. Harvey Mudd, a college which
for more apps and computerised products has meant many people have
specialises in science, engineering
been able to create their own companies, creating an extra million paid
and maths in California carried out
jobs each year.
some research which looked into why
young girls did not choose careers in
I do understand that being a programmer isnt everyones dream but
this popular sector. Their research
basic technical computing skills are needed now for every role in every
highlighted three key reasons. One,
industry. Mark Zuckerburg said an understanding of computer science
they didnt think it would be interest-
is becoming increasingly essential in todays world. As the industry is
ing, two, they didnt think they would
growing, more people are feeling lost, overwhelmed and totally confused
be good at it and three, they think
by the jargon. Kathryn Parsons, co-founder of Decoded said being tech-
they would be uncomfortable in the
nology illiterate just doesnt cut it anymore. It cant when so many more
workplace because of the strangers
jobs functions require so much more technical know-how.
they would be working alongside.
The first computer programmers were Ada Lovelace and
I do feel that we need to get
Charles Babbage. Ada proved that a machine could be
over this stereotype of men in
programmed in a way which it could calculate a series of
the basement on their comput-
numbers called Bernoulli numbers but Babbage could not
ers. We need to catch young
get the machine built. Babbage still however gets most of
girls at the right age and show
the credit. Another female who played a key role in tech-
them what computing really is. Ada Lovelace nology was Hedy Lamarr who invented spread spectrum
communications and frequency hopping. These two jar-
In highlighting the challenges in
gon-based words are the basis for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth,
attracting more females into
technologies that most of us today would struggle to live
technology, I do think that it is
without.
important to consider how we
involve men in addressing the
In my opinion we are getting over the stereo-
problem. I agree with Alan Eu-
types.Researching this topic has made me feel much
stace, senior executive at Hedy Lamarr
stronger about the need for more women to get involved,
Google, who encouraged fe-
and my role helping in that. Hopefully in the next 10 years, my name will
males to expand their Women in
be one of the next big names in technology. As Kathryn Parsons said,
Technology Conferences to involve
the opportunities are there. Now we need to encourage and support this
men otherwise, as he said, you are
new generation and provide meaningful investment to the next genera-
preaching to the converted.
tion of code heroes and rock stars. And lets make them female ones!

The CAS group of teachers, academics and professionals which exists to promote wider diversity and
foster greater inclusion in the teaching of Computer Science. Check out casinclude.org.uk/.

SWITCHEDON: www.computingatschool.org.uk 22
Computing technology may only have a
short history but as Bruce Nightingale ex-
plains, many of the ideas that lie behind
Computer Science go back a lot further.
During the first century after the birth
of Islam, Arab Muslim armies defeated
the Persians and moved into Mesopo-
tamia, what is now modern-day Iraq.
Around 762, Caliph Al-Mansur found-
ed the city of Baghdad. Thus started
what is now considered by many
scholars to represent the high point of
Islamic civilisation, when scholars
from around the world came to the
Bayt al-Hikma (House of Wisdom)
established by the Caliph Al-Mamoon,
as a unique centre for mathemati-
cians, astronomers, scientists, and
philosophers. It soon became one of the
most famous centres of learning, attract-
ing scholars from all over the world.
The scholars built on the legacies of
Persian, Indian and Greek texts - Aris-
totle, Plato, Hippocrates, Euclid, Py-
thagoras, Aryabhata, Brahmagupta
and others. The scholars accumulated
the greatest collection of knowledge in
the world, and built on it through their
own discoveries. Besides translating
books into Arabic and preserving
them. The earliest version of Euclids
Elements of Geometry is an 8th C
Arabic translation. The first western
version of Elements was a translation
from the Arab version into Latin by
Erhard Ratdolt in Venice in 1482.
This was 27 years after Johannes
Gutenberg had produced the first
printed book. It was through transla-
tions of Arabic texts into Latin that West-
ern Europe began its own research in
the fields of mathematics and science.
Scholars associated with the House of
Wisdom also made original contribu-
tions to different fields of study. One
such scholar was Abu Ja'far Moham-
med ibn Musa al-Khowarizmi. Al-
Khowarizmi authored the text Kitab al
jabr wal-muqabala also known as
The Compendious Book on Calcula-
23
tion by Completion and Balancing in
the early part of the 9th C. The book
was then translated into Latin by Rob-
ert of Chester in 1145. The Arabic
phrase al jabr in the books title is the
origin of the term algebra.
The HinduArabic numeral is a posi-
tional decimal numeral system, used
throughout the world. It was invented
between the 1st and 4th centuries by
Hindu mathematicians. The system
was adopted, by Al-Khwarizmi's book
On the Calculation with Hindu Numer-
als published in 825.
Gerald Toomers article in the Diction-
ary of Scientific Biography states: al-
Khwarizmis name became so closely
associated with the new arithmetic
using the Hindu numerals that the
Latin form of his name, algorismus,
was given to any treatise on that topic.
Hence, by a devious path, is derived
the Middle English augrim and the
modern algorism corrupted by false
etymology to algorithm.
Laplace wrote: The ingenious method
of expressing every possible number
using a set of ten symbols (each sym-
bol having a place value and an abso-
lute value) emerged in India. The idea
seems so simple nowadays that its
significance and profound importance
is no longer appreciated. Its simplicity
lies in the way it facilitated calculation
and placed arithmetic foremost
amongst useful inventions. The im-
portance of this invention is more
readily appreciated when one consid-
ers that it was beyond the two great-
est men of Antiquity, Archimedes and
Apollonius.
Heres a challenge for the class; can
you or any of your pupils pronounce
Al-Khowarizmi?
Old Soviet and Syrian postage stamps celebrating
the contributions of Al-Khwarizmi and Alkindous
Appreciating the role of other cul-
tures in developing some of the
pivotal ideas in Computer Science
can be a rewarding experience for
students. Cryptography, a word
drawn from the Greek for 'hidden'
and 'writing', kryptos and graphein,
has roots in cultures including Egyp-
tians, Greeks, Romans and Ameri-
can Indians. Interested students
would benefit from reading an article
on the Student Pulse website
(bit.ly/1OTW8Jv) which also has
links to further articles. A good start-
ing point might also be a couple of
articles on the CS4FN website.
Written by Computer Science stu-
dent, Zin Derfoufi, Muslims and
Maths (bit.ly/1DLNudw ) is a short
introduction. The Dark History of
Algorithms (bit.ly/1Fr8NS6) high-
lights the role of another 9th century
scholar Abu Yusuf Ya'qub ibn Ishaq
Al-Kindi, better known in
the west as Alkindous in
the development of cryp-
tography. The Code
Book, by Simon Singh,
is also a very accessible
history tracing the ori-
gins of cryptographic
techniques.
For teachers wanting more
information on this fascinating topic
see articles by Prof. Keith Devlin at
bit.ly/1DLNFWl and Prof. Robertson
at bit.ly/1xR4Puj
SWITCHEDON: www.computingatschool.org.uk
 In the "big data" age, the vast data
volumes present new challenges
in optimization which classical
algorithms are not designed to
handle. Increasingly, in domains The BBC have a long track record of amazing programmes that entertain, en-
like computational biology and thuse and above all educate. They've been a part of the UK's digital revolution
machine learning, problems may from the start. The BBC micro inspired a whole generation to learn to code.
have many millions of variables. Now they are at it again. Their flagship education initiative for 2015 is about
New approaches are being devel- Computer Science. Grouped under the banner Make It Digital, their aim is to
oped to benefit from such data. inspire the UK about digital creativity. That includes how to get creative with
For example a special care baby coding, programming and digital technology. Already some excellent pro-
unit, analysing every babys heart grammes and lectures have been aired and other material is being launched
beat and breathing pattern, devel- online. Watch out too for the BBC Micro Bit (see page 2). Make sure you keep a
oped algorithms to predict infec- regular eye on www.bbc.co.uk/makeitdigital for notice of further plans.
tions 24 hours before physical
symptoms appear, so buying pre-
cious treatment time for infants.

Researchers from Spains Ramn

Llull University created a system
for geolocating videos by compar-
ing their images and audio with a
University Of Birmingham
global multimedia database. A
Saturday 20th June (reception 6 - 10pm, Friday evening)
potential terrorist location may be
identified from propaganda vide- Hows it going? The new Programme of Study came into operation at the
os, or missing people who disap- start of this year. How has it been? Exciting? Frustrating? At the annual
CAS Conference well take the time to review what has worked well, learn
pear after posting video online from the mistakes and hear from lots of teachers who have developed
may be found. Data is grouped wonderful resources which are being well received by their classes.
and clusters compared algorithmi-
The conference will have its usual mix of plenary sessions, over 40 differ-
cally with existing geolocated vid- ent workshops, the opportunity to network and take home practical exam-
eos. The team used 10,000 se- ples of lessons and other resources that you can use in your classroom.
quences as a reference to detect
"I learnt more and connected with more interesting people than on any course
likely geographical coordinates, that my school has previously forked out hundreds of pounds for"
locating 3% of videos within a
Cost: 36 To register visit bit.ly/1JQNA3g
10km radius. To apply to more vid-
eos the algorithm will require a
much larger audio-visual database.

Googles ever-evolving ranking

algorithms involve over 200 fac-
tors. New developments include
evaluating "trustworthiness" ac-
cording to a "Knowledge-Based
Trust" score. In theory this ele-
vates factual and news sources
however critics fear it will encour-
age censorship, barring minority
voices from the results pages.
For more inspiring ideas to share
with children, see MIT News:
http://newsoffice.mit.edu/topic/
algorithms Lyndsay Hope
Computing At School
are supported and
endorsed by:
Computing At School was born out of our excitement with the discipline, combined with a
serious concern that students are being turned off computing by a combination of factors.
SWITCHEDON is published each term. We welcome comments, suggestions and items for
inclusion in future issues. Our goal is to put the fun back into computing at school. Will you
help us? Send contributions to newsletter@computingatschool.org.uk
Many thanks to the following for help and information in this issue: Lisa Bagnall, Irene Bell,
Paul Browning, Paul Curzon, Claire Davenport, Ben Davies, Roger Davies, Tim Eaglestone, Lorna
Elkes, Clifford French, Sue Gray, Graham Hastings, Lyndsay Hope, Toby Howard, Simon Humphreys,
Catriona Lambeth, Margaret Low, Peter Millican, Faron Moller, Kevin Moore, Liam Nicholson, Bruce
Nightingale, John Palmer, Nicky Pasternak, Siobhan Ramsey, Kim Sayers, Andrew Shields, Carl Sim-
mons, Rachel Spiers, John Stout, Chris Swan, Yvonne Walker and Dave White
www.computingatschool.org.uk