Primary teachers energised by computer programming week
A total of 69 Scottish teachers took part in Programming for Primaries awareness week events (24-28 March), with sessions described as ‘energising’ and ‘enlightening’.
The week saw 345 children from nine primary schools using Kodu, Microsoft’s game-making software, to develop their own video games. In addition, 46 teachers attended continuing professional development workshops focused on introducing pupils to programming and coding.
Launched and run by technology education specialist ComputerXplorers, the Microsoft-backed Programming for Primaries initiative sought to demystify computing. Teachers noted pupils’ willingness to ‘have a go’ at coding, and the speed at which they were able to produce results. Children who tend to be disengaged in lessons were keen to get involved too. Several teachers reported that students had continued using Kodu at home after the workshops.
Nigel Toplis, managing director of ComputerXplorers, says: “Programming and coding capabilities are becoming critical in the worlds of education and employment. Helping primary school children develop a hunger to learn these skills opens new worlds of opportunity for them.”
To find out more about ComputerXplorers, visit: http://www.computerxplorers.co.uk/
About ComputerXplorers
ComputerXplorers is the leading provider of quality technology education for children from the ages of 3 to 13. The clubs and classes are engaging, educational and fun, and are run in a variety of settings, such as after school clubs, pre-school and nurseries, summer camps and in-curriculum time classes. For pre-school children ComputerXplorers covers everything from podcasting, digital photography programming and robotics to digital microscopes and an introduction to the internet. Primary school children learn programming, digital storytelling, animation, web design, coding, forensic science, video game design, music and technology. Classes are linked to the new national curriculum in England, the Curriculum for Excellence, the national curriculum for Wales and the NCCA curriculum in Ireland.
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