Computing - The most important lesson!

Computing Manager - Mrs Keen

 

At All Saints we follow the new National Curriculum which has a larger focus on coding and programming.

We use a range of hardware including iPads, MP3 recorders, digital video and still cameras, microscope viewers, microphone recorders and laptops.

 

We have been using Scratch and Kodu to learn programming. This fits in really well with Flowol and 2 Simple that we were already using but as they are free the children and staff are using them at home too!

 

We are also learning other computer codes. Right click with your mouse on any web page and choose 'view source', what you can see is HTML, the code that makes web pages, it's not as tricky as it first appears!

 

Computers are pretty simple machines, they can only ever do what humans tell them to. On the basic level, the computer has a brain, the CPU (central processing unit) that is made of millions of transistors which has only 2 states, either on or off.

 

Challenge in Computing

In every lesson children are encouraged to work through problems for themselves. If they ask for help they must first explain what they have tried so far. 

 

Our Plan for the coming year

• We will take part in the Bebras Challenge, a nationwide computing and logical thinking challenge, to identify talented computing children who will take part in a coding club
• E-safety assembly led by children to include parents
• Investigate links to local feeder secondary schools to share good practise, the childrens’ skills and possibly share equipment.
• Encourage cross curricular use of computing to support learning

 

Staying Safe

Children have an e-safety lesson at the start of every term, they are reminded of any relevant e-safety points every lesson.

 

If you have any e-safety concerns or questions at all please contact Mrs Keen or the class teacher. If you feel a child is in immediate danger please contact CEOP or the local police.

 

Social Media

It is against the rules for any child under the age of 13 to have a Facebook account. If you decide to allow your child to have an account please make sure they know how to set their privacy settings. If you can have discussions now about how we communicate with others and the dangers and pitfalls of social media its more likely that your children will be able to avoid these dangers.

We use many different sites to help us get the message across. Please see the Staying Safe page for more information.

 

At Home

We use many programmes and apps that are free and encourage the children to download them. DO NOT install anything on your computer without checking first and making sure your antivirus is up to date. Make sure you choose the correct version for your operating system.