Welcome back from half-term. We hope you managed to have a relaxing break!
We have some exciting AstroPi news and lots of events to share which we hope you will find useful.
The Tenderfoot project has been launched and we are looking forward to sharing some train-the-trainer events with you in March. The 2016 National CAS survey has gone live, please take part - help CAS to help you!
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The European Space Agency have allowed the Raspberry Pi Foundation to extend the Astro Pi mission and get more student code up into space! To this end, they are running a coding challenges competition where the prize is to have your student's code uploaded to the ISS and run by Tim Peake in space. Both challenges are music based. The closing date is 31st March 2016.
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We hope the KS3 teachers among you have had time to have a look at your lovely new micro:bits. Here is an interesting blog by Giles Booth about Python on the micro:bit. Giles has also posted a "Possible first Y7 Python MicroBit lesson" to get you started. We have been having a look at mu, the micro:bit Python code editor and have found it very easy to use.
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Congratulations to Mark Allday of Sandringham School, St Albans for becoming our newest Master Teacher! Mark works extremely hard developing and delivering a full CS curriculum at Sandringham as well as supporting and mentoring other teachers. Mark is also a member of the Herts and Borders hub working group and will be delivering a session on Moderation of GCSE Controlled Assessments along with Master Teacher, Fergal Moane, at the next meeting on 2nd March.
Have you thought about becoming a Master Teacher?
If you are an experienced, high-performing classroom teacher with a passion for the subject; enthusiasm, energy, and a desire to support others – we want you!
See the CAS website for details of what CAS Master Teachers do and how you could become one. You will find a link to the Master Teacher application form at the bottom of the page or here.
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The 2016 CAS survey has gone live. Please take part to help CAS to help you!
http://surveymonkey.com/r/CASNationalSurvey2016
This survey has been designed to help the Computing At School team find out how you are using CAS and the professional development opportunities in order that we can meet your needs as well as possible. The survey should only take 5-10 minutes to complete. CAS will use the data you have provided in this survey to report back to the CAS community, our stakeholders, and to add to research findings on the development of Computing in school. Your data will be held securely in accordance with data protection guidelines and all answers are anonymous.
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We plan on issuing a newsletter each half term. If you would like to contribute an article, some useful links or anything else you think the community would benefit from then please email it to Rebecca.
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22nd February - Teach Computing GCSE, Norfolk
09:00 - 12:30 at Downham Market Academy, Norfolk
FREE - tickets available here
also 13:00 to 15:30 at Downham Market Academy, Norfolk
FREE - tickets available here
This event is to support Teachers and Co-ordinators with the development of GCSE Computing
- Understanding requirements of controlled assessments
- Approaches to preparing pupils for controlled assessments
- Assessing controlled assessments eg. A452 & A453
- Supporting future development of Computing in your school
22nd February - Teach Computing - Programming & Differentiation
16:00 - 17:30 at Downham Market Academy, Norfolk
Demonstrating and modelling different methods of supporting pupils across the ability range who are learning programming.
- Teach programming demonstration
- Approaches to differentiating by ability
FREE - tickets available here
25th February - CAS Waveney Primary Hub Meeting
16.30 - 18.30 at Brampton Primary School, Suffolk
Following on from the success of the Crumble CPD at the last hub meeting, Waveney Primary Hub presents a further interactive CPD session for teachers and teaching assistants using, Crumbles, Crumblebots, Motors, Sensors and Servos.
FREE - tickets available here
2nd March - CAS Herts and Borders Hub Meeting
17.00 - 18.30 at De Havilland Campus, University of Hertfordshire
- Implementing a Primary Computing Curriculum with Extra Curricular Provisions
- Preparing pupils for KS2-KS3 transition in programming
- Moderation of GCSE Controlled Assessments
- Teaching Object Orientated Programming to higher level students
FREE - tickets available here
9th March - CAS Cambridge Hub Meeting
17:00 - 19:00 at Raspberry Pi Foundation
FREE - tickets available here
14th March - Tenderfoot Train-the-Trainer at UH
14:30 - 16:00 or 16:30 - 18:00 at School of Education, University of Hertfordshire
FREE - tickets available here
17th March - Tenderfoot Train-the-Trainer at Kesgrave School
14:30 - 16:00 or 16:30 - 18:00 at Kesgrave School, Suffolk
FREE - tickets available here
This training course, delivered by Dr John Woollard of Southampton University, covers the first two sessions in a series of ten Tenderfoot training courses. It is designed for Master Teachers and other active mentors etc. to equip them to deliver workshops on Tenderfoot Units 1 & 2. Ticket priority will be given to CAS Master Teachers.
21st March - Python on the micro:bit at UEA
16:30 - 19:00 at School of Computing, University of East Anglia
FREE - tickets available here
23rd March - Python on the micro:bit at UH
16:30 - 19:00 at School of Education, University of Hertfordshire
FREE - tickets available here
Training event designed to familiarise Master Teachers and other active trainer/mentors with the BBC micro:bit Python editor and prepare them to run workshops in June/July.
Ticket priority will be given to CAS Master Teachers.
14th April - Cambridge Primary Hub meeting
16:00 - 18:00 at Histon and Impington Junior School
Mastering KS2 control technology and assessing assessment
- Working examples of assessment to take home
- Control Technology using the Crumble controller
FREE - tickets available here
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