posted by Carol Lyon, Schools & Learning Support Officer (STEM)

Aspiring Programmers Enjoy an Action Packed Day at Code Academy

Last term, more than 300 Primary 5-7 pupils from 14 Angus schools enjoyed a busy, fun-filled day of Computing Science at a ‘Code Academy’ run by Dundee and Angus College. The pupils participated in a range of workshops from movie animation, to using Probots to hunt for monsters and take a virtual tour round the future V&A Museum of Design, Dundee.

       Getting to grips with how a PC works                                          3D imaging

Programming a robot to negotiate an obstacle             Testing and evaluating compute games
course                                                          designed by college students

Having fun with Photoshop                                     Coding using ‘Scratch’

What did the pupils have to say about their day?

“This is the best school trip I’ve ever been on in my whole life!”

“This is the college I want to come to when I leave school.”

“I’m definitely coming to Dundee and Angus College…..”   “…….and me!”    “…. me too!”
 

What did the teachers and adult helpers think?

“Extremely well organised event. The pupils had an amazing time.”

“I’m going to start looking at Scratch tonight and integrate it into my classes.” 

A huge thank you is due to all Dundee and Angus College staff for their tremendous efforts in ensuring the day ran smoothly (no mean feat with over 300 very excited 10-12 year olds!), but particularly to Gillian McGovern, Course Leader, for planning, organising and facilitating this event. Thanks also to Katie Gallacher, formerly of Carnoustie High School, for liaising with Gillian regarding arrangements for the day. It simply could not have happened without them.