Hello Ruby  

‘Hello Ruby is a Finnish programme which teaches children from 4 to 10 about algorithms and computational thinking but without using computers. Instead, it provides a series or creative, artistic activities specially designed to get children thinking in a problem solving way that will prepare them for the sort of challenges encountered in programming.’ TES Guide to ed tech

There are 2 books: Hello Ruby: Adventures in Coding and Hello Ruby: Journey Inside the Computer. The website has lots of additional resources and lesson plans to help you teach computational thinking.

Useful links:   Website     Comptational Thinking Video     What is a Computer Video        Teacher Resources

Girls Make Games  

An American organisation that runs Gaming Camps and Programmes for girls, but is developing a portal that allows you to access online videos and tutorials for girls (boys too!) to learn game development skills.  There vision is to address the fact that 47% of women are gamers, but women make up only 12% of the game industry; an industry set to be worth globally $143.5 billion by 2020.

Useful links:   Website

Textease Turtle  

A fully functional and flexible logo program. There are different levels within this program which allow for progression.

Useful links:  User Guide     You Tube

2DIY   

This software, from 2Simple, contains a number of versatile tools and templates.  Useful for pupils to create their own content, or for teachers to create activities for the pupils to complete.  Can be used to create quite sophisticated games.

Useful Links:  FAQs   User Guide   You Tube

Tynker  

“Tynker makes it easy to teach computer programming. The curriculum is organized into grade-specific courses where students move at their own pace through scaffolded lessons to learn concepts and apply them creatively.” You can get Tynker Standard for free (which gives you: Basic Creativity Tools; 6-Hour Starter Course; Unlimited Students; Classroom Management), however, you need to subscribe for premium functions.  Very good help videos to support you in getting started.  Tynker have also recently launched their Blue Ribbon Educator Programme – see link below for enrolment dates.

Useful Links:  Website    You Tube      Blue Ribbon Educator Programme     

Scratch   

Your students can use Scratch to code their own interactive stories, animations, and games. In the process, they learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively — essential skills for everyone in today’s society.  You need to first set up a Teacher Account which will then allow you to set up your classroom accounts.

Useful Links:  Website    You Tube

Code.org  

Code.org® is a non-profit dedicated to expanding access to computer science.  An excellent resource that gives you access to hundreds of different coding activities. Minimum preparation … no marking … and pupils love it!

Useful Links:  Code.org Website       Setting Up Teacher and Pupil Accounts for Code

Kodu Game Lab   

Developed by Microsoft, Kodu lets pupils create games via a simple visual programming language. Kodu can be used to teach creativity, problem solving, storytelling, as well as programming.

Useful Links:   Website   You Tube

Minecraft Edu   

It seems like every child wants to play Minecraft these days and Minecraft Edu can be used to develop computational thinking in a variety of settings.  However, you need to an annual subscription to use it ($5 per annum per pupil as of 1.11.16).

Useful Links:   Website   Online Support   You Tube

Kodable    

Kodable provides well thought out lessons in programming from Nursery to around P5/6.  It’s free to get started, but you need a paid subscription in order to access more lessons and some admin features.  That said there is a lot available for free so it’s worth taking a look at.

Useful Links:  Website    You Tube – Intro to Kodable     You Tube – Kodable Channel

 

Thinking of starting an extracurricular coding club?  Check out the following …

TechFuture Girls  

TechFuture Girls (formerly know as CC4G) is an out-of-the-box after-school club that has been specifically designed to encourage girls to stay engaged in IT.  It helps girls develop their tech skills through a series of fun challenges, themed around their interests – like music, sport and dance. Running TechFuture Girls doesn’t need any specialist IT expertise or software.  It supports girls’ learning in IT and across the curriculum, and benefits their confidence and self-esteem.  It is available FREE to all schools in the UK.

Useful Links:  Website

Code Club   

Code Club is an initiative that supports a network of volunteer led after-school coding clubs for 9-13 year olds.  Linked to the Raspberry Pi Foundation, they provide advice on starting and running a club as well as free access to a range of projects.

Useful Links:   Website

Apps for Good    

Apps for Good aims to “bring schools to life with creative programmes where young people work hard and have fun while learning. Teachers act as their guides through the programme, connecting them to developers and experts outside school to get real world insight.  Apps for Good equips students to research, design and make digital products and take them to market.”  Free for non-fee paying schools to register.

Useful Links:  Website

CoderDojo   

CoderDojo Scotland is part of a global collaboration that provides free coding clubs for young people. It enables them to learn everything they need to become a great programmer whilst providing a safe, fun and sociable environment to do it in.  Clubs usually meet monthly for 2 hours.  At the time of writing (February 2017) most of the clubs are located in the central belt.

Useful Links:  Website

Lambda Jam   

Using Lego Mindstorm, Lambda Jam aims to encourage computational thinking and problem solving in a fun and exciting way.  Also offers bursaries to cover First Lego League entry fees, purchase of Lego Mindstorm robots, or to help upskill coaches.

Useful Links:   Website

Pioneers

“Pioneers is a programme for 11- to 16-year-olds, in which you are challenged to make something awesome using technology. We call this ‘digital making’.”  The challenges are highly engaging and run three times a year.  You have 10 weeks to submit your entry which can be in almost any format you want (including ‘un-plugged’).  There are lots of prizes up for grabs, including ‘swag’ when you register; more ‘swag’ when you submit; there are some great prizes available and you could still win even if your solution didn’t work, just as long as you have recorded your process.  There is even some financial support available for teams who haven’t entered before.

Useful Links:  Website

 

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