Resourcing

Alongside any curriculum development work, some thought needs to be given to providing the resources necessary for teaching. Despite the opportunity to use resources like the excellent materials provided by New Zealand-based CS Unplugged,¹⁶ you will probably need a set of computers for teaching Computing. General-purpose laptops and desktops are ideal, and it really doesn’t matter if you’re using Windows PCs or Macs, or even Linux, for the primary Computing curriculum. The Raspberry Pi offers a great platform for programming and developing pupils’ understanding of networks and the web.

’ll need to make sure the usual safeguards are in place, but Ofsted’s recommendation ¹⁷ is not to be too restrictive; they advocate a managed, rather than a ‘locked down’, approach. They recommend that pupils need to learn how to use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly, not to have their responsibility for this taken on by others.

You’ll need some tools with which pupils can program their computers. MIT’s Scratch, for example, provides all the tools needed to cover the programming requirements of the new curriculum.

Alternatives are available: Kodu is a rich, game-like environment providing a graphical ‘way in’ to programming; Logo has a very long history as an introductory programming language, although as it’s text-based there’s plenty more scope for bugs in code through typing or spelling errors. Some leading primary practitioners are introducing pupils to text-based programming using Python.

While the programming expectations for Key Stage 1 can be met using screen-based programming tools such as Scratch, there’s much to be said for working with programmable toys at this age, such as Bee-Bots, Roamers, Pro-Bots and Big Traks, although there’s certainly no requirement to do so.

At Key Stage 2, if you want to go down the ‘controlling physical systems’ route, you’ll need some cheap components (sensors, lights and motors) and some way of connecting these to a computer. The FlowGo interface can be used with Windows PCs. LEGO®’s WeDo interfaces nicely with Scratch 1.4, and there are interesting, perhaps more demanding, possibilities using platforms such as Arduino or Raspberry Pi.

At Key Stage 2, pupils are expected to use other digital devices, which could be as simple as digital cameras or audio recorders, but could also include more complex devices such as smartphones or tablets. There is also an expectation that pupils will have access to Internet-based services, such as the school’s learning platform, a blog, or cloud-based software such as Google Drive or Office 365.

Many schools are considering providing pupils with access to tablets. They can enhance learning across the curriculum, particularly if coupled with corresponding pedagogic developments. Although tablets were not intended as a programming platform, there are a growing number of apps¹⁸ that provide an introduction to programming. It’s also possible to access HTML5-based online programming tools such as Snap!¹⁹