With the imminent arrival of the new National Curriculum for Computing in September, it’s not surprising that there were quite a few products at BETT designed to help teach the coding aspects. I know many teachers are concerned about having to teach this, as many have no coding experience themselves.
Here are a few products that caught my eye.
Espresso Coding
Espresso Coding is the new site from digital content providers Espresso Education that teaches pupils to code and make their own apps to share with their friends and parents. With an inclusive wide-ranging Scheme of Work, the Espresso Coding platform provides teachers with coverage of the new coding aspects of the updated Computing curriculum for Year 1 to Year 6.
It even works on an iPad, and there are iPad-specific features which allows children to build games that can be controlled by tilting and swiping.
Espresso Coding will eventually be a subscription resource, but it is FREE for an extended period until October 31st 2014. You can access the trial site at www.espressocoding.co.uk, take a look and see what you think. Not all of the features are there yet, such as an open sandbox area, but I’ve been told they’ll be in place when the free period ends.
Purple Mash : 2Code from 2Simple
2Simple have added to their excellent range of software with the launch of 2Code. This simple to use coding tool has been purposely designed to match the new Computing Curriculum for KS1 and 2 with full lessons for different age groups and levels of ability covering everything from logic and algorithms, to writing and debugging computer programs.
In addition, 2Code offers different Free Code modes of varying difficulty to encourage children to problem solve within a context. The Free Code can also be used entirely on its own to create games, animated stories and anything else your pupils can think of.
It looks great. Subscribers to 2Simple’s Purple Mash website toolkit will immediately get access to 2Code when it’s released. More info here.
Appfurnace
Kudlian software were demonstrating AppFurnace which is a set of online tools that help children (and teachers!) to create all kinds of apps for IOS or Android without having to be a programming genius. Apps can be created using a wide variety of drag and drop widgets or for older or more advanced students, the use of JavaScript allows more complex apps to be written. It is probably most suitable for KS3+ but more able KS2 students would also find it easy to use. Before students export their Apps to their device to run using the free AppFurnace Player, a moderation tool allows you to be confident that the content is suitable.
AppFurnace will be available on a subscription basis for primary and secondary schools, with licenses starting at £99 per year. More info about App Furnace can be found on the Kudlian website.
Switched on Computing : Rising Stars
Switched on Computing gives you everything you need to deliver the new KS1 and KS2 Programme of Study with confidence. Written for the new curriculum, it offers creative units using the latest software in a format that is designed for teachers of all levels of experience to pick up and use.
In addition, a free module entitled Switched on Computing: Take Your First Easy Steps with Microsoft has been written to help schools to get started with computing at Key Stages 1 and 2 using Microsoft software. Each unit has clear guidance for teachers and plenty of creative ideas for bringing each project alive in the classroom. You can download your free copy here.
What were your picks of BETT to help teach coding and computing? Let me know in the comments.
