Teachers, researchers, businesses and students could consider the future of the newly created school subject of computing at two Edge Hill-led conferences.
Delegates examined future technologies which will fundamentally change the world, and also learned practical and creative tips for classroom sessions.
Change the World: A National Conference for Primary and Secondary Teachers was organised by Edge Hill University in response to the National Curriculum’s challenge of “a high-quality computing education that equips pupils to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world”.
Sessions across the two days included computational thinking, live coding, and creative computing.
A session considering Altered Realities (from Virtual to Augmented Reality) was hosted by Matthew Ramirez, lead augmented reality developer at the University of Manchester. During the event, the audience learned the potential for how augmented reality can redefine the way that students learn and place them at the heart of the learning experience. An expert computing teacher gave a practical overview of how low cost technologies such as Google Cardboard can be used in the computing classroom.
Dr Andrew Robinson, co-author of the book Raspberry Pi Projects shared examples of his work using the tiny computer to develop devices such as a Techno-Bird Box, Minecraft Pyrotechnics and even a Twittering Chicken. The session also included practical examples of how teachers can incorporate microcontrollers and simple electronics into the classroom.
With the plethora of low cost microprocessors such as the Raspberry Pi coupled with fabrication methods such as laser cutting and 3D printing, Dr Robinson explained how this provides students with the tools to imagine and create sophisticated devices.
Primary teachers had an opportunity to hear how Computing at School Master Teachers were embedding creative computing in their classrooms and explored resources from Rising Stars, Barefoot Computing and Rapid Router from Ocado.
Both the primary and secondary teachers’ conferences ended with live music composition sessions using Sonic Pi with its creator Sam Aaron. Sonic Pi is an open source programming environment designed to explore and teach programming concepts through the process of creating new sounds.
Simon Howarth, teacher of ICT and computing at Rainford High technology college attended the conference. He said:
“There were lots of excellent resources and initiatives shared from various aspects of the curriculum, from classroom practitioners to pioneers of technology. The conference provided a blend of exciting new products and showcased new and inspiring resources.
“The highlight of the day had to be the enthusiastic and energetic Sam Aaron. As well as the funky demo of his Sonic Pi creation, his outlook on what computing should be is something that should be shared with all teachers of the subject.
“The conference was a well worth while day looking at new and innovative technologies and I can take back to the classroom lots of fresh ideas.”
Carl Simmons, computing subject coordinator at Edge Hill University organised the conference. He added: “It has been an absolute pleasure to put together a conference with speakers who are so committed, creative and passionate about the future of computing in schools. I’m sure like me, many teachers went away with a cornucopia of new ideas to try in the classroom.
“I particularly liked that teachers had thinking space to ask themselves questions about the future contexts for computing and why it will matter for individuals and society. It was a real opportunity to think about why children should choose computing from an early age and how it will shape their lives.”
The national conferences for primary and secondary teachers at Manchester Central were funded as part of the grant from the Department for Education to train teachers in delivering the rigorous new computing curriculum. The events were also supported by educational publishing company Rising Stars. They were co-located within the Education Innovation Conference and Exhibition.
