Computing Pick 'n' Mix #4

I finally got round to completing the Computing Pick 'n' Mix #4. I found it really helpful since it gave me a good understanding of what the children are required to do, and a good idea of what the different programming applications are for. My initial fear / anxiety about teaching ICT has definitely been somewhat alleviated.  Teaching about not only HOW TO USE COMPUTERS computers but HOW COMPUTERS WORK doesn't seem too daunting anymore. 

I particularly found the video about computing across the curriculum interesting and it made me think of ways that I can incorporate ICT across the curriculum. 

• Beebot for geography exercises using a world map / UK map...
• Logo for making graphs and charts for results obtained from science experiments...
• Scratch for creating an interactive story and then writing a narration for English...

However, I'll need to try experimenting with these programs so that I get a real grasp of how easy the programs are to use.

I've made some notes about each of the programming applications so that I can come back to it and figure out which application would work best for particular activities and learning objectives. 

• Daisy the Dinosaur
• Children makes green dinosaur move at their command
• Gives taste of programming and encourages analytical thinking

• Logo
• Gives introduction to programming
• Graphs and charts are main applications but can also be used to create games and programs 

• Scratch
• Children can program own stories, games and animations
• Encourages creative thinking and systematic reasoning 
• Designed especially for ages 8 to 16

• Raspberry Pi
• Credit-card size computer that plugs into computer monitor or TV and used standard keyboard and mouse 

• Python
• General purpose programming language 

References 
Mind Leap. (2015). Daisy the Dinosaur. Available: 
   http://www.mindleaptech.com/apps/daisy-the-dinosaur/. [Last accessed 8th Oct 2015.]

Python Software Foundation. About Python. Available: 
https://www.python.org/.  [Last accessed 8th Oct 2015.]

Raspberry Pi Foundation. What is a Raspberry Pi?. Available: https://www.raspberrypi.org/help/what-is-a-raspberry-pi/. [Last accessed 8th Oct 2015.]