So why do children need to learn to programme? I actually found a gaming website which came up with why programming in primary schools is so important. It states that children learn how to solve problems and how to break complex projects into smaller more manageable tasks; things they will need to be able to do not just cross-curricularly (e.g. maths) but also in day to day life. It is also important for children to be able to develop their own ideas and make their ideas happen.
LOGO - LOGO can be used as a starting point in teaching childen to programme, as it uses basic step by step instructions to get the turtle to move. Chris Abbott explains in his book ICT: Changing Education (2008) that LOGO was made by Seymour Papert and was based on actual theories of learning. He is described as acknowledging his debts to Piaget as he uses his way of thinking to determine that it would be effective for a child's learning if they learnt how to program. Children can generate shapes by giving simple commands to the turtles. It is a good start for children to understand programming and also has good maths cross curricular links, as well as encouraging proble-solving. I did enjoy using LOGO for a period but did start to tire of it and I think some of the other programmes, that are more interactive and colourful such as Scratch and Purple Mash, are likely to appeal more to the children.
Scratch- Scratch was mentioned by Michael Gove as being 'a potential classroom solution to “bored pupils and even more bored teachers”'. The Scratch site describes it as being programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art -- and share your creations on the web.
As young people create and share Scratch projects, they learn important mathematical and computational ideas, while also learning to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively. Again, it also encourages problem-solving. I spent quite a bit of time on Scratch, starting with using the basic cat to make sound and do movement. I then decided to use different characters, that could change costumes and speak to one another. I spent about 5-10 minutes doing so and here is my result.
Scratch is ideal for all abilities of children as they can progress from doing these simple commands to more advance projects. I located a report that shows the possible ways children can use Scratch:
-A simple game where the player controls a sprite chasing another sprite around the screen
- An animation with sprites representing the letters of the programmer’s name with each lettern spinninf or otherwise moving around the screen and played a sound when clicked.
-A quiz style application showing several pictures and a question which responds to the user clicking on the slected answer.
-A multimedia presentation incorporating photographs with sound recordings providing explanations as the user clicks on each item.
The report also states the number of ways it uses ICT skills and programming skills ranging from manipulating graphic objects (ICT) to creating a sequence of commands (programming). It also states some other cross curricular links such as to science by simulating a car racing around a track and running out of fuel at a different rate depdning on the average speed around the track.
Overall I think that Scratch is ideal for the children and definitely a more imaginative and exciting programming tool than LOGO. I definitely plan to use it in schoolds
Purple Mash - Purple Mash is what I spent the most time on during our ICT lesson. On the website, it states that purple mash is a ' mash-up of creative tools and curriculum focused applications to support and inspire children throughout the curriculum'. It has a large range of activities for children. Some are simply educational games for them to play by themselves, whilst others involve children to programme their own games. I spent my time on Purple Mash creating a game as you can see below. At first I had made it too easy and the second time I had made it too difficult. Problem-solving is being extensively used to try and figure out how to make the game challenging, but do-able.
 |
| Creating the game on Purple Mash |
As there are so many different programmes, it means it can be differentiated to all abilities of children. PC Pro state that it is ideal as the 'projects are divided by age group and into primary-friendly themes such as About Me, Animals, Celebrations and The Environment'. This makes it very accessible for the children, who can not only access it in their classroom but can continue their learning at home. However, one downfall is that there is a cost to it -school can expect to pay around £600 for an annual license. Kodu - Kodu is a visual programming language made specifically for creating games. It will certainly appeal to the older children and as we were told, tends to be used more in KS3. This is highlighted even more as it can be used on the X-box; consoles that children will certainly use. It is also appealing and more advance then Scratch as the effects are more similar to those that are used in the games they will play and shows how they can make those games! However, for primary school children I do think it is too complicated. Having had a go myself, I really struggled using it and didn't enjoy the programme as much as the others. I think in a class setting, I would probably avoid to use it with the majority of my class and just keep aside for the Gifted and Talented.
With the exception of Kodu, I really enjoyed all of the programming software we used, especially Purple Mash and Scratch. It has definitely changed my perception on using programming and will definiely use it in the classroom. I think it promotes some excellent problem-solving skills and is a good way for children to enjoy their learning.
No comments:
Post a Comment