A good BETT for computing advice

Are you a computing teacher worried that your students know more about computing than you? If so, then you join two-thirds of teachers surveyed in a poll commissioned by subject association Computing at School and Microsoft. 

Findings from the survey, that appeared in the press this week, show that more than eight out of ten teachers wanted more training and development after their first term of teaching computing (which became a compulsory part of the curriculum in September 2014).

OCR’s team of experts will be on hand to offer advice and support to computing teachers at BETT 2015 (21-24 January at Excel in London). At OCR’s stand (B348), you can find out about: 

Cambridge GCSE Computing MOOC

The GCSE Computing MOOC (created with Cambridge University Press and Raspberry Pi) can be used either as a course or a flexible teaching resource, and now has around 22,000 registered users. There will also be an opportunity at BETT to see a demo of the new personalised version of the MOOC that adapts to the needs of learner.

Specifically designed for 14-16 year old students and also open to independent learners, the MOOC is a great way for students (and teachers) to learn the basics of computer programming, how computers work and how they are used. With over 300 videos, covering key areas such as algorithms, logic theory and RAM in depth, this resource aligns with OCR's GCSE Computing curriculum and has been nominated for a BETT 2015 award. 

Computer Science qualifications to suit every student

The number of candidates studying OCR’s Computing GCSE shot up by over 300% from just under 4500 in 2013 to just under 15000 in 2014. Find out why this qualification is so popular, and learn more about the rest of our computing qualifications from our Computing Subject Specialists. The range includes:

Entry Level Computing 

AS and A Level Computer Science (from 2015)

Cambridge Nationals Creative iMedia Level 1/2 Award/Certificate/Diploma

Cambridge Nationals ICT Level 1/2

Making Music and Hacking Minecraft

On Wednesday 21 January, OCR’s Computing Subject Specialist Robert Leeman is hosting an exciting ‘Learn Live’ session called Making Music and Hacking Minecraft. 

‘Musical Algorithms’ with Dr Archer Endrich, who is an electroacoustic composer and programmer, is a demonstration of how simple techniques from Sound and Music Computing (SMC) can be used to engage students across the age range in both subjects through the exploration of “audible algorithms”. 

Meanwhile, David Bruce, Head of Department ICT/Computer Science at Haven High Academy will be talking about how to hack Minecraft. The popular game can be hacked and manipulated on a Raspberry Pi, allowing teachers to leverage the popularity and engagement the game offers to teach valuable programming skills in a modern and exciting context.