With the schools closed and pupils at home, we have adapted our workshop offering to suit your needs. Workshops are currently virtual via live streaming. All workshops are fully funded by support from the Welsh Government.
KS3:
Escape the Zoom – 1 x 1 hour session – Unplugged
This session is a fast-paced practical session designed to get pupils’ legs working as much as their brains. They will complete time-limited activities relating to the 4 strands of computational thinking, using everyday items around their homes.
Space Saving – 1 x 1 hour session – Unplugged
Technocamps have managed to arrange an interview with an astronaut – live from the depths of space! That is, provided nothing goes wrong. Get ready for some code-cracking and programming as we help save our astronaut against the clock.
Catch the Crooks – 2 x 1 hour session – Unplugged
These sessions allow pupils to investigate a bank heist, analysing clues such as DNA, shop databases and receipts, cracking ciphers and piecing it all together to arrest the criminal mastermind!
Computational Thinking – 2 x 1 hour session – Plugged
Focusing on the 4 strands of computational thinking, this session will provide pupils with key skills that can be applied in all walks of life. Topics will include algorithms, abstraction, decomposition and pattern recognition. By the end of the two sessions, students will be able to use the skills they have learnt to solve problems in fun ways.
Steganography – 1 x 1 hour session – Plugged
In this session, pupils learn about Computer Forensics and how Computer Forensics Investigators search for digital evidence. Pupils are taught about how we can use Steganography to hide messages in plain sight, and then they must put their skills to the test by investigating documents to solve a crime that some criminals are planning.
Cryptography – 2 x 1 hour sessions – Plugged/Unplugged
Session 1 will cover an introduction to cryptography and three different ciphers with additional online worksheets that can be completed as practice. Session 2 will cover a final cipher before pupils have the opportunity to do our virtual version of the Break Into the Box activity, which is a huge favourite from previous experiences.
It’s Easy to be Green – 2 x 1 hour sessions – Unplugged
The purpose of this workshop is to give pupils an opportunity to learn about renewable and non-renewable energy. Pupils will have an opportunity to design an energy efficient product or service that benefits the customer and has a positive impact on the environment. This will be based on the knowledge they’ve gained in the workshop.
Ethics, Technology and the Future – 3 x 1 hour sessions – Unplugged
These sessions will look back through the history of technology, what we used to use before technology existed and how it has developed over the years to the devices we use today in everyday life. Pupils will also get to look at the ideas and development behind some new technology that is yet to be released as well as designing their own future devices for different real-world scenarios. Throughout the three sessions, pupils will need to think about the ethical issues of past, present and future technology and consider this when designing their own technology.
Python Art – 2 x 1 hour sessions – Plugged
A great introduction to text based programming. This workshop uses the ‘Turtle’ graphics of Python to introduce students to the Python programming language. Write simple Python programs using Python Turtle to help students to understand how to use variables, functions and parameters. Use ‘For’ and ‘While’ loops to support pupils’ understanding of repetition within their code.
Planets and Orbits – 2 x 1 hour sessions – Plugged
The sun orbits the earth? The planets orbit in circles? The earth floats in the water of the heavens? The historic models of the solar system are numerous and in most cases incorrect. Take a trip through history as we explore how observations and mathematics led us to the current models of the solar system before pupils construct their own models online. The first session focuses on the science, with the second session using the programming tool Geogebra to model the solar system.
KS4:
Cryptography – 2 x 1 hour sessions – Plugged
This workshop teaches pupils about various Cryptographic and Steganographic techniques and gets them to consider the importance of being able to encrypt and decrypt messages, for secure communication. Throughout the session, pupils will have challenges to put their code breaking skills to use, to crack codes and find passwords to access encrypted documents. The session ends with a challenging independent task (can be done in the session, or as homework) to really test the pupils’ skills and find the eagle-eyed among them.
Boolean Algebra – 2 x 1 hour sessions – Plugged/Unplugged
This is a session aimed at GCSE/A Level pupils to teach them everything they need to know about Boolean algebra and how it underpins computer science. The first session looks at the 4 main Boolean algebra operators OR, AND, NOT and XOR as well as how to visualise these working using a simple circuit simulator. The second session builds on these 4 operators and teaches pupils about the many laws of Boolean algebra in order to simplify Boolean expressions.
Greenfoot – 1 x 2 hour session – Plugged/Unplugged
This session is aimed at GCSE Computer Science pupils to give them an introduction to object-oriented programming and teach them everything they need to know for a typical Greenfoot question in their Unit 2 exam. The session will look into what object-oriented programming is and why we use it before completing a follow-along Greenfoot tutorial where pupils will learn the following, but not limited to: how to create a new world, populate it with characters, make the characters move randomly and with the keyboard, remove characters when two characters collide, add sounds to the program and add a counter to the program.
Computer Architecture and LMC – 2 x 1 hour sessions – Plugged
These sessions are aimed at GCSE Computer Science pupils to give them an introduction to computer architecture and hardware. They also links this to low level programming using the LMC simulator to teach them all they need to know for the topic within Computer Science GCSE. The first session focuses on the Von neumann architecture and how this relates to the hardware found in a generic computer. The second session looks at assembly language programming in the Little Man Computer simulator and will develop pupil’s understanding of assembly language instructions such as input and output, storing and loading, adding and subtracting as well as the various forms of branching.