Programmes
We work with all schools across Wales to help with digital skills and encourage the take up of STEM subjects. We support pupils from primary school through to college with term-time activities and extracurricular support in our holiday and after-school clubs. We also provide continual CPD and networking for teachers.
On top of all of this, we have established a research theme. We are working to restore the gender balance in the take up of STEM subjects, and we are engaging with businesses though our fully-funded degree and events programmes.
Our primary school programme offers innovative workshops in schools across Wales. The sessions offer support with coding and programming using Scratch and other software. We also deliver problem solving and other ‘unplugged’ activities that encourage computational thinking where classroom resources may be limited. We offer these workshops in school or at our University hubs, although currently we are only providing virtual sessions during the Covid-19 pandemic.
We work with several partners to develop a cross-curricular approach for our primary resources. For example, our collaboration with Theatr Na nÓg led to the development and delivery of innovative workshops to complement their theatre productions.
Our resources have proved useful in the classroom to help teachers introduce STEM activities in their lessons on specific themes and topics. Last year, through more than 500 workshops, we delivered to 11,767 primary schoolchildren at 144 schools.
All our resources and workshops are available in both Welsh and English.
Check out the virtual workshops we have on offer here. Please note that other topics can be provided based on your needs. To book a workshop or to find out more, email us on info@technocamps.com. If you are based in Bangor, please go here.
STEM Enrichment
We work with secondary schools in Wales to deliver our STEM Enrichment programme. The programme engages with participants over the entire school year, delivering a range of computer science and STEM-based activities and workshops. The sessions are led by our experienced team and you can choose the workshops that best suit the needs of your pupils based on the resources available locally. We either deliver the sessions virtually, visit the schools to deliver on-site or pupils can be brought to one of our regional hubs.
The ultimate goal of our programme is to encourage all young people to pursue STEM subjects post-16 by delivering theoretical concepts in a fun and hands-on way.
Technocamps is a pan-Wales programme. Amongst our offering, we have workshops on computational thinking, programming languages including Python and Greenfoot, and support for the GCSE programme through our CS101 resources.
Check out the workshops we have on offer here. Please note that other topics can be provided based on your needs. To book a workshop or to find out more, email us on info@technocamps.com.
Our commitment to providing children with the skills they need to develop and grow continues, and we now offer after-school code clubs for children aged 9-16. Technoclub is an opportunity for young people to gain computing experience during live interactive sessions outside of school.
The club provides a free weekly session where pupils will learn new Computer Science skills whilst working towards an end project goal. It's aimed at all abilities and only requires internet access. Participants do not need any prior knowledge or experience in coding or programming to join the club.
The club is great for those who have attended our workshops in schools, allowing them to build their skills at their own pace and in a less formal learning environment. It is also suitable for complete novices as the sessions are designed deliberately to accommodate learners of all levels.
Technoclub is run by our experienced and dedicated Delivery Officers, who rotate their teaching so that each session is new and fresh. A wide range of computing topics will be covered, making use of a variety of programming languages such as Greenfoot, Logo, Python, BBC micro:bit, Scratch, Lego Mindstorm and some fun (and practical) theory-based Computational Thinking sessions.
Technoclub runs throughout the school term after school on Mondays at our Swansea University Singleton Campus and Online on Tuesdays by our Cardiff University hub. Content is repeated so please only register for one session per week.
During the disruption during Covid, we broadcast free, live and interactive weekly sessions on a new topic. Previous topics have included Computational Virology, Chattering Chatbots, Ornate Orbits and Gorgeous Gravity.
Technolive was aimed at ages 9-16.
To view these sessions head to our YouTube channel to try out some of the activities!
Holiday Clubs
We offer support during the school holidays with a dedicated programme of events for children. To date, over 1,000 pupils have benefited from these clubs.
In 2019, we ran a Summer School for Girls and a Summer School for secondary school children in our Swansea University HQ.
In 2020, we ran half-term clubs in Treforest, Wrexham, Bangor and Cardiff.
We also delivered the Summer of STEM during lockdown - a virtual club for children across Wales, averaging 100 children daily. The sessions were available to ages 9+ and were delivered over a 3 week period due to the appeal of the online activities.
In 2021 and 2022, we held our STEM Academy during the summer. These are a series of fun science-related activities across a number of days to engage pupils in STEM outside of the classroom.
Keep an eye on our social media accounts, or subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed on future holiday clubs!
We run an 18-day programme of CPD support for primary and secondary teachers, designed to support and complement the CPD offering of your regional consortium.
Our free technoteach course involves a year of study and hands-on workshops delivered by dedicated members of our team. Participants are awarded a Technocamps certification, an enhanced CPD profile, and the knowledge and skills to allow them to enhance their teaching in the classroom.
The course is designed to bridge a ‘knowledge gap’ in teachers’ understanding of coding and computer science with modules specifically chosen to fit the needs of the curriculum as it is delivered in schools. The course provides teachers with both the skills and confidence to teach computer science-based lessons, as well as knowledge of programming and the digital learning opportunities it provides. The sessions are provided by our delivery officers who have vast experience of developing and delivering cross-curricular computer science workshops.
As part of the course, participants produce resources to use in their own classrooms, which is particularly important in the light of the new Curriculum for Wales where digital literacy and computer science underpins all aspects of the Science and Technology area of Learning and Experience.
If you are interested in our free technoteach course, please express your interest using the form https://tc1.me/TechnoteachEOI and we will be in touch if there is intention to run the course.
Primary Teachers:
We are currently running short CPD courses for primary school teachers. These courses start at the beginning of each term (September, January and April) and offer ten sessions of two-hour duration after school or by arrangement during school time.
All participants have so far reported that it has had a significant impact on themselves, their schools and their pupils.
Secondary Teachers:
We run bespoke masterclasses on topics that are often difficult to teach (such as Boolean Algebra), and provide Teachmeet events that allow teachers to share best practice and network with other teachers of Computer Science, DigiTech, ICT or Business.
Degree Apprenticeship
Our Degree Apprenticeship programme combines traditional academic learning in a University environment with work-based projects that allow students to apply their newly acquired academic knowledge to their roles in their companies. This innovative programme allows the students to “earn and learn” - to remain in full-time employment whilst earning a BSc (Hons) degree that contextualises their academic learning in their work-place environment.
Courses are fully funded, with support from the Institute of Coding (IoC) in Wales and the Welsh Government through the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW). The IoC in Wales is a major partnership led by Swansea University, which is a part of the National Institute of Coding based in England. It was established to address the recognised digital skills gap in the workforce and create the next generation of digital specialists. Originally envisaged as a way to help rectify a ‘skills shortage’ in Computer Science within Wales, our Degree Apprenticeship Programme is proving incredibly popular, with Computer Science courses being offered (or in the process of being developed) in all Welsh Higher Education Institutions.
Programmes usually run for one day a week over a period of three years (often over an afternoon/evening) requiring just ½ day release from work each week, with students spending on average 80% of their time at their employer and 20% spent working towards their degree at University.
Case Studies
Research
As a university-based initiative, Technocamps is driven by academics. As such, much of its activity is informed by – and informs – fundamental research. Recognising this, we have established a research theme which encapsulates the civic mission aspect of our subject under the title EHP: Educational, Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Computer Science.
The influence of data, software and computation on the world is intensifying. The emergence of a range of digital technologies has transformed many aspects of our political, economic, social and personal lives. Computer scientists are at the heart of these technologies and can have deep insight into how they affect and change the world – from theory to policy and practice.
Computer scientists associated with Technocamps, in particular at Swansea University, have made and are making, technical contributions that are driving change but they are also addressing questions such as these:
- Education - what education should we offer in our schools and universities, to business, public services, and the professions, and to the wider general public?
- History and heritage - what are the causes of changes? What are the inventions and innovations that are key to our current technologies, ambitions and concerns?
- Philosophy - how do our technologies speak to classic, human philosophical problems of what we can know, what we can do, and who we are?
We take an holistic and multidisciplinary approach to such questions, bringing together knowledge in fields as diverse as e.g. mathematical logic, the theory of computation, software engineering, artificial intelligence, data science, global and local history, classical philosophy, philosophy of science and technology, social and media studies.
Philosophical discourses about epistemology, ethics and identity underpin current debates and future speculations. Furthermore, our investigations of educational, historical and philosophical questions are often directed at the development of policies in the public and private spheres. In line with the civic mission focus of EHP, a key activity will be a series of public lectures. The inaugural EHP Public Lecture, A Curriculum for a Successful Future?, was held on 17 October 2019 and featured the Education Minister, Kirsty Williams, alongside Professor Graham Donaldson, the author of Successful Futures: Review of Curriculum and Assessment Arrangements in Wales.
It is widely recognised that girls are underrepresented in STEM industries, and we aim to redress the balance. We now offer clubs and seminars, exclusively to girls through our GiST Cymru programme. In this way, we hope to reach girls who have not previously considered STEM as an option, and encourage them towards careers in STEM.
Each workshop is delivered by female engineers and scientists who showcase the opportunities open to Women in STEM.
We collaborate with a number of external partners to ensure that the GiST Cymru scheme provides variety in terms of content and offers participants the chance to experience and explore STEM subjects in a fun and engaging way. We are hugely grateful to our GiST Cymru partners who include: Chwarae Teg, British Gas, British Airways, National Museum of Wales, Science Made Simple, ESTnet, NHS Wales, and NDEC.
The aim of our WiST network is to establish connections between women working within the sector (technology in particular) with regular events to learn from each other’s experience in the workplace and to support and inspire those on an early career path.
We encourage members to get involved with the project and we offer opportunities for individuals, companies, and other organisations to engage with young people by developing a strong role-model network to support the work we do in schools.
Our Technotalks podcast aims to entertain and inform young people about the careers available to them in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths sectors. Each week, inspiring people in STEM careers discuss what their job involves, their career path and the exciting new technology in their field.
Laura Roberts, our previous USW Regional Coordinator, hosts the podcast, interviewing guests from around Wales and beyond about their roles in STEM, which means you can now get insightful advice on-the-go so you can listen freely in your own time.
The podcast aims to reach 11-18 year old girls in Wales, but the show is available to a much wider audience through all major streaming platforms including Spotify and iTunes. Episodes are around half an hour in length and factsheets are provided to support with classwork and homework.
Minecraft Learning Centres
We are proud to have five HWB Minecraft Learning Centres across our hubs. Technocamps staff from Bangor, Cardiff, Glyndŵr, Swansea and the University of South Wales have achieved Minecraft Certified Teacher status and worked closely with HWB and Prodigy Learning to provide PL opportunities for teachers to enhance their pupils' learning experience in the classroom! We have since been involved with piloting a new course for teachers to develop their understanding of programming concepts and apply them within engaging and thematic lessons provided by Minecraft to use with their own classes. These sessions focus on the concepts of Sequence, Events and Variables, Selection and Conditionals, Iteration and Nested Loops.
Technocamps is excited by the potential of using Minecraft: Education Edition as a platform to develop pupils' understanding of programming concepts and use its multi-language capabilities to allow the development to continue throughout the progression steps outlined in the Curriculum for Wales 2022.
Minecraft: Education Edition helps prepare students for the future workplace, building skills like collaboration, communication, critical thinking and systems thinking. The open learning environment gives students the freedom to experiment, encouraging creative self-expression and problem solving.