Free Vector Drawing Tools

If you want to do some vector drawing then there's a wide range of tools available:

• Draw in Google Docs - very simple to use and available online 
• Dia is good if you're after a download. 
• Libreoffice has a nice drawing package included too
• Scratch has some basic vector drawing tools and is great for interactive stories

Inkscape is also very good, but I find it too complicated for most primary students. I would also like to mention that PowerPoint 2013, because it's free functionality if you already have office. It has a complete set of vector tools which I'd say are as good as older versions of illustrator. I use it to teach my year 4 students drawing and animation and they love it.

When to teach what in Primary Computer Science

There are a lot of concepts in Computer Science and it is important to teach them in a sensible sequence. This post is for primary children, for Secondary the planning is well defined in the Compute IT series. (I am one of the authors)  So here are some of the tools that I use and when I use them.

UK Year group	Age	What I use
1	5-6	Beebots & iPad Apps
2	6-7
3	7-8	Lego WeDo / Scratch & Scratch Jnr
4	8-9
5	9-10	Scratch, html (via webmaker.org/tools & Blue Griffon)
6	10-11

This is really just an idea of the tools I use and I also ensure children have a good grounding in core ICT skills. In the 21st century, ideally we should cover all angles. We don't want Computing students at University who can't write an essay in Word or explain a project with appropriate slides!  Below is a much more thorough presentation taking you through most of the tools available that I gave at the 21st century learning conference.

If you are looking for a ready made curriculum, check out my Ready Made Curriculum post.

Taking Your first steps in Programming

Taking your first steps in programming can be a little scary! However don't worry, there are lots of great tutorials to get you started. You can buy a book, watch a video or follow some simple tutorials.  I am going to start by suggesting Scratch. It's a friendly, visual language and a great place to start to learn to code. I can get most students to make their first game in less than 30 minutes, so I promise it doesn't take long to get started!







When my son was 9, he made this Screencast to help other children get started and I think it's probably the best way to see how simple coding can be!

Once you have seen that, probably the best place to start is the help Section of the Scratch Website. http://scratch.mit.edu/help/  It includes lots of help and some lovely tutorials. After that, on this blog, have a go at the Making Your First Game tutorials.  Once beyond that, Shaun The Sheep is happy to help.

If you have an iPad and a computer together, then David Phillips has made a nice app to help.  There are also some excellent books to buy on Amazon. Super Scratch Programming Adventure and Learn To Program With Scratch

Shaun The Sheep Teaches Coding

Shaun The Sheep from Aardman Animations is now teaching coding!  This is a great innovation and I am pleased to see Aardman making cool characters and animations for children to use.

The resources are of very high quality and ideal for Gifted and Talented Key Stage 2 children and for general use in Key Stage 3.  If you want a simpler platform game, check out Making Your First Game>>  What makes this wonderful for classroom use is the combination of videos and printable resources. So everybody can have a go. Check out the full Shaun The Sheep Game Academy>>

Using Scratch to Teach Key Stage 2 Computing

KS2 Curriculum

The new UK Key Stage 2 Curriculum Provides a wealth of opportunities for a large number of pieces of software, but Scratch is in an excellent place to meet many of the programming based learning Outcomes. This page may look incredibly simple, but I've tested every resource here and know that it can add real value to your teaching. If you are looking for more general resources, then don't forget the Websites With Scratch Resources.   Pupils should be taught to:  Scratch Resources design and write programs that accomplish specific goals, including controlling or simulating physical systems; solve problems by decomposing them into smaller parts Computer Control Resources 5 Simple Tutorials Super Soundboard Kinect2Scratch (Windows only) Think Like a Computer Scientist (CAS) Alternatives to BeeBots & Probots (Mark Dorling) use sequence, selection, and repetition in programs; work with variables and various forms of input and output Beginners Plaything  Intermediate Level Loops and Event Recognition Use a listbox to enhance input methods Scratch Inputs and Outputs with Arduino Karen's Scratch Cards (American English) Scratch: Making a simple number calculator (Mark Dorling)  Scratch: Teaching dance (Mark Dorling) use logical reasoning to explain how a simple algorithm works and to detect and correct errors in algorithms and programs Computing Through Dance (CAS) Week 1 DebugIt  Week 2 DebugIt Week 3 DebugIt Debug Me Studio An Introduction to Computer Science understand computer networks including the internet; how they can provide multiple services, such as the world-wide web; and the opportunities they offer for communication and collaboration  The Scratch Community use search technologies effectively, appreciate how results are selected and ranked, and be discerning in evaluating digital content Alphebetizing Machine Sorting Algorithms Tutorial (Mark Dorling) use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly; know a range of ways to report concerns and inappropriate behaviour  ThinkUknow (Important, before students go online and use Scratch Website) select, use and combine a variety of software (including internet services) on a range of digital devices to accomplish given goals, including collecting, analysing, evaluating and presenting data and information.  Data Logging CAS & TES Resource links generally need a free user account.

Making your first game

This fun tutorial shows you how to make your first game. a cute little platformer. 

1. First Game Scratch is a fun platform to make games on.  Here is a silent video tutorial to show you  how to make a very simple racing game.  FIRST GAME 2. Making a Drum Kit After you have made your first game, you might like to then have a go at making a drum kit.   Make sure you freeze the first frame to check you have code to go left and right.   YOUTUBE VIDEO 3. Making some simple Platforms Once you are able to go left and right, you can make some simple platforms.  YOUTUBE VIDEO You might like to make those platforms move to make a simple Crazy Platforms game. YOUTUBE VIDEO If you would like to see a more complete game, have a look at: 2 Player Platformer or  you can make a life system.  4. Adding Lives ADDING LIVES Fun Ideas to extend your game SIMPLE CODE COOKBOOK Other fun games to try and make A very well documented game -  Flappy Bats

Putting the words of the Curriculum into the Language of Scratch

The jargon seems to me, to look a lot easier when it is put into context via Scratch. I hope this is useful! 

Top 5 Scratch Games

Let's start as we mean to go on, by showing the fun side of Computing!  Here are the top 5 games, I've created to show children what can be done on Scratch!

5. Space Rescue 2
http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1582489/ 
Tough, but cool game.
Proved to year 10's Scratch can make real games!

4. Witches Test
http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/17387624/
Cute game with inventory! Bit slow on older PCs.

3. Space Defender
A classic arcade brought back to life
http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/2686879 

2.  2 Player Driving Flag Game
http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/14093641/
Just cool to play with a friend!


1. Platformer using VERY simple code

http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/2336283/ 
Great, because every child can have a go at remixing the game.