Technology may not have the wow factor of a shiny new performing centre on open days, but schools that know their Python from their Raspberry Pi are developing a whole new generation of programming prodigies, says Charlotte Phillips
Forget lions, witches and wardrobes. At RGS The Grange in Worcester, it?s the staircase leading up to the IT department that has a particularly magical dimension. Each step plays a note, courtesy of the school?s tech-savvy pupils. Work your way up or down and you can perform an entire scale. The particularly fleet of foot can presumably conjure up a series of rippling arpeggios.
And all it takes, says Matt Warne, Head of Computing and IT at the school, is a bit of know-how, courtesy of a nifty piece of software that can turn anything that conducts electricity ? including bananas and Plasticine (who knew") ? into a keyboard. At Bury Catholic Prep School, Greater Manchester, augmented reality is adding movement and excitement to lessons like history. Why limit yourself to a static picture of the Roman army, when you can point an iPad at it and trigger a video of pupils in Years One and Two marching in formation" ?It really brings lessons to life,? says the school?s ICT Coordinator Helen Lent.
Robotics and AI
At Latymer Prep in west London, Year Six pupils programme a small, smiley robot that can not only move around by itself but ? with help from Head of Computing, Nic Hughes ? is able to develop a sense of self-preservation, stopping ...