Month: November 2022

Clwb Codio Treganna visits the Sony UK Technology Centre

Mae Clwb Codio yn golygu llawer mwy na dim ond dysgu sut i raglennu. Mae ein clybiau’n cynnig sgiliau gwerthfawr i godwyr ifanc, gan gynnwys sut i ddatrys problemau, cyfathrebu a meithrin gwydnwch personol a fydd yn fuddiol iddyn nhw drwy gydol eu bywydau.

Gwelsom yr ysbrydoliaeth y gall y profiadau hyn gynnig pan aeth 21 o blant brwdfrydig o Glwb Codio Treganna, Caerdydd ar daith i Ganolfan Dechnoleg Sony UK ym Mhencoed!

Clwb Codio Treganna

Canolfan Dechnoleg Sony UK (TEC), tua 20 munud y tu allan i Gaerdydd, yw lle mae cyfrifiaduron Raspberry Pi yn cael eu cynhyrchu. Dechreuodd Sony First gynhyrchu cyfrifiaduron Raspberry Pi yn ôl yn 2012, gan greu tua 10,000 o unedau’r flwyddyn. Maen nhw nawr yn cynhyrchu un Raspberry Pi bob 3.1 eiliad!

Yn ogystal â chreu’r caledwedd, mae Sony UK TEC hefyd yn cynnal ymweliadau addysgol ar gyfer ysgolion cynradd i ysbrydoli eu dysgwyr i godio. Nod y teithiau a’r gweithdai yw ennyn diddordeb mewn technoleg a gweithgynhyrchu, a helpu i ddatblygu dealltwriaeth dechnolegol arloeswyr y dyfodol.

Mynychodd Clwb Codio Treganna y rhaglen ‘Learn 2 Code’, a oedd yn para diwrnod llawn ac yn cynnwys taith o gwmpas llawr y ffatri waith, a gweithdy codio yn seiliedig ar brosiectau’r Raspberry Pi Foundation. 

Trefnwyd yr ymweliad gan yr arweinydd clybiau profiadol, Marcus Davage, sydd wedi bod yn rhedeg Clwb Codio yn Ysgol Gymraeg Treganna ers dwy flynedd, ac yn Ysgol Gymraeg Melin Gruffydd rhwng 2016 a 2019. Pan nad yw’n datblygu meddalwedd ar gyfer prif gyfrifiaduron IBM, mae’n tincran â chyfrifiaduron Raspberry Pi.

“Mae ymweliadau fel hyn mor bwysig i blant. Maen nhw’n dod â thechnoleg yn fyw, gan ddangos i blant sut mae pethau’n edrych y tu allan i’r ystafell ddosbarth. Mae’n rhoi rhagflas o’r cyfleoedd fydd ar gael yn eu gyrfaoedd yn y dyfodol.”

Arweiniwyd y gweithdy gan Steven Lewis, cyn arweinydd y Clwb Codio sydd yn Addysgwr Ardystiedig Raspberry Pi. Tywysodd Steve y grŵp drwy’r prosiect Physical computing with Raspberry Pi, gan herio’r plant i greu system o oleuadau traffig drwy ddefnyddio Raspberry Pi a LEDs. 

Dangosodd Steve i’r plant sut i raglennu’r caledwedd gan ddefnyddio Scratch a Python, cyn iddyn nhw gael yr opsiwn i gwblhau’r prosiect yn yr iaith rhaglennu o’u dewis. Penderfynodd tua 50% o’r grŵp barhau i raglennu yn Python – roedd hi’n galonogol gweld y bobl ifanc yn rhoi cynnig ar iaith rhaglennu seiliedig ar destun. 

Rhannodd Steve ei feddyliau: 

“Roedd y daith yn gyfle pwysig i’r Clwb Codio [weld] arloesedd digidol yn y byd go iawn yn ogystal ag enghreifftiau o rai o’r swyddi lleol sydd ar gael yn y diwydiant technoleg. Rydyn ni’n argymell y dylai pob Clwb Codio drefnu ymweliad!”

Beth oedd barn y plant am y profiad?

Fe siaradon ni â dau o’r plant, Bella (10) a Mica (10), am eu profiadau gyda’r Clwb Codio a’r daith i Sony UK TEC.

Bella (10) a Mica (10)

Beth ydych chi’n ei hoffi am godio?

Bella: Dw i’n meddwl ei fod yn ffordd dda o ddysgu pethau newydd ac o gael cyfleoedd amrywiol i wneud pethau!

Mica: Dw i’n hoffi’r ffaith bod modd gwneud lot o bethau gwahanol, ac mae’n brofiad da o ran defnyddio technoleg.

Beth wnaethoch chi ei fwynhau fwyaf am yr ymweliad â Chanolfan Dechnoleg Sony UK?

Bella: Fe wnes i fwynhau’r ffordd y gwnaethon nhw ddangos gwahanol rannau’r ffatri i ni a sut roedd y darnau’n cael eu rhoi at ei gilydd. Cawson ni gyfle i godio goleuadau traffig hefyd, oedd yn anodd!

Mica:Wnes i fwynhau eu bod nhw’n dangos sut yn union roedd creu’r Raspberry Pi yn y ffatri.

Pa ffaith (neu ffeithiau) cŵl wnaethoch chi eu dysgu yn ystod eich taith?

Bella: Roedd Sony yn gwneud llawer o bethau eraill hefyd yn ogystal â’r Raspberry Pi, er enghraifft camerâu.

Beth ydych chi’n bwriadu codio yn y dyfodol?

Bella: Dw i am fwrw ymlaen i godio yn yr ysgol uwchradd! Gobeithio bod clwb ar gael.

Mica: Byddwn i’n hoffi rhaglennu gêm, gêm ddylunio efallai lle rwyt ti’n gallu creu dy gymeriadau dy hun.

Os ydych chi wedi cael eich ysbrydoli i sefydlu Clwb Codio yng Nghymru ac i roi’r cyfle i bobl ifanc ddysgu sgiliau gwerthfawr gydol oes, cysylltwch â Sarah Eve Roberts yn wales@codeclub.org 

Clwb Codio Treganna visits the Sony UK Technology Centre

Code Club is about much more than teaching programming. Our clubs provide young coders with valuable skills in problem-solving, communication, and resilience that benefit them throughout their lives. 

We saw how inspiring these experiences can be when 21 excited children from Clwb Codio Treganna, Cardiff went on a trip to the Sony UK Technology Centre in Pencoed!

Clwb Codio Treganna at Sony Technolgy Centre

The Sony UK Technology Centre (TEC), located 20 minutes outside of Cardiff, is where Raspberry Pi computers are manufactured. Sony first began manufacturing Raspberry Pi computers back in 2012, at around 10,000 units per year. They now output one Raspberry Pi every 3.1 seconds!

In addition to creating the hardware, Sony UK TEC also runs educational visits for primary schools to inspire their learners about coding. The tours and workshops aim to spark an interest in technology and manufacturing, and to help to develop the technological understanding of the innovators of the future.

A Raspberry Pi computer

Clwb Codio Treganna attended the ‘Learn 2 Code’ programme, which lasted a full day and included a tour of the working factory floor and a coding workshop based on Raspberry Pi Foundation projects. 

The visit was organised by experienced club leader, Marcus Davage, who has been running a Code Club at Ysgol Gymraeg Treganna for two years, and at Ysgol Gymraeg Melin Gruffydd from 2016 to 2019. When not developing software for the IBM mainframe, he tinkers about with Raspberry Pi computers himself.

“Visits like this are so important to children. They bring to life what tech is all about, showing children the bigger picture outside the classroom. It’s a taster of the opportunities available for their future careers.” 

The workshop was led by Steven Lewis, a past Code Club club leader and a Raspberry Pi Certified Educator. Steve led the group through the Physical computing with Raspberry Pi project, challenging the children to create a traffic light system using a Raspberry Pi and LEDs. 

Steve showed the children how to programme the hardware using both Scratch and Python before they were given the option to complete the project in their chosen programming language. Around 50% of the group decided to continue programming in Python — it was encouraging to see the young people try out a text-based programming language. 

Steve shared his thoughts: 

“Children love physical computing, it provides a way they can interact with the real world through their code. The workshops also give children the opportunity to explore and tinker with Scratch and Python in a different environment.” 

Marcus told us:  

“The trip was an important opportunity for the Code Club to [see] digital innovation in the real world as well as examples of some of the local jobs available in the tech industry. We recommend all Code Clubs book a visit!” 

What did the children think of the experience?

We spoke to two of the children, Bella (10) and Mica (10), about their experiences with Code Club and the trip to Sony UK TEC.

Bella (10) and Mica (10)

What do you like about coding?

Bella: I think it’s a good way to learn new things and have different opportunities to do things!

Mica: I like how you can do different things with it and it’s a good experience with technology.

What did you enjoy most about the visit to the Sony UK Technology Centre?

Bella: I enjoyed how they showed us around the different parts of the factory and how the pieces are put together. We also had a chance to code traffic lights which was difficult!

Mica:I enjoyed that they showed us exactly how the Raspberry Pi was created in the factory.

What cool fact(s) did you learn during your trip?

Bella: Sony also made lots of other things, not just Raspberry Pi, for example cameras.

What are you planning on coding in the future?

Bella: I want to carry on with coding in high school! I hope there is a club.

Mica: I would like to program a game, maybe a designing game where you can create your own characters.

If you’re inspired to set up a Code Club in Wales and give young people the opportunity to learn valuable life-long skills, contact Sarah Eve Roberts at wales@codeclub.org

Take part in our Clubs Conference

We are excited to announce that Code Club and CoderDojo will host the first-ever Clubs Conference from Friday 24 to Saturday 25 March 2023 at Churchill College, Cambridge and we’d like to invite you to join us!

The Clubs Conference is a participatory event that gives volunteers and educators the chance to celebrate the achievements of our community and explore the innovative ways adults are supporting young people to create with technology.

What you can look forward to

On Friday 24 March, you’ll have the opportunity to register early, enjoy club showcases, and attend an informal networking event to connect with other community members. 

On Saturday 25 March, expect a day filled with learning opportunities that includes:

  • Thought-provoking talks and keynotes
  • Hands-on, easy-to-follow workshops across a range of programming topics
  • Plenty of informal chats, meetups, and opportunities for you to connect with others

If the pandemic taught us anything, it is the value of connecting with others in person. Join us to learn from community members running clubs in diverse contexts, develop your creative making skills, and share your own insights.

Contribute to the Clubs Conference

We’re putting together a full and exciting schedule of participatory activities led by members of the Code Club, CoderDojo, and Raspberry Pi Foundation communities. This is where you come in — we’d love to invite you to host a session!

This call is open to all registrants. Let us know your idea for a session on the registration form below and we will be in touch to hear more. We’re also interested in hearing about any topics you’d like to see explored at the conference, even if you aren’t able to deliver the session yourself!

We are looking for the following content:

  • Club demos (Friday afternoon only)
  • Posters
  • Workshops
  • Discussion sessions
  • Presentations
  • Ignite talks

Interested in attending the conference?

Although we would like to welcome everyone to join us in person in Cambridge, the venue offers limited capacity. To help manage the numbers of volunteers and educators attending the conference, we are providing an expression of interest form before tickets become available in the new year.

If you plan to attend or contribute to the event in Cambridge in March 2023, please fill in the form below. We hope to welcome all those who wish to attend and contribute to the conference, but we are unable to guarantee this at this time.

I want to attend the Clubs Conference

To help those who would love to participate but feel the costs of travelling could prohibit them from attending, we are including the option for people to apply for a travel bursary.

We are only able to offer a contribution towards travel and accommodation to a limited number of community members who would otherwise be unable to attend the conference. To be eligible for consideration, you must:

  • Be registered as a host or volunteer at a Code Club or Dojo within the UK or Ireland
  • Be available to attend the Clubs Conference in Cambridge
  • Have submitted an application to attend the conference

If you are based outside of the UK or Ireland and have any questions about the Clubs Conference or bursary scheme, please contact Isabel Ronaldson, our Global Community Coordinator, on isabel.ronaldson@raspberrypi.org. 

Join remotely

To make the conference accessible to our wider CoderDojo and Code Club community, and for those unable to attend in person, we are planning to live stream some of the talks and keynotes online. If you are unable to attend the event in Cambridge and would like to be kept informed of the online elements of the event, please register using this form.

We’re looking forward to hearing from you about the type of content you’d like to see at your #ClubsCon23!

Rich Hind gets back to Code Club and shares his tips for running a dynamic club!

Long-term community member Rich Hind took a break from Code Club, but in 2021 he resumed his adventure with code and launched a new club at Congleton Library in Cheshire, England. Rich shares his experience and advice on getting back to running a Code Club.

Community member, Rich Hind

Starting a Code Club after a break, or even starting one from scratch (pardon the pun), can feel like a daunting task. However, you have so much support around you from the Code Club team and other volunteers across the country (there’s a whole gaggle of us on Twitter to help!).

I remember launching my first Code Club in 2016, and facing that first group of children felt very intimidating. In some ways, those feelings were there again when I started up my new club in 2021, at Congleton Library in Cheshire, England. 

It had been over three years since I had run my last club, and it was now in a new location where no one knew my previous achievements with so many cohorts of kids.

It can feel overwhelming, but there are several things that work to your advantage if you are returning after a break.

The kids want to be there!

This isn’t your usual after-school club. The crowd you attract to this are going to be very keen on this specific area, and the interest and engagement will be very different to something that is considered ‘school’.

Some will be absolutely new to the idea of coding, some will have had a go on their own (some might even give you a run for your money!), but they want to be in the group. They’ve chosen to join you!

Some members of Congleton Code Club

You are building on a foundation of experience

Whether in the past you have run one module of the Code Club materials or you have run a club for years, you have experience you can build upon which is absolutely going to hold you in good stead. I found that within ten minutes of standing in front of the class again, my muscle memory kicked in and a lot of old knowledge came flooding to the front of my mind — for example, how to encourage kids to keep focused on a task! We all know that sometimes that can be hard.

I will always break down bigger tasks into chunks and piece them up, or get the class to break a big task into steps. I often get the children to act out what we are trying to achieve. For example, in the Scratch project Lost in space, I get one child to be the rocket and one to be the Earth, and we physically walk through each step in space to make a list of what each bit of code needs to do.

Lost in Space Scratch project

If Code Club is entirely new to you, why not use the expertise of others? You can find a fully formed session all ready for you to deliver in the first session pack. There are so many resources available to you. Make sure you explore the resource library.

Write it all down

When running my last Code Club, I started a blog to write down my thoughts, ideas, and plans for future lessons, and it worked well (until the coronavirus pandemic). I would recommend doing some pre- and post-work for every session, as this helped me remember what worked (and what didn’t), along with ideas and improvements for the future.

My pre-work is:

  1. Running through the lesson plan from beginning to end. This jogs the brain into remembering what you need to do, and allows me to make notes on where I think the stumbling blocks are for the children. Sometimes it’s good as it lets you let them make mistakes and figure out the steps!
  2. I screenshot and print out the sections of the code, and have them to hand — this helps me as I have a fully formed version of each sprite’s/background element’s code and I can refer to it quickly if I want a quick refresher or to compare it to a child’s code to ensure it’s running smoothly.

My post-work is:

  1. I make some notes when I get home about what worked, and what didn’t. This can be what the class struggled with, and what they excelled at. It can also include things about where you thought they would struggle and they didn’t, or bits you were surprised they found tough. Every child is different.
  2. I write it up as a blog post, and put in bits of code and screenshots and chat about how it went. I now refer to older blog posts and compare years, see how the group did and what the differences are, and build upon the previous sessions.

I hope that your new clubs, be they completely brand new or ones you have restarted, run fantastically! The whole Code Club volunteer community are rooting for you and are always happy to answer any questions. Come and say hello to me on Twitter.

You can inspire young people by setting up a Code Club in your community. Find out how!