Wednesday, 15 October 2014

Tagxedo


A little old in terms of websites that have been seen before but still fun!

Monday, 13 October 2014

KS1 and KS2 Computing POS

Key Stage 1
Pupils should be taught to:

 understand what algorithms are, how they are implemented as programs on digital 
devices, and that programs execute by following a sequence of instructions
 write and test simple programs
 use logical reasoning to predict the behaviour of simple programs
 organise, store, manipulate and retrieve data in a range of digital formats
 communicate safely and respectfully online, keeping personal information private,
and recognise common uses of information technology beyond school.

Key Stage 2
Pupils should be taught to:
 design and write programs that accomplish specific goals, including controlling or 
simulating physical systems; solve problems by decomposing them into smaller 
parts
 use sequence, selection, and repetition in programs; work with variables and 
various forms of input and output; generate appropriate inputs and predicted 
outputs to test programs
 use logical reasoning to explain how a simple algorithm works and to detect and 
correct errors in algorithms and programs
 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
 describe how internet search engines find and store data; use search engines 
effectively; be discerning in evaluating digital content; respect individuals and 
intellectual property; use technology responsibly, securely and safely
 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.

Demystifing the Primary Computing Curriculum

Algorithms
A pupil should understand what an algorithm is, and what algorithms can be used for.

Programs
A pupil should know how to write executable programs in at least one language.
Data
A pupil should understand how computers represent data:
Computers

A pupil should know the main components that make up a computer system, and how they fit together (their architecture).

Communications / Internet
A pupil should understand the principles underlying how data is transported on the Internet.

Friday, 10 October 2014

How to Stop a Rumor Online (Before the Rumor Becomes a Lie)

Feliks Kogan/Shutterstock
Did you hear the thing about the Florida woman who implanted a third breast in order to be "unattractive to men"? The one who is filming"her daily life in Tampa to show the struggles she faces because of her surgery"?
She didn't, and she is not. The whole thing—for better or for worse—was a hoax.
The Internet moves quickly. Rumors emerge, intentionally and not; they spread, intentionally and not. There's a reason, of course, that "wildfire" is such a common metaphor when it comes to describing this stuff: Rumors, once sparked, don't just spread extremely quickly; they are also extremely difficult to contain. And on top of everything else, it is extremely hard to predict which direction they'll take as they spread.
* * *
Enter Emergent.info. The site, launched today after two months of testing and data-gathering, is hoping to change that by tracking rumors that arise in (pretty much) real time. As Craig Silverman, the rumor researcher who created the site, told me: "It's aiming to be a real-time monitoring of claims that are emerging in the press."