Inspiring great teaching through Kodu
https://youtu.be/tg8-1Sk1Ugg Today I had a great day at the CAS South West Regional conference held at Plymouth University. It was a fantastic opportunity to find some new ideas to test out. I particularly enjoyed learning more from Nic Hughes (@duck_star) about the crumbles and testing out the crumble bots. I can't wait to begin making... Continue Reading →
Gruffalo cut scene planning Designing my Gruffalo World A far more complex skill on Kodu than creating a simple game is creating an animation or cut scene. These are really impressive when they are achieved as they allow a storytelling element to be added to the game. They can be triggered by a range of... Continue Reading →
This is a project that I carried out with Year 6 pupils. Initially they had to design their world and we looked at the different characters in a Mario game and their behaviours (e.g. when they bump a flower, they can shoot bombs, etc.) This was a project for pupils who had already had plenty... Continue Reading →
My latest article for the TES was written for their Lego hub which is aimed at primary teachers, who are in general new to teaching coding. You can read it in full here.
Files and planning for this unit can be downloaded here This unit is taught in Year 5 after pupils have been introduced to Kodu through the Kodu Basics unit. It is taught at a time when pupils are learning about Greek myths and they are studying these in their English lessons. This unit focuses on... Continue Reading →
My series of articles on the TES Subject Genius blog focus on different areas to consider when becoming Computing coordinator in your school. This guide is aimed at primary teachers and settings, where more often than not, becoming in charge of computing is something thrust upon staff, rather than a choice they make. My guide... Continue Reading →
Have a look at some of my help videos on my YouTube site. They are aimed at developing specific skills on Kodu based around the schemes of work I have developed. These include aspects to help make a maze game based around Theseus and the Minotaur, and elements like behaviours to help with Mario-inspired games.
Here are some resources for Kodu lessons that were completed over a period of four 2-hour sessions with Year 5 and 6 pupils. Pupils have a checklist for each lesson focused on a different aspect of the game and its development. Pupils develop their own skills by working through game task ideas and skills aimed at... Continue Reading →
Kodu Classroom 