Computer Science teachers often spend many hours searching for the ideal resource. Pictured is one of those search sessions with my assistant (old laptops always useful as a decoy perching place ) who is now no longer around to offer appropriate distraction events. Over the years the sophistication of resources and organisations that have emerged have at times seemed ad hoc (including my own blogs and resources over last 25 years) and at other times mind blowing for the breadth and organisation of topic content. The realisation that computing science will unlock future wealth and wellbeing for the UK population has now started to reach a level of engagement by government and industry such that the investment is now there. The biggest hurdle is now to persuade our youth that we have the means to give them the skills to be successful in the Silicone Age and connected workplace. We do not have enough pupils selecting Computing Science or even IT as an option past Year 9. They may come back later as a part of a life long learning pathway when they realise how ubiquitous Computing Science has become to society. We need to nurture and support interest from primary school onwards to have that talent engaged and exploring new horizons.

The justification for this blogpost over. Now onto what is going on nationally and in the Greater Cambridge area. By Greater Cambridge area I mean those settlements affected by the Cambridge Effect. Namely Cambridge itself, Newmarket, Ely, Cambourne, Haverhill plus areas within the travel to work/school orbit. This is part one as there are now so many Cambridge centric resources and organsiations pushing the boundaries of communication of technology know how. Here are some resources I have personal knowledge of in no particular order of importance. More can be found on Cambolc’s website cambolc.co.uk. We also microblog in the X-verse as @Cambolc. My personal Linkedin Profile Posts also covers developments as they happen and I become aware of them.

Ada Computer Science

A great resource for Computer Science Students and Teachers at the GCSE and A level. A free resource from the @RaspberryPi_iorg (Raspberry Pi Foundation) and the University of Cambridge. I wish this had been available when teaching GCSE Computing Science at a Cambridgeshire Village College pre-lockdown, my Grade 7 and 8 students might have had the extra support of an independent learning scaffold to join the one (female) student who acheived a Grade 9. Sometimes it is not always about how good the teacher is but about the curiosity and encouragement to explore that makes great success stories for the pupils.

XR Lab at West Suffolk University Professional Development Centre, Bury St Edmunds

To use one of my nephews words the XR Lab is AWSOME! Attended at Digital Schoolhouse Lunch there on Wednesday as part of the local Norfolk and Suffolk Computing at School group. A serious amount of AR headsets combined with major computing power suggests that the Cambridge Effect now includes the West Suffolk big hitter of Bury St Edmunds (I’ m from Haverhill so we have a bit of an underdog relationship with Bury). I will blog more on this in detail later as being a little selfish I want to give where I am teaching a little head start in accessing some of the workshops on offer to Key Stage 2, 3 and 4.

Centre for Computing History

One of my favourites to visit and see all the legacy/retro computing engines that I was priveliged to use at school (only 3 of us out 800 were allowed to touch and program the Research Machine Limited RML 380z in BASIC). The ZX81 which was my first personal computer can also be seen. Also this was originally founded in Haverhill off the High Street in the Counting House of Gurteens the local mill owner who 150 years after its founding supplied many of the British Army uniforms in WWI. Gurteens are still going though manufacturing in Portugal and shipping the suits they produce to their warehouse that can store 1 million suits in Haverhill. They even have a steam engine they fire up every once in a while. Sadly the bridge between the old and the new moved to Cambridge as basically better connected to the digiverse. I have visited a number of time and pre-lockdown was a member as I felt it was well worth supporting as they offer great educational experiences supported by major sponsors from the IT industry. You may also see often some of their legacy tech adorn the sets of major “period” TV dramas.

As teaching work starts soon I will close this part of the blog. A little longer blogpost than intended as we try on the Cambolc Blog to limit it 250 or 500 pennies worth of thought. More to follow.