OCR MOOC – new materials now available
A very short, but very important post today (I’d write more, but I have to hop on a plane). As you’ll know if you’re a regular reader, we’ve been supporting the exam board OCR in their production of Cambridge GCSE Computing, a Massively Open Online Course (MOOC) for kids and teachers – and everybody else – which is structured around their highly regarded Computing GCSE.
Clive demonstrates some fundamental computing concepts for the MOOC using some sprouts, a few prawns and a blender.
OCR have just released the second phase of development, and there are now 80 videos live on the site, along with supporting materials. This MOOC is still under development, so the final version will not be structured in quite the way you see here; but there’s plenty of material for you to work your way through already, and our friends at OCR would love to hear what your thoughts. You can read much more about the project in an article from today’s V3 (just as well, really, given that I have to drive to the airport in a few minutes). Let us know what you think in the comments!
14 comments
The Raspberry Pi Guy
I’m doing the OCR computing GCSE at school and this MOOC has left me a tad confused – is it designed to give people a qualification? A GCSE at the end of it?
The Raspberry Pi Guy
Raspberry Pi Staff liz — post author
I’m afraid you still have to take the exam!
The Raspberry Pi Guy
Drat!
JamesH
But hopefully, if you know all the stuff presented, you’ll pass the exam, no problems!
The Raspberry Pi Guy
The syllabus is pretty easy I’m finding… I just managed to persuade my school to actually do Computing though! They refused to offer it as an actual option and now it is a afterschool club, not ideal but better than nothing!
The Raspberry Pi Guy
clive
Have a look at the FAQ!
http://www.cambridgegcsecomputing.org/faq
Napier
I’m currently volunteering at a school. We need worksheets that will support learning across a wide range of abilities that will only take an hour as that is all we have – does such a thing exist ? If they work standalone as well as a series, so much the better.
Stewart Watkiss
Have you looked at the OCR recipe cards and classroom challenges?
http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/by-subject/computing/raspberry-pi/
I haven’t actually tried any on children but they look like they are well thought through.
Napier
Hello Stewart, thank you for taking the time to reply. Yes, we have looked at these but they are quickly exhuasted. I’m just a little taken aback by the lack of integrated material, given the stated aims of increasing the level of technical education.
perrodingoo
Oh, boy! I thought in the picture was that man with blender… “Will it bland?” :D
AndrewS
Have a read through the http://www.raspberrypi.org/faqs :-D
suchenwi
Nicely done, but the videos are a bit overpartitioned. I think a student can stand 4..5 minutes apiece if it’s on one topic (and there’s always the Pause button – in contrast to having to do Escape, reorientate where the next snippet is, click, enlarge…). In comparison, I watched a (random) video from Khan Academy, and found it better dimensioned.
Richard
Where can we leave feedback about the course content?
Shutz
There is a feedback “form” on the home page http://www.cambridgegcsecomputing.org/
:)