On Wednesday 19th November, eleven Year 9 students, accompanied by the ICT prefects, visited Cardiff University to find out more about programming. The day began with the use of Greenfoot - a programming language relying on logic and sequencing. Little direction was given but the girls soon worked out the requirements independently and we were proud of their efforts. Some created very entertaining crab eating games! After a short break the girls worked in small teams to build the tallest balloon tower possible. Co-operation, creativity and diverse ideas demonstrated how software engineering is implemented - programmers working together rather than in isolation. After a delicious lunch provided by the University the students used Python programming language installed on the Raspberry Pi. This tiny Device is a low cost, credit-card sized computer that plugs into a computer monitor or TV, and uses a standard keyboard and mouse. It is a capable little device that enables people of all ages to explore computing. Lots of exciting patterns and shapes were created and LEDs operated. It was a most informative day that highlighted to Year 9 how Computer Science and Informatics could be their chosen future path of study.
This event was organised by EESW and the Girls into STEM Scheme.