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STEAM Co,  GOOGLE AND ARTS COUNCIL

We're beyond excited to be able to offer this fantastic day to UK schools.

This film shows what happened last time.

Coding and tech literacy have been a massive part of STEAM Co. since we ran our first Raspberry Pi and Lego WeDo activity at the first STEAM Co. Day in Paddington, London 8 years ago.

3D modelling, Python, Robocrocs, 3D printing, AR/VR, BBC Micro:bit, computational thinking... the rest is history.

So how to give back?

Well when Google asked us to come up with ideas to help them put some buzz into Europe Code Week we bit their hand off in true Lego RoboCroc stylee!!!

And we’ve come up with the STEAM Art of Code Day similar to the one we ran a couple of years ago in primary schools across the UK in London, Cornwall and Newcastle.

And now we're offering it to UK schools.

Even if you don’t win it this time, we can always come back another time if you’d like this session in your school.

THE #ART OF CODE DAY In a Nutshell

‘All school’ assembly – a 45 minute journey through the history of tech and amazing role models and firing/timing of Elon Must’s dynamite HypedLoop!

Four 45 minute hands on activities:

1. Micro Bits and Bytes– a chance to code the BBC Micro:bit.

2. 3D Worlds – hands on Virtual Reality, 3D photography, 3D modelling and 3D printing.

3. We are the robots - a chance to see our Lego rubies cube robot and how to code a Lego RoboCroc

4. Think like a computer – exercises in computational thinking.

ALL YOU NEED

All you need to provide are four class teachers, ideally with TA support, event better a few parents and creative carers from your school community.

We will send a full planning document, presentations with notes and activity training videos.

We’ll bring all the specialist kit. You will need to provide as many PCs and/or tablets as you can to make the activities as hands on as possible.

BOOK HERE. NOW

We have five of these days available free of charge but will be able to deliver this day to other UK schools after Code Week for a small donation. It should be as big, though not go as high, as our RocketKids session.

To be kept up to date or enquire as to availability, just email us at yourturn@steamco.org.uk with #ArtOfCodeDay in the subject line (and do please notice the small print at the bottom of the page):

The above data will not be passed to any third parties, including Google. It will only be used for this project unless you indicate otherwise.

OUR UK TOUR

Check out these three mini films from the tour of the days in schools in Tower Hamlets London, Whitstone - Cornwall and North Tyneside - Newcastle.

The STEAM ART oF Code Day

At the best of times a STEAM Co. Day is a school day like no other. This takes it to another level.

If you fancy a STEAM Co. Art of Code Day, we can come into your school, possibly with a few of our friends like Barclays Digital Eagle Labs and great resources from people like BT and Barefoot Computing and work with your community to stage one of these very special days.

All school assembly

This 45 minute journey takes the whole school on a roller coaster journey through the history of tech and the amazing people who made it all happen with their creativity and STEAM skills.

We include stories about:

• Ada Lovelace and Babbage (did you see her on the ITV Victoria drama?).

• Hidden Figures and how the maths skills of three black women helped get the Americans into space and into this fantastic movie.

• Code Cracking with the world's first electrical computer 'Colussus' at Bletchley and how Dr Sue Back and Twitter saved it from the scrap heap.

• How the Sinclair spectrum and hobby computers opened up the UK games industry.

• Why it's not all bits and bytes and the importance of Computational Thinking

• Easy coding with Scratch and how it can control a Lego Robocroc with a Raspberry Pi

• Coding the wearable £12 BBC Micro:bit computer using Block Editor and JavaScript

• Connecting TechLiteracy with career and life outcomes by looking at the jobs that will need tech skills from the obvious like programming and games development to digital media, and science (nearly everything really!)

• A look into the future, which is actually here now via Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality tech

• How one little boy taught himself to code and made millions and now runs four of the most innovative companies in the world: Elon Musk and Solar City, Space X, Tesla and Hyperloop

• As a grand finale, we'll fire a dynamite rocket powered Lego car carrying an Elon Must minifigure down a 30 foot HypedLoop tube system in the assembly hall and time it using a BBC Micro:bit like we did at Camp Bestival this summer!

Activities

After the assembly we'll help your school community (parents, teachers and local employers) to run four activities.

Each will consist of an introductory talk by the activity leader (a member of school staff, local volunteer, parent, employer, etc after a minimal briefing) who will be supported by people from the school community (minimal IT experience required and a full briefing pack and films will be sent in advance and summarised on the morning)

• 1: Micro Bits and Bytes - Children will be told about the concept of wearable computers and introduced to the BBC Micro:bit.

They will then be taken through a simple coding exercise and allowed to experiment with different programming ideas.

Requires ICT suite with laptops/desktop PCs connected to web and able to access BBC Micro:bit coding webpage. STEAM Co. will bring Micro:bits.

• 2: 3D Worlds - Children will be told about 3D computing, Virtual Reality, 3D photography, 3D modeling and 3D printing and get the chance to see/experience all of the above.

If ICT facilities allow, they will be able to try out the TinkerCAD 3D modeling software and maybe 3D print something.

This will require computers in an ICT suite or Tablets connected to the web and able to access TinkerCad. STEAM Co. will bring specialist equipment.

• 3: We are the Robots - This session will look at robots, AI and driverless cars and how they work.

Children will get the chance to programme a Lego Robot Crocodile to bite their finger.

This will require 6 laptops/desktop computers. STEAM Co. will bring the Robocrocs.

• 4: Think like a Computer - A session introducing the children to the idea of computational thinking. They will have a number of paper based activity sheets and games to play and a programmable Turtle to ‘code’. STEAM Co. will bring specialist equipment.

THANK THE village

As we say here at STEAM Co, 'It takes a whole village to inspire a child' and we really couldn't have pulled this off without the help of some very special people and companies who have helped us both here and back in the day.

small print

Process

STEAM Co. will choose the five schools from the submissions we receive on Sunday October 6th. We will notify all entrants of the winning schools and will be able to offer thsi day afterwards so do enter so we can communicate with you.

Google role

This project has been conceived and is being delivered by non-profit Community Interest Company STEAM Co. using funds generously provided by Google as part of our #ARTCONNECTS19 Arts Council England funded project. Beyond that Google and Arts Council England have no responsibility for the delivery of it, that's STEAM Co.'s job. Please do not contact Google.

Give and take

Time is tight and STEAM Co. is used to aiming high and coming somewhere close and will do our best to deliver something vaguely as promised but ask you to bear with us. We've not had any complaints so far.

Safeguarding

Our number one priority on STEAM Co. Days are the young people, both their enjoyment, education and safety and we take safeguarding very seriously. The schools safeguarding policy over rides all others and a copy of ours is available on request and will be provided prior to the day. We cannot guarantee that all our and our partners teams will have DBS clearance and all our team and their DBS status will be suitably identified. DBS certificates will be provided for all members that have them.

Community engagement

Community engagement with schools is very important to STEAM Co. so we'll need you to get a few carers engaged, these may be parents/guardians, local voluntary organisations, secondary children or employers. This is not a deal breaker as we're keen for this day to be enjoyed by any school, regardless of their setting.

Marketing

A condition of entry is that schools agree for STEAM Co. to film the Art of Code Day for marketing use by them and Google online, broadcast and other social and traditional media. The school will have full rights of review and approval for any film and photographs print to broadcast. We will do all this within the safeguarding and permissions policies of the chosen schools and do not want any school or child to be excluded form this opportunity due to their individual permissions and will either ensure they are not filmed or are anonymised in photos and films, again subject to school approval.

Anything else?

As is often the case round here, this plane took off before we'd finished building it. If you can think of anything we haven't, do let us know in the above form.