UK CanSat competition teacher workshop 2023/24 CY601 / A01
Summary
This workshop is aimed at teachers who have entered a team into the UK CanSat competition.
The first day of the workshop will be made up of the Python programming constructs: sequencing, selection and iteration course (you may be eligible for a subsidy for this course) and the Raspberry Pi Pico course. Following a day introducing the electronics and technologies that underpin a typical CanSat mission, the second day will provide an overview of the competition and teachers will be able to assemble, solder and code example CanSat kits. During the workshop teachers will be provided with the basic components of the CanSat to work on. Teachers will also explore a range of ideas that they can take back to the classroom to take their CanSat project to the next level.
The UK CanSat competition provides students with the opportunity to have practical experience working on a small-scale space project. Aimed at school and college students over the age of 14, CanSat is a European Space Agency competition. The CanSat competition provides students with their first practical experience of a real space project. They are responsible for all aspects of a typical space mission: selecting the components, testing, preparing for launch and then analysing the data.
ESERO-UK organises an annual UK CanSat competition, the winner of which will be invited to compete in the European CanSat competition. The competition is open to teams from any school or college in the UK. Team members must be over the age of 14 at the time of the competition.
In addition to the skills you will develop for the CanSat competition, the Python course is part of the Computer Science Accelerator programme. This is an accredited programme to upskill teachers in confidence and subject knowledge up to and including GCSE computer science. This programme is subsidy funded for teachers at state-maintained schools in England. You may wish to engage with further Python CPD, available face-to-face, remotely or online - click here to view all our programming courses.
Who is the course leader?
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Simon Roberts
I am a Subject Specialist in Computing, focusing on secondary education based at the National STEM Learning Centre in York.
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Outcomes
Participants will be able to:
- Understand the requirements for the CanSat competition
- Integrate and test electronic components of the CanSat kit
- Write basic programs in CircuitPython to record data and communicate it via radio to a ground station
- Use physical computing to engage in programming projects and subject knowledge development
- Create simple Python programs to control the Raspberry Pi Pico
- Become familiar with the Python programming language
- Develop some basic program constructs using variables, handling user input and output to the screen
- Use mathematical and logical operators to build functionality into programs
- Follow the flow of a program, identifying values held in variables at different stages of execution
- Create and control indefinite loop structures in programs
- Begin to evaluate programs and suggest improvements
Sessions
| Date | Time | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK CanSat competition teacher workshop - day 1 | 03 October 2023 | 10:00-19:00 | National STEM Learning Centre |
| UK CanSat competition teacher workshop - day 2 | 04 October 2023 | 09:00-16:00 | National STEM Learning Centre |
Notes
Meals and overnight accommodation are included for the duration of this course.
Actions
Fees & Subsidies
Additional information
If the course you would like to attend is fully booked, please contact enquiries@stem.org.uk to express your interest in being added to a waiting list. We will contact you when the course is due to run again.
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