A teacher produced workbook containing activities focused solely on database parts. The resource consists of a section on databases, a discussion of the pros and cons of flat file databases versus relational databases  which leads into how to create tables, insert data into them and then interact with them using...

A series of 20 activities related to Data Representation in the GCSE Syllabus. Activities include worksheets on Binary (including addition, shifting and conversions), character encoding systems, various aspects of how audio files are created and stored, Huffman Tree encodings, Denary and Hexadecimal conversions,...

Although this activity is not in the form of a lesson plan, the activity illustrates a good series of steps that students could either work through as a class, or in smaller groups/pairs. They could then be asked to pick from a selection of...

This resource contains an unplugged activity to model how home networks work. It builds up to increasingly more complex networks, adding in details such as routers, wifi aceess points and the internet along the way. The lesson plan contains links to the Progression Pathways documentation, and differentiation ideas...

Mobile app development is an engaging way for students to learn programming and interface design as many do, indeed, "love their smartphone".

This complete learning package teachers the origins and development of the smartphone, helping them to appreciate the amount of technology packed into their pocket. It...

There is a high demand for engineers in the UK and engineering is one of the most in demand jobs globally. From apprentices to technicians; graduates to postgraduates, engineers are needed at all levels, in a wide range of sectors.

This leaflet provides guidance for teachers, with key points about...

This resource details a real-world algorithm which students are unlikely to have encountered previously. The Luhn Algorithm is one method for validating that the long number on a credit/debit card is a valid number (it doesn't check if the card is actually a credit/debit one, just that the number conforms to the...

This activity from the Computer Science for Fun (CS4FN) team at QMUL is an introduction to algorithms suitable for those in upper primary school. A ‘self-working’ magic trick is shown – this is a trick that works every time, as long as the process is followed exactly. No understanding of the trick is needed by the...

This article discusses using mini battery powered computers to sense, and report back environmental data across a wide area in the Lake District. It talks about some of the ways in which this type of robotThis article discusses using...

Designed for students who have advanced through Scratch and are ready for additional challenge, this resource explores Build Your Own Blocks (BYOB) as a tool for learning modular programming using procedures. 

After examining, briefly, the history of the computer and the Turing Test as a measure of their...

These paired activities, from Paul Curzon of the CS4FN team, offer an interesting slant on search algorithms and their relative efficiency.

Students are asked to consider sufferers of ‘locked-in syndrome’, a condition that leaves a healthy mind inside body that is, often, completely paralysed. If the...

A short unplugged activity. This uses string and various other props to enable students to simulate the various network topologies required for GCSE Computing. The activities lead naturally into discussions around protocols, data collisions and reliability. A large open area may be required depending on the size...

This series of five one-hour lessons covers computer networks at secondary-school level. The objectives of the lessons are:

• Describe what a network is, the difference between a LAN and a WAN and identify three network topologies.
• Describe pieces of hardware that are needed in a network.
...

This resource contains some rules for an unplugged networking activity to model how routers and networks deal with transmitting packets of data. The activity is designed for 6 people to act as routers, who apply the routing rules to packets of data. There are 4 end points which send and receive packets according to...

This article from the CS4FN Magazine, looks into the ideas surrounding Intellectual Property, copyright, copyleft and patents and how these all apply (or don't) in the realm of computer programming and software. These ideas can be used as...