This session will allow students to explore how nature has enabled animals and plants to move on the surface of our planet and how this can be used to create future rovers for exploring Mars. How will future machines travel effectively across the various types of Martian terrain and survive some of the...

Neon careers resources are a comprehensive resource collection for everything engineering. The primary and secondary resources introduce students to future STEM careers, helping young people to understand more about the world of engineering...

Using the school network as a learning resource, this Barefoot Computing resource for primary schools introduces networked devices and the hardware infrastructure used to connect them. Children carry out a ‘treasure hunt’, searching for common networked devices such as switches, servers and printers. After mapping...

The first video examines the topology of modern networks – how the computers are arranged and connected together.  The history of network topologies is outlined briefly, before considering star networks in more detail.  The need for, and the advantages of a central switch, together with the concept of mesh and...

In this activity students consider how different methods of communication operate successfully. By looking at rules and procedures in place, students are introduced to communication protocols. By working through a role-play...

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 presentation includes a number of topics on Networks and HTML, and includes various exam questions and other activities for students to complete. The presentation covers a wide range of network related topics, briefly covering: Network Types, Media, Topology, Protocols, Handshaking, Transmission, TCP/IP and...

A scheme of work which although aimed at the upper end of Key Stage 2, is also suitable for delivery at the bottom end of Key Stage 3. The scheme contains a whole host of unplugged and plugged activities surrounding networks and communications, including the difference between the internet and the world wide web,...

This resource contains 6 presentations on various aspects of Networks and Network Management including

The Internet (DNS servers and IP addresses)

How Networks Communicate (IP addresses and packets)

Types of Network (Network topologies)

Peer-ToPeer vs Client/Server, LAN and WAN)

...

Students would find this Computing at School community resource useful as a revision resource for the topics of networks and the internet. It is suitable to be issued as a sequence of homework tasks.

Using LDRs and sparkles, the student learns how to code a nightlight coming on only once it gets dark. Digital switches can also be incorporated into this.

Normalisation of floating point binary numbers is usually a topic where students require practice. This pair of documents explain the technique and then provide a set of questions with answers for independent working.

The Inventive podcast uses storytelling to encourage listeners to find out more about engineers and what they do.  In each episode, Professor Trevor Cox interviews an engineer, and then a writer uses that interview as inspiration for a piece of fiction. The podcast brings...