St Machar Computing

@kiranjoza @drewburrett @myjobscotland While it is difficult to get a permanent contract in the central belt there is also a big reluctance to move beyond the central belt. Yes it can be difficult to uproot your life but it also creates a narrative that there are 'no jobs' rather than 'no jobs here'

@drewburrett @myjobscotland It’s not a bad website but I think a lot of schools give up on advertising there when they don’t get applications? And then broadcasting that they have teacher vacancies is apparently seen as negative publicity for the schools? 😳

Given that we have so many teachers in Scotland struggling to find work and presumably lots of schools struggling to find teachers, has anyone come across any sort of match-making service/app to bring them together?

Fantastic news - great to see the huge variety of things going on at St Machar being recognised.

Good luck to all sitting their N5 and Higher Computing Science exams today. You can do it! 💻

Great news for the Young Enterprise groups

@mrmckaycomp I think its fantastic and gave the link to all in my Higher class, who also think its fantastic!

In April, I started uploading N5/Higher Computing past paper questions. I know this is small fry stuff for YouTube, but this view count seems quite cool, for a few past paper videos.

What a fantastic experience. Great to hear what my colleague thought of the Northlink boats @NLFerries . Should have got them to do the trip up there - can't beat the trip to Shetland in a force 8!

Good luck to all sitting their Admin exam today 💻

🥳@stmacharacademy in @aberdeencc is returning from the spring holiday with some amazing news - they've been awarded gold in the #SCQF School Ambassador Recognition Programme! 🧱Check them out on our wall at scqf.org.uk/support/suppor… #education #qualifications

Come and join our fantastic team! Teacher of Business Studies and ICT - St. Machar Academy - ABC10846 | Aberdeen City Council | myjobscotland myjobscotland.gov.uk/councils/aberd… via @myjobscotland

@CCooper1978 You don't have to develop all the teaching materials yourself - its completely fine and normal to use resources that already exist and just amend them to suit your own style.

Fantastic news! I know how much hard work you put into this. Onwards to Hospitality and Events courses next year

@skipperAitken @TheBrochProject Looking great already. Have wanted Minecraft for ages so pretty excited when I heard it might be coming our way and always love a chance to mention Shetland and hear the 'where is that??? its in the middle of the sea!!!!' comments 😅

@ComputingSt @TheBrochProject I have this but it needs reworked with LO/SC and levels etc. Happy to share our broch solutions when done docs.google.com/presentation/d…

Nice to see my S3 class so engaged with the Minecraft "code a broch" challenge. Lots of good discussion and testing of code covering different methods to tackle the problem. Use of fixed loops and agent position is key it seems! @TheBrochProject

@kiranjoza @GrumpyCompSci Don't underestimate the difference it can make from period 1 on a Monday when they are barely conscious to last thing on a Wednesday when they are fully tanked up on energy drinks and blue lollies 😒😅

@GrumpyCompSci The former sounds like a good reason. 👏🏽 The latter maybe less so - who likes Mondays? 😁

Today I was THAT teacher, and I don’t feel good about it. Colleague: that year 8 class are awful! How are they for you? Me: they behave for me What would a better response have been?

@MrJMBus_Ed Well done! You're well on your way to become the unicorn that is a Computing teacher 😅🦄

@MrStrachanMaths We use Scratch and Game Maker for level 4/5 and Godot or Pygame for level 6

What software are schools using for Games Design? We've been using MakeCode Arcade so far since it's free/in-browser/pupils can login with their Glow accounts. Just saw an ad for register.sandbox.game/gamemaker/ and got excited, before realising it would probably not be workable in skl?

@MrMcEnaney It works quite well and means that pupils have options to take subjects that might otherwise not run due to small numbers. It can also help pupils who find that they can't take a course they want in their own school due to a clash, but they can take it elsewhere.

@MrMcEnaney That's what we do in Aberdeen - its called 'City Campus' and pupils can opt to take Highers or Advanced Highers in other schools. All the schools have a similar timetable and the 'City Campus' courses are generally run 2 afternoons a week to help with moving between schools.

The council says that schools will offer Advanced Highers instead and pupils will move between them, but even if that's true (and some are sceptical) one big selling point of the Hub was the experience of learning in a uni environment. That is definitely being lost.

National 5 and Higher Assignments are available on the SQA Secure website from today.

@skipperAitken @Emma_Seith @mrmckaycomp @stacshq @MattersOfCS @InvernessHighCS I'm lucky in that my school has embraced NPAs - I still offer Higher but most of our options are NPAs and it has made a big difference to the uptake in the subject. I am optimistic for the Computing NPA that is currently in development and hope to see networking or AI in there

@skipperAitken @Emma_Seith @mrmckaycomp @stacshq @MattersOfCS @InvernessHighCS The problem with the N5 in particular is that it is coding, coding and more coding and those pupils with an interest in CS but not necessarily programming will end up hating the course by Christmas

📢Looking to hear from any #computing teachers to get their thoughts on where computing science is just now as a subject in Scottish schools - and what the priorities need to be to secure its future DMs are open! @mrmckaycomp @stacshq @MattersOfCS @skipperAitken @InvernessHighCS