I had the pleasure today of delivering two Raspberry Pi Minecraft based workshops to students attending school as part of a Primary Engagement Day.
Many of the students were really big Minecraft fans so I was off to a great start. After the usual quick build challenge we moved into the first of our activities. None of the students had used Python before but very quickly realised that you have to type the code in exactly as it is on the sheet. The first task was completed quickly and students were displaying messages in Minecraft.
The second task (making Steve fly) was really enjoyed by the students and many were keen to see what happens if they send him off in different directions! It was really good to see how quickly the students picked up the tasks and were at one point showing the older prefects from school how to do things.
A very common theme I have noticed when talking to colleagues about the new Computing Curriculum is the need for students to starting coding at an early age and how daunting this is. Activities like today reinforce for me that students are really keen to do programming and want to push themselves to extend their knowledge and skills.