How to Teach Computer Science
It’s here! HTTCS the podcast. Listen to extracts from the book ”How to Teach Computer Science” read by me, the author Alan Harrison. I’ll discuss the thinking behind the content, bring it up to date with the latest news and research and help you understand how to use the knowledge in your classroom. See https://httcs.online for more info.
Episodes
2 days ago
2 days ago
S2 E01: Pete and I discuss Microbits, Pis and the hassles of getting permission to drop something from a drone. Making computing interesting - don't say "fun"! And we go off-topic about AI, report-writing and much more. Series 2 begins with a bang, my dog gets another new name, and there will be jokes. Terrible, terrible jokes. You have been warned.
Sunday May 26, 2024
What’s the Future of Education? Part 2
Sunday May 26, 2024
Sunday May 26, 2024
The concluding part of my chat with David Morgan aka "The Lesson Hacker". We talk AI-drawn Labradors with two tails, AI failing to get Star Trek uniforms right, and the end of the costume rental industry! We also talk about important stuff like adaptive teaching and personalised learning.
Transcript at httcs.online/blog
David's website: mindjoy.com
Buy me a coffee: ko-fi.com/mraharrisoncs
Use the discount code at johncattbookshop.com
Friday May 03, 2024
What’s the future of education?
Friday May 03, 2024
Friday May 03, 2024
David Morgan of Craig'n'Dave and Mindjoy joins me to talk about the future. Apparently it's here already, who knew? Personalised teaching bots, the history of cheating and how to become a "10x teacher". We talk ChatGPT, CS50.ai and making our own PRIMM bot. We bond over Microsoft Encarta and a shared dislike of differentiated worksheets (*shudder*). This episode features the phrase "I spent the weekend making a semantic waves bot", which you don't hear every day. Part 1 of 2, because we could not stop chuntering on. Part 2 next week.
Read the transcript on my blog httcs.online/blog, or buy my books, hire me for a school INSET or bespoke training and more, at httcs.online.
Register for the free live event we discuss in the pod at mindjoy.com and scroll down to Upcoming Events or click here
And buy me a coffee at ko-fi.com/mraharrisoncs - Thanks!
Saturday Apr 20, 2024
How Do We Teach Algorithms?
Saturday Apr 20, 2024
Saturday Apr 20, 2024
One of the best known creators of computing education content, one half of Craig'n'Dave, Dave Hillyard, joins me to talk about Hungarian Dancers, Snakes and Ladders and the day we did a "collab". It's abstractions all the way down in this epic that you must listen to if you teach algorithms.
Transcript on my blog at httcs.online/blog
Buy me a coffee at ko-fi.com/mraharrisoncs
Buy my book and more with your discount code (listen to the pod to find out) at johncattbookshop.com
Thursday Apr 11, 2024
How Hard Can it Be?
Thursday Apr 11, 2024
Thursday Apr 11, 2024
Rachel Arthur from Teach First joins me to talk all things Initial Teacher Training. We discuss the joys of teaching computing, routes into teaching, what to expect from your placements and why we need more recruits for the robot apocalypse! And find out if Rachel and I are even human or perhaps just deepfakes. Confused? You will be in Episode 7!
Transcript at httcs.online/blog
Buy me a coffee at https://ko-fi.com/mraharrisoncs
Buy my books at httcs.online
Thanks!
Thursday Mar 28, 2024
How do we prepare for exams?
Thursday Mar 28, 2024
Thursday Mar 28, 2024
Miss Tough joins me to discuss exam preparation: revision techniques, retrieval practice, making mind maps (or not!) answering exam questions. Playing Taboo! and corny computing jokes. I tell you what happened in the 80s when I swung on my chair and we discuss teacher cliches like "it's your own time you're wasting!"
Transcript on my blog at httcs.online/blog
Listen for a discount code for 20% off at johncattbookshop.com
Buy me a coffee at ko-fi.com/mraharrisoncs
Thanks!
Saturday Mar 16, 2024
How Do We Teach Programming?
Saturday Mar 16, 2024
Saturday Mar 16, 2024
I meet the teenagers behind "Mission Encodable", a Python tutorial website, hear their stories of learning to code and why they made the product. I reminisce about my classroom days when I wrote "10 PRINT "MY TEACHER IS AN IDIOT" / 20 GOTO 10" and I share a promo code for my books and more at johncattbookshop.com .
Mission Encodable is here missionencodeable.com
The full Transcript is here and my podcast page is at pod.httcs.online
Buy me a coffee at ko-fi.com/mraharrisoncs thanks!
Thursday Mar 07, 2024
How DO we teach Computer Science?
Thursday Mar 07, 2024
Thursday Mar 07, 2024
In this episode I explore pedagogy, the art of teaching, with the help of highly experienced computer science teacher Andy Colley. We talk explicit instruction, cold calling, checking for understanding, PRIMM and much more, and agree that lots of computing-related jokes are not very funny. I wrestle with a printer and Andy goes off on a tangent more than once. A bumper 43-minute episode you cannot miss!
Transcript here: httcs.online/pod004
Buy my books here: httcs.online/books
Buy me a coffee here: ko-fi.com/mraharrisoncs thanks! Enjoy :)
Thursday Feb 29, 2024
What have Braille and Burger Emojis got in common?
Thursday Feb 29, 2024
Thursday Feb 29, 2024
What have Braille and Burger Emojis got in common? I take a deep dive into the subject of Data Representation with the help of my special guest Andrew Virnuls of advanced-ict.info, we demystify binary, bit depth and sample rate, talk about cross-stitching, and I reveal the winners of recent competitions!
Transcript at httcs.online/blog. If you enjoyed this episode, buy me a coffee at ko-fi.com/mraharrisoncs or buy my books at httcs.online/books. Thanks!
Thursday Feb 22, 2024
HTTCS Episode 002: What IS Computer Science?
Thursday Feb 22, 2024
Thursday Feb 22, 2024
How to Teach Computer Science episode 2, "What IS Computer Science", in which I attempt to cover the whole spec in 30 minutes, from Data Representation through Programming and Algorithms to Issues and Impacts: a whistle-stop tour of the core and hinterland.
Transcript at httcs.online/pod002
Full episode list at pod.httcs.online
Buy me a coffee at ko-fi.com/mraharrisoncs Thanks!
How to Teach Computer Science
Hello and welcome to "How to Teach Computer Science", the podcast. I've had a lot of people say to me, Alan, your book has been recommended to me and it looks fantastic, but I just don't have time to read it. So if that was you, here it is. Here's the pod.. And welcome to the opening episode. It's just me and the crazy stories in the books. If you like what you hear, why not drop me a few quid at ko-fi.com/mraharrisoncs Thanks!