If you'd like to find out more about Computing at the University of Northampton go to: www.computing.northampton.ac.uk. All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated withRobot Red visits Year Three! @scottturneruon pic.twitter.com/mtGM4f9XRy— St Luke's Primary (@DustonStLukes) April 26, 2016
Tuesday 26 April 2016
NAO Red vists Duston
Monday 25 April 2016
Team ET — Virtual Reality in Education
Team ET — Virtual Reality in Education: "Virtual Reality in Education
Virtual Reality has been tipped to make great strides in the technology industry over the last few years. Big names like Samsung, HTC, Google and Facebook have attached themselves to the tech, and released some pretty powerful kit.
Another growing field in VR is fieldtrips. With the improvement in graphical representations of landscapes and detail virtual reality fieldtrips are becoming more popular in education. They serve to prepare a person for a trip, re-cap details of a trip, or even replace the trip and give users the ability to visit areas they would not usually have the chance to. Dr Naomi Holmes (Sheffield Hallam), Dr Scott Turner (Northampton) and I conducted a small scale research project a couple of years ago in this field.
To read more go to: Team ET — Virtual Reality in Education
'via Blog this'
Posting on the site does not imply endorsement in any way, by the blog owner or any organisations the blog owner is associated with.
Virtual Reality has been tipped to make great strides in the technology industry over the last few years. Big names like Samsung, HTC, Google and Facebook have attached themselves to the tech, and released some pretty powerful kit.
Another growing field in VR is fieldtrips. With the improvement in graphical representations of landscapes and detail virtual reality fieldtrips are becoming more popular in education. They serve to prepare a person for a trip, re-cap details of a trip, or even replace the trip and give users the ability to visit areas they would not usually have the chance to. Dr Naomi Holmes (Sheffield Hallam), Dr Scott Turner (Northampton) and I conducted a small scale research project a couple of years ago in this field.
To read more go to: Team ET — Virtual Reality in Education
'via Blog this'
Posting on the site does not imply endorsement in any way, by the blog owner or any organisations the blog owner is associated with.
Thursday 21 April 2016
Winners Announced in Coding Competition for Schools
Taken from https://www.wcit.org.uk/networks/154/news.html?id=2624
Students across Northamptonshire competed by creating a game or an app with an energy-saving theme and submitting it by uploading a two-minute video to YouTube about their design. The awards were judged by a panel made up of WCIT, the British Computer Society, the University of Northampton, Code Club and Northamptonshire County Council.
The winners received an engraved shield and a personal Raspberry Pi computer sponsored by WCIT at a special prize-giving ceremony.
The full article can be found at: https://www.wcit.org.uk/user_assets/3123.pdf
If you'd like to find out more about Computing at the University of Northampton go to: www.computing.northampton.ac.uk. All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with
Students across Northamptonshire competed by creating a game or an app with an energy-saving theme and submitting it by uploading a two-minute video to YouTube about their design. The awards were judged by a panel made up of WCIT, the British Computer Society, the University of Northampton, Code Club and Northamptonshire County Council.
The winners received an engraved shield and a personal Raspberry Pi computer sponsored by WCIT at a special prize-giving ceremony.
The full article can be found at: https://www.wcit.org.uk/user_assets/3123.pdf
If you'd like to find out more about Computing at the University of Northampton go to: www.computing.northampton.ac.uk. All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with
Tuesday 19 April 2016
BCS Northampton Event: Condition Monitoring Systems (update)
Tuesday 3rd May 2016 - Condition Monitoring Systems
We have pleasure in drawing your attention to the …..
Please arrive around 6.30pm for a 7pm start.
Condition Monitoring/Asset Management has been employed since the 1950’s. An example of this is Condition Based Maintenance of rotating machines using monitored condition data. The advent of cheap computational power and public/private networking has made this area one of the fastest growing technologies today.
This talk looks at the field of Condition Monitoring across several industries and how it is revolutionising asset management and predictive maintenance to provide safer transport, protection of ageing assets and hitherto unparalleled optimisation of complex mechanical, electrical and electronic systems.
Please park at the rear of the Newton Building (explain to security via the intercom that your are attending the BCS Event) and enter through the rear of the Newton Building vis the conservatory. Directions to the room will be signed.
The event will be held in Room NW205, The University of Northampton, Newton Building, St Georges Avenue, Northampton, NN2 6JB.
If you'd like to find out more about Computing at the University of Northampton go to: www.computing.northampton.ac.uk. All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with
University of Northampton hosts PiJam
Taken from: http://www.northampton.ac.uk/news/minecraft-jam-and-history-in-the-making/
All opinions in this blog are the Author's and should not in any way be seen as reflecting the views of any organisation the Author has any association with.
If you'd like to find out more about Computing at the University of Northampton go to: www.computing.northampton.ac.uk. All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with
History was made on Saturday as the University of Northampton hosted Northamptonshire’s first-ever Raspberry Jam.
Raspberry Jams see those with an interest in the affordable – and tiny –Raspberry Pi computer get together to share knowledge, learn new things and meet other enthusiasts.
More than 30 people of all ages attended the county’s inaugural Jam at Avenue Campus, which was organised by the University’s Associate Professor in Computing and Immersive Technologies, Dr Scott Turner.
He said: “The Jam was a real success, with a wide mixture of people including fairly notable experts; those who have a Pi, but aren’t quite sure what to do with it and complete novices.
“It was great to see people who had some sort of Pi-related query have their questions answered, and others showing off what they have managed to get their Pi to do.
“It really helped to inspire the novices to get more involved in the Raspberry Pi, which will ultimately help them develop their coding skills.”
Computing and Science teacher Steve Foster, from Wollaston School, led a session on the popular Minecraft game, and was ably assisted by five of his Year 10 pupils.
One of the pupils, Ellie, said: “One of the groups had a problem with their coding and I managed to solve it for them. I love the challenges a Raspberry Pi can give you, and when you are able to solve the problem it’s really cool.”
The University is committed to making a positive social impact on the people of Northamptonshire and has set itself four ambitious challenges to meet by 2020.
One of these ‘Changemaker+ Challenges’ is to make Northamptonshire the best county in the UK for children and young people to flourish and learn – something the Raspberry Jam has contributed to.
All opinions in this blog are the Author's and should not in any way be seen as reflecting the views of any organisation the Author has any association with.
If you'd like to find out more about Computing at the University of Northampton go to: www.computing.northampton.ac.uk. All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with
Friday 8 April 2016
mini-projects: Play with micro:bit software - dancing bot (update)
The micro:bit (https://www.microbit.co.uk/about) has been in the press quite a bit recently - rightly so.
At the moment I have not got my hands on an actual one, though someone generously (more in later posts on that) will be lending me one to play with.
Luckily you do not need the device to start playing; the code editor (https://www.microbit.co.uk/create-code) has an emulator built in, so you can start playing. This post reports on my first go.
So, I am starting with experimenting with the editor, using Microsoft's Block Editor - which is similar to Blockly and Scratch as an interface.
What I built is simple but that is fine - A dancing bot - 3x3 box for the body, with two legs. I wanted to play with getting some interaction that uses the buttons (A and B) and shaking. So the functions for the idea were:
- Button A - make it bob up and down;
- Button B - makes it move to the left and right;
- Shaking it - makes it appear to jump and land (see below);
- Button A+B together makes it do one of the moves of up, down, left and right.
The video below shows it action.
The other nice thing is go convert to the Microsoft touch Developer version (see below) with a click.
Now to be repeat most of this just using events.
So the functions for the idea were:
- Button A - make it bob up and down;
- Button B - makes it move to the left and right;
- On shake - make it jump up and down.
Thanks to a loan of a Micro:Bit from Lancaster University I can experiment with an actual micro:bit (@SCC_Lancaster @LMcUnderwood)
Experiment 1 - Using the buttons
So the functions for the idea were:
- Button A - Move to the left and then back to the starting position;
- Button B - Move to the right and then back to the starting position;
- Buttons A+B - Jump up and then back to the starting position;
- Shake - 'Crouches' and then back to the starting position
On the Microbit
Experiment 2- To add left and right tilting to it.
So if the micro:bit is tilted to the right the 'bot' moves to the right, and the same for the left.
Video showing it in action
All opinions in this blog are the Author's and should not in any way be seen as reflecting the views of any organisation the Author has any association with.
Tuesday 5 April 2016
Game based cyber security training: are serious games suitable for cyber security training?
- Game based cyber security training: are serious games suitable for cyber security training? (Maurice Hendrix, Ali Al-Sherbaz, Bloom Victoria), In International Journal of Serious Games, volume 3, pp. 53--61, 2016.
Security research and training is attracting a lot of investment and interest from governments and the private sector. Most efforts have focused on physical security, while cyber security or digital security has been given less importance. With recent high-profile attacks it has become clear that training in cyber security is needed. Serious Games have the capability to be effective tools for public engagement and behavioural change and role play games, are already used by security professionals. Thus cyber security seems especially well-suited to Serious Games.
This paper investigates whether games can be effective cyber security training tools. The study is conducted by means of a structured literature review supplemented with a general web search.
While there are early positive indications there is not yet enough evidence to draw any definite conclusions. There is a clear gap in target audience with almost all products and studies targeting the general public and very little attention given to IT professionals and managers. The products and studies also mostly work over a short period, while it is known that short-term interventions are not particularly effective at affecting behavioural change.
For more details go to http://journal.seriousgamessociety.org/index.php?journal=IJSG&page=article&op=view&path[]=107
If you'd like to find out more about Computing at the University of Northampton go to: www.computing.northampton.ac.uk. All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with
Monday 4 April 2016
Three new Computing Jobs at the University of Northampton: SENIOR LECTURER (PROGRAMME LEADER) IN GAMES ART, DESIGN OR PROGRAMMING
SENIOR LECTURER (PROGRAMME LEADER) IN GAMES ART, DESIGN OR PROGRAMMING (UN1976)
Job Type
Full Time Permanent
Salary
£37,768 - £46,414 per annum
Location
Avenue Campus
Closing Date
16-05-2016
Ref No
UN1976
The Programme Leader will lead a staff team in delivering one of the new Games curriculum initiatives which covers specialist practice in the arts and technology areas of games art, design and programming. This new subject of Games currently consists of two programmes (Games Art and Games Programming) in the Faculty of Technology & Creative Industries. The intention is to develop a third programme of Games Design.
In addition to predominantly teaching within the area of Games Art, Design or Programming responsibilities will include recruitment to the programme, ensuring curriculum currency in content and delivery in all aspects of the subject including studio practice, contextual studies, professional practice and personal development planning. The role will involve administrative duties in support of the programme, liaising with external contacts and industry and there is an expectation the post holder will be engaged in appropriate research and/or consultancy.
Proposed interview date: Week commencing 23 May 2016
Proposed start date: 1 August 2016
For more details go to: https://jobs.northampton.ac.uk/vacancy/senior-lecturer-programme-leader-in-games-art-design-or-programming-258386.html
If you'd like to find out more about Computing at the University of Northampton go to: www.computing.northampton.ac.uk. All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with
Three new computing jobs at university of Northampton: LECTURER/SENIOR LECTURER IN COMPUTING, BUSINESS COMPUTING & GAMES PROGRAMMES
LECTURER/SENIOR LECTURER IN COMPUTING, BUSINESS COMPUTING & GAMES PROGRAMMES (UN1971)
Job Type
Full Time Permanent
Salary
£32,600 - £46,414 per annum
Location
Avenue Campus
Closing Date
16-05-2016
Ref No
UN1971
BUSINESS COMPUTING & GAMES PROGRAMMES
The Faculty of Technology & Creative Industries wishes to appoint a lecturer to support and help develop their MEng/MSc/BEng/BSc Computing, Business Computing and Games provision and to participate in and contribute to the development of research, consultancy and professional activity in computing. The ability and flexibility to assist with lecturing in one or more of the following areas (in order of priority): Business Computing or Games Programming, Software Engineering, Web Design/Technology & Web Security.
The successful candidate will be expected to provide leadership and management in the development of their discipline and to lecture at both under and postgraduate levels. There is also an expectation that the successful applicant will contribute to Research, Knowledge Transfer and/or Consultancy within the Department of Computing & Immersive Technologies. Some International travel may be expected for between 1 and 2 weeks per year.
Proposed interview date: Week commencing 23 May 2016
Proposed start date: 1 August 2016
For more details go to: https://jobs.northampton.ac.uk/vacancy/lecturer-senior-lecturer-in-computing-business-computing-games-programmes-258246.html
If you'd like to find out more about Computing at the University of Northampton go to: www.computing.northampton.ac.uk. All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with
Three new Computing Jobs at University of Northampton: GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANT
GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANT (0.5 FTE) (UN1975)
Job Type
Part Time Fixed Term
Salary
£25,769 - £31,656 per annum, pro rata
Location
Avenue Campus
Closing Date
16-05-2016
Ref No
UN1975
0.5 FTE - FIXED TERM FOR THREE YEARS
The Department of Computing & Immersive Technology is looking for an enthusiastic and committed individual who can contribute to our teaching and related activities in support of our MEng/MSc/BEng/BSc Computing provision.
You should be a highly motivated individual, able to contribute teaching on these programmes. A willingness and ability to teach on a range of Computing “core” modules would be expected. Additionally, the successful applicant will also be expected to contribute to two or more specific teaching areas, and these are Media Technology, Computer Systems Engineering, Embedded Systems, Software Engineering, Web Technology & Security. You should have a relevant UK degree in technical computing (ideally from the University of Northampton).
As well as making a full contribution to the teaching of computing and related activities across the undergraduate and possibly postgraduate levels, you may be expected to contribute to other areas of activity in the School of Science & Technology.
This post will maintain a teaching commitment as required by the Head of Department and Dean of School, including preparation and delivery of teaching materials as appropriate, preparation and assessment of coursework produced by students and preparation and marking of examinations.
The successful candidate will register for a PhD with the School (a reduction in fees or fee waiver may be possible).
Please note: You will ideally be a recent graduate of the University of Northampton BSc Computing (Conditional on graduating ≤ 5 years, attained 1 or 2:1) or a current University of Northampton BSc Computing (Conditional on attaining 1st or 2:1 in May/June 2016).
Proposed interview date: week commencing 23 May 2016
Proposed start date: August/September 2016
For more details go to: https://jobs.northampton.ac.uk/vacancy/graduate-teaching-assistant-05-fte-258368.html
If you'd like to find out more about Computing at the University of Northampton go to: www.computing.northampton.ac.uk. All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with
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