Coding with Minecraft at the i360!

An introduction to electronics and coding!

Your mentors

Andrew

Maria

Effie

Organisation links
Location address: Brighton i360, Brighton
Chosen age group:

Ages: children 9 - 18 · adults 18+ years

Available tickets:
Single two-hour workshop £25
Next date: None - Register your interest
A summary
Hello everyone! This February half-term we're back at the iconic i360 on Brighton's seafront, for our popular coding and electronics with Minecraft workshops for young people. We're here in collaboration with the i360 and the Brighton Science Festival, which is organising fun science-based events all over town during half term. Have a look at what else is going on: https://brightonscience.com/ We'll be here at the i360 on Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th February this year. What will we be doing? We’ll introduce 'Physical Computing' - the idea of using code to control physical objects, vitally important in real world computer science, where we expect programs to receive and process data from all kind of real-world sensors. You’ll learn how to connect LEDs, buzzers and switches to a Raspberry Pi computer, and program them using Python. Next we’ll learn how to control Minecraft using Python, finally adding some real-world devices to our Minecraft code. Here, there will be a strong focus on 'play', and we hope you'll will come up with some interesting ways to combine the various devices. All in two hours! The session is a fast-paced headlong dive into Python and the development environment used in the real world to develop code. We’ll combine this with the Minecraft game, which many children will be very familiar with. We’ll also introduce the overarching philosophy of learning to code. After using Python to control the basics of Minecraft, we’ll move to building all kinds of Minecraft structures with code, learning Python syntax, variables, loops and a bit of theory along the way. You'll use industry-standard coding environments and methods, learning from people who do this every day! If you're aged 9 or older, you'll probably manage this. If you're younger, you might need some help with all the typing. We move along pretty fast, and the last thing we want is to put off our younger coders. So, 9 and up usually works well. Take a look at the rest of this listing for more about us and our philosophy.
About your mentors
Andrew Riley-Watson
Professional geophysicist, amateur musician.
I'm a practicing geo-scientist living in West Sussex with three children, a dog and a cat. I run Genius Brighton, where I've been teaching educational workshops for several years. I'm also a musician (find me on Spotify!), a runner, and a big believer in lifelong education.
Maria Campos
Data scientist, PhD candidate in Astronomy
I'm a PhD candidate at the University of Sussex, where my research centres around galaxy evolution. I've also worked in several projects as data scientist, and imparted coding workshops for young enthusiasts! When I'm not in front of the computer, I like hiking, playing board games, dancing, and attempting to roller skate.
Effie Riley-Watson
Artist and saxophonist
I'm Andrew's daughter. I'm in Year 11 and enjoy helping out with these workshops.
Learning aims
Aim 1
You'll get a fast introduction to one of the world's most important programming languages - Python, and you'll learn how to put together short programs that control simple electronics, and the Minecraft game.
Aim 3
Learning to Code is one of the most practical and valuable skills we can teach young people today. But don’t make the mistake of thinking that coding is just for the scientists, or the technical types. Coding is very much for everyone, and this is more and more true as we move into a future of AI and intelligent machines. Traditional jobs will slowly disappear, and we will come to depend on those with the knowledge and skills that come from learning to code. Those skills are increasingly not just the technical knowledge of computers and a programming language – they’re the soft skills of critical thinking, self-reliance, and a confidence that we can solve any problem we set out to tackle. We don’t want to create a generation of computer scientists – we want to create a generation of problem-solvers, of creative-thinkers, of people who can quickly teach themselves new skills, as times change. This philosophy, more than anything else, is what we want children to take away from our workshops.
Aim 2
You're going to have fun and break stuff, because that's how we really learn.
Aim 4
You'll learn about the gender gap in computer science and why we want to close it. You'll learn about important female computer scientists in the recent past.
Pricing information
Ticket nameSingle two-hour workshop
Price£25
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LEARNER REFLECTIONS0 reflections
Where we'll be
Brighton i360, Lower Kings Road, Brighton, Brighton and Hove, BN1 2LN
WHAT’S PROVIDED
Equipment
Safety
Enhanced DBS
Risk Assessment
Public Liability Insurance
First Aid Training
Smoke Detector

Please note

Please note, it is the responsibility of the booker to satisfy themselves about the adequacy of the safety measures. This platform is merely an introducer and does not verify the items listed here.

Cancellation Policy
Cancel at least 48 hours before the start to receive a full refund.

My experience is an educational activity and the 14-day cooling-off period under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 therefore applies. After the 14 day period my standard policy will apply.

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