Category: Python

A year of coding

Posted on by Gicela

I thought I would reflect on another busy year teaching children and young people how to code.

I ran coding lessons in school settings, and in our community library in Yatton. I also organised many coding workshops for primary and secondary school students – including a really enjoyable series of ‘paper circuits’ workshops for the SS Great Britain Trust‘s “Young Brunels” on the waterfront in Bristol.

Our Coding in Minecraft club sessions kicked off in December 2022. Since then, dozens of children from across North Somerset have participated in some lively sessions on Saturday mornings. We use Minecraft Education, which is a creative program that allows children to learn to code using coding blocks. The Minecraft club will continue in 2025 and will offer opportunities for children to create and develop their coding skills in a safe and friendly environment.

In 2024, I also ran coding workshops during school holidays. These included game design, making apps, programming the micro:bit, 3D game creation and App Design.

I finished a twelfth year delivering coding clubs at a number of North Somerset schools. It is always so incredibly rewarding to see the children becoming confident with their ability to code and solving the challenges I set them.

In 2024 our online and in person Python Clubs were attended by students from local secondary schools. The club continues to provide invaluable coding and critical thinking skills, as well as support those students working towards their GCSE in computer science.

In 2025 I will be running new coding and AI workshops for primary and secondary school children. My goal continues to be helping young people acquire digital skills and to develop an understanding of the role AI will play in their daily lives. Look out for these workshops in the coming months.

I also hope to be able to run a Summer of Code 2025. If you are reading this and are in a position to sponsor me to be able to offer free spaces to young people, do drop me a line at info@codingbug.co.uk

Children coding
Children coding
Children coding
Children coding
Children coding
Children coding

Make a chatbot

Posted on by Gicela

A chatbot is a computer program or an artificial intelligence (AI) designed to simulate human conversation through text or voice interactions. 

A rule based chatbot follows a specific flow of conversation and provides pre-determined responses based on keywords or phrases a user enters. We interact with these chatbots on a regular basis – e.g. when you are doing online shopping.

And AI powered chatbot uses artificial intelligence techniques, such as natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning, to understand and respond to the user. They can learn from interactions, adapt to different contexts, and provide more dynamic and personalised responses.

Python is widely used to build both AI powered or rule based chatbots. I love using this programming language to show my students that they can create a basic rule based chatbot with a few lines of code. It is an excellent way of introducing python syntax and an example of a real application.

If you are ready to move to text based coding, the next Make a chatbot in Python workshop is on 27th July at Yatton library.