CODE Portal Goals

These goals for CODE Portal will translate into potentially hundreds of design specifications, that is my job. Your job is to determine if my concept is something your School may be interested in. Read the goals and decide if achieving them, then delivering the CODE Portal to your School is important.

Goal 1: Curriculum Focused Course

There is a lot of great information and tools online already. It just isn’t organized in one place and most of it isn’t planned around the Scottish and English curriculums. Reading information about the curriculum for Computer Science doesn’t usually tell us which lessons to deliver. The fundamentals of Computer Science is an important factor in my design and I may need to implement something clever.

Goal 2: Offer A Free Solution

I want to offer a free intranet solution called CODE Portal for Primary Schools (CODE Portal is the service name). The portal for Primary Schools will offer teaching and independent learning material. Many interactive and data-driven features are being explored. They will make the portal unlike anything else on the market.

Goal 3: Deliver Modular Course Material

A module would be a milestone for the learner and potentially cover a key stage in the curriculum. Schools should easily manage to record a pupils module progress because it’s not something that will happen frequently. I consider any additional administration that CODE Portal could create and I aim to minimize it.

The portal will include a system of individual tasks that can be used to build a module. Tasks will also be available individually.  This could lead to a powerful tool for arranging courses to suit different levels of ability.

Goal 4: Tracking Activity And Progress

This is where I get unorthodox. The portal will be designed for intranets that have no server or internet connection. That means there will be no database and the absence of a data storage solution, usually, reduces how many data-driven features can be implemented.

Thanks to advances in web technology it is practical to create data-driven pages without a database but using a range of files, especially XML. I will use approaches that have existed for many years but thanks to the latest JavaScript we can greatly achieve the feeling of a live website which teaches something in itself.

The portal will store a small amount of basic information on a per class and per School basis. Nothing about the portal requires secure data storage, registration, secure login or even long term tracking. No data about the pupil or their activities will be transmitted outside of the School by the portal.  Users only need temporary progress tracking during the course of a module. In theory, these things can be upgraded in Schools with good budgets. But, initially tracking is meant to be fun and encouraging.

Goal 5: Encourage Independent Learning

Tasks presented by the portal will include theory, practical, team exercises, and unique challenges that will require a member of staff. But most will not require a teacher as the portal will encourage independent learning.

Goal 6: Flexible Homework

The portal would have homework prompts and homework would be flexible. I’ve considered multiple possible tasks, some requiring a computer and some not. Pupils would not be required to complete all tasks. This ensures those with no home PC can still accomplish something.

The CODE Portal will be free to download and it will be possible for pupils to use CODE Portal at home. It only requires a web browser.

Goal 7: Online Service

The portal could be hosted online, still without registration and account management services. It would make access to the portal much easier. After that, only serious success would lead to an extension of services and I’m not thinking that far ahead. My gains involve experience and a great portfolio piece.