Cartoon capers introduce children to computer science
Posted on 30 April 2009
Year Six pupils from Lord Deramore’s Primary School, in Heslington, were taught by academics from the Department of Computer Science how to use a 3-D programming package to turn their own story idea into a cartoon.
This project is a way of introducing children to the subject of computer science in a way that is fun and exciting
Dr Dimitar Kazakov
The completed animation follows the scary adventures of two children trapped in a graveyard and includes a soundtrack written and recorded by the pupils.
Dr Dimitar Kazakov, from the Department of Computer Science, said: “This project is a way of introducing children to the subject of computer science in a way that is fun and exciting.
“It has also been an opportunity for the children to have a closer look at university life and think about whether going on to higher education might be something they want to do when they are older.”
The six-week project involved the children spending time both at the University and school writing the story, sketching their ideas onto storyboards and then working in pairs to program each scene.
It finished with the completed cartoon’s premiere at the University where each child was presented with a certificate to recognise their achievement. The children are now using their skills to enter a national computer animation competition.
The Department of Computer Science is planning to repeat the project with more York schools next year.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- More information about the Department of Computer Science is available at http://www.cs.york.ac.uk/
- Twitter users can now keep up to date with news from the University of York at http://twitter.com/UniOfYork. A newsfeed is also available at http://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/news-feeds/.