Oak class learned about controls in ICT, creating a program to operate traffic lights.

They wrote reports about the process and videoed their initial attempts so that they could analyse them together and make improvements from there.

A report about using traffic lights

On CoCo we were learning about traffic lights and how to control them. Consequently, we had to use procedures, outputs and inputs to work the traffic lights, but some people got really annoyed with the

program CoCo because they couldn’t get it right at first.

However, everybody got over their stress and asked each other for help, therefore they got the hang of it.

Since everybody worked well together as a team they managed to get on with their traffic light procedure.

After that people who had finished their procedure got to use a small, black, traffic light that Mrs Brown had made a couple of years ago. The traffic light had bulbs in to make it light up, there was a red plastic film, yellow plastic film and a green plastic film to give it its colour, also it had a buzzer for telling people when it was safe to cross.

Coco traffic lights

 In ICT we have been using programmable traffic lights. We had to use a program called CoCo. Originally it was tough but it got gradually easier.  We had to plug the traffic lights into a control box, which we had to plug into the computer and if our program worked it would help us cross the corridor. But people were on scooters which made the corridor exceptionally treacherous! It was exceedingly enjoyable.

Coco Traffic Lights

In ICT we have been experimenting on a program called Coco on a file called Traffic Lights. Mrs Brown has been helping us on this challenging but pleasurable project. Whilst we have been working on this, Mrs Brown and some other pupils in our class have been building an amusing model of some realistic traffic lights. Sometimes we got befuddled but we never gave up because we had some very accommodating teachers such as: Mrs Brown,

Mrs Whitehead and Mrs Thompson.

Subsequently, when Mrs Brown had finished building her masterpiece, came the satisfying part. Mrs Brown asked

Miss Bavin whether we could borrow some miniature Early Years scooters. Zooming across the floor on our scooters was exhilarating and it made us feel jovial. Using the procedures to control the traffic lights enabled us to traverse the corridor safely.

Coco traffic lights

We have been using CoCo to make a list of actions, (also known as a procedure) for the traffic lights. It has been a breathtaking experience. However, some people found it arduous to write procedures. Nevertheless, week by week, it progressively got easier.

We first tested it in the classroom, then we were divided into groups. Down at the I.C.T suite, we started making our problematical procedures. The procedures came to a difficult part. But eventually we managed to get past that and ended up completing our procedures.

We watched videos of our first attempts and decided what to improve together.

Video 1 The lights went straight to red and the driver drove dangerously through them.

Video 2.  Orange and red lights came on at the same time. 

Video 3.  The driver was an amber gambler.  The red light needed to stay on for longer.

Video 4. Perfection!