Starting this Friday, 25 January, there are still spaces to join videoconferences with Natural History Museum Scientists who are about to embark on fieldwork to Popocatepetl volcano in Mexico. This will be followed by a videoconference live from Mexico on Monday 4 February.

For more details, go to:

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/education/school-activities/videoconferences/index.html

 To book, email:

videoconferencing@nhm.ac.uk

 Popocatepetl is the 2nd highest volcano in North America and one of the most currently active in the world. It sits within a 1000km long zone of variable volcanic activity called the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt that extends from the Pacific coast to the Gulf of Mexico

This exciting project will undertake a detailed sampling of this constantly erupting volcano, collecting samples representative of its entire volcanic. Join us to discover how science works in such a high risk environment and the benefits this data brings to society.

As usual YHGfL can support any of it’s member school new to this technology email contact@yhgfl.net

Museum of London have two Fire of London KS1 videoconference sessions available on Monday 28 May at 11.15 and 13.30. Join a  fun, interactive storytelling session, drawing on first-hand accounts of the fire and investigation of objects from the period. Sing songs, act out moments in the story and ask questions about this key historical event.

For more information about the session please visit the  Schools website HERE

To book please complete the booking request form at

http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/Schools/PlanVisit/primvc-request.htm.

Tickets for workshops, talks and for entry into the REPLAYED arena are now available to Games Britannia registrants on a first-come-first-served basis.

Additions To The Schedule

Games Brittania are delighted to announce that Alex Warren will be delivering two Creative Writing/Literacy/Puzzle Solving workshops using Quest his free Text Adventure creation tool, and Bruce Grove, the General Manager of OnLive UK will be talking about the future of gaming – specifically cloud based systems that are set to revoluntionise how we play videogames at home and on the move.

Star Wars videogame writer comes to Sheffield

A Sheffield Hallam University graduate who now lives in Austin, Texas, is returning to the city to pass on her experiences of working on one of the world’s largest multiplayer online video games.

Jo Berry, who studied a master’s in creative writing at Sheffield Hallam, is a writer on Star WarsTM: The Old RepublicTM, a ‘massively multiplayer online role-playing game’ based in the Star Wars universe.

For more information and to book your free places:

http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/org/1178088293?s=7706373

Great sessions for National Science Week..

Follow Museum scientists as they travel to Costa Rica to research the natural world with Nature Live in the Field.

Your pupils take part in online events with scientists before they embark on fieldwork, communicate with them when they’re out there, and then hear about their results when they return.

The Nature Live team host the events and set your pupils challenges to compare their local habitat with the remote places that the scientists visit.

These bookable videoconferences and online forums are FREE and have curriculum links appropriate for Key Stage 2,3,4 and post-16.

click HERE to visit the NHM website and booking information.

If you have never been involved in a video conference session before you’ll be amazed at just how easy it can be! For further support and advice why not email us at YHGfL  contact(at)yhgfl.net

The National History Museum have just announced 21 session dates for Spring 2012 for key stages 2,3, 4 and post 16 pupils.

Their videoconference sessions allow your pupils to meet some of the 350 scientists working at the Museum and share the excitement of fieldwork and new discoveries. The sessions cover a range of topics and in Spring 2012 they will follow scientists travelling to remote areas in Costa Rica, the Bahamas and Vietnam. Great for topics on the rainforest, minibeasts, habitats and a range of other science and ecology based curriculum areas.

You can take part in online events with scientists before they embark on fieldwork, communicate with them when they’re out there and then hear about their results when they return. These sessions are always very popular so book early to ensure you avoid disappointment!

To find out more, visit

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/education/school-activities/videoconferences/index.html

Please contact videoconferencing(at)nhm.ac.uk if you have any questions.

If you have never been involved in a video conference session before you’ll be amazed at just how easy it can be! For further support and advice why not email us at YHGfL  contact(at)yhgfl.net

The  Natural History Museum still have some spaces left for the Stegosaurus Science session!

Why did Stegosaurs have plates? Your pupils will find out and be asked to vote. They will see specimens and even have the chance to ask Palaeontologist Susie Maidment questions about her research at the Natural History Museum.

If you are interested, please read the attached document, and reply directly to the museum with your class information.

Download the word document HERE

Grace Kimble

Learning Programme Developer

Natural History Museum

The fantastic mylearning website from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council are looking for teachers to review their resources.

My Learning Review Panel

• receive a free iPad2
• be continuing their professional development
• be contributing to a prestigious national project
• become part of a wider museum/learning community

• The panel of five will consist of teachers from different stages and subjects:
  - 1 x Foundation/KS1
  - 1 x KS2
  - 3 x KS3/4 Arts/Humanities/Sciences
• Shortlisting will be carried out via a questionnaire giving a brief summary of your teaching specialism and experience in using online resources, and reasons why you want to be on the panel
• Applications to be submitted by noon on 30 June
• Shortlisted applicants will then be asked to review a My Learning resource during w/c 11 July
• Panel selected by mid-July
• Successful applicants will be asked to sign a contract of commitment which, if not fulfilled, may result in the iPad2 being returned
• An initial meeting will take place in Leeds* in August – date tbc
• Reviewing will take place online
• A final evaluation meeting will take place in March 2012
• *Travel expenses will be paid to attend meetings

If you would like to be considered for the My Learning Review Panel please complete the online questionnaire.

Show.me.uk is a free to use, non-commercial site produced by Culture24, packed with games and resources generated by the UK’s museum, gallery and heritage sector.
Whilst the website is aimed at young people it also has a  section for parents and teachers. The site also has a section on Place to Go, here you can find out about museums, galleries, archives, science centres and heritage sites in your area- great for finding places for a school trip!

This PSP project fitted perfectly with  the “Treasured Possessions” project , collecting stories and images of things that are special to the people and communities linked with the Yorkshire Dales.  Schools, community groups and museum visitors have been thinking about what’s special to them, what things might become treasured possession in the 23^rd century and what the Dales Countryside Museum should collect today to save for future generations. They’ve been choosing the things they think are special in the Museum, interviewing their families about the things that are special to them and creating digi-stories that will be on display in the Treasured Possessions Exhibition.

you can download the .flv file HERE

Link to museum’s website HERE

This week the ever creative team at Google have launched Art Project. Working in partnership with 17 of the world’s top galleries, Google have combined Street view technology to allow you to virtually visit places like the National Gallery or the Van Gogh Museum.  This amazing project allows you to get up close with some of the major artworks from around the world. Due to copyright laws, some pieces of art will appear a bit blurry when students zoom in, however each gallery has one special image that can be zoomed in to an incredible level of detail.

Users with a Google account can also create their own collection by saving the complete image or a selection from a painting. Comments can be added and then via a unique url the collection can then be shared with others.

How can I use Google Art Project to enhance teaching and learning?

• Virtually visit some of the world’s top galleries on your IWB, for added fun ask pairs of students to work together as the tour guide- they could research the galleries in advance.
• Create a virtual collection highlighting key elements of portraiture from across the different galleries.
• Create a class gallery of favourite images including comments about why the person has chosen that piece of art.
• Ask students to consider how they would design an art gallery- could it be improved?