2nd – 6th July at Magna Rotherham

Yes that’s right – free, which is why there’s not much time get book your places. This is a national event with schools from all over the country taking part but as it’s in Rotherham, we’d like to make sure that YHGfL schools make the most of this fantastic opportunity. Sign up for as much or as little as you want. Take your pupils or just go yourself, it’s all free and runs over 5 days so loads to choose from:

• 5 days of hands-on interactive and inspiring workshops and lectures from leading figures in education and industry.
• Fully inclusive workshop schedule – from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 5.
• A fully engaged curriculum – Coding/Programmer/Computer Science, Art, Maths, Physics, English, Drama.
• 750+ workshop places and 2000+ activity places – applications encouraged from schools across the country.
• 250 CPD opportunities for teachers and educators to develop existing and new digital skills taking game creation back into the classroom.
• Industry-lead careers surgeries, vital advice and guidance for schools and young people.

For every you need to get the most out of this event, visit the website or download the Planning Your Visit document. They’ve even done your visit risk assessment for you!

http://www.gamesbritannia.com/2012/assets/planningyourvisit.pdf

http://www.gamesbritannia.com/2012/index.php

Following the fantastic success of the last 2 years, Childnet have just announced the launch of their third annual Film Competition for young people aged 7-16.

The shortlisted finalists from each category will be invited to go to London on Monday 9^th July where they will attend a private screening of their film at the British Film Institute. The winners will receive lots of fabulous prizes for their school!

 At a glance

Competition opens: Monday 16^th April 2012 @ 9am

Competition closes: Friday 15^th June 2012 @5pm

Finalists notified: Friday 22nd June 2012

Screening & finalist event: Monday 9^th July 2011

For more information and to register visit the Childnet website:

http://childnet.com/film-2012/

Young Game Designers Study Day

National Media Museum

Thursday May 17^th  2012

10.15am – 3.15pm

Cost: Free

The NMM have teamed up with BAFTA Young Game Designers and Martin Caine, Director of Retroburn Game Studios Ltd, to offer students a fantastic opportunity to find out more about what goes into games design – and have a go themselves.

Students will spend the morning working with Martin Caine to learn about how his company approaches the task of designing a new game.  Then, they will get ‘hands-on’ and have a go at road-testing some of Retroburn’s latest ideas on a variety of platforms.  Students can chat with Martin and ask any questions about the fascinating world of games design in an ever-changing environment. 

In the afternoon, they will host a BAFTA Young Game Designers workshop where experts in video games design will offer their advice and talk about working in the industry.  Students will work in teams of 3 to plan, write and illustrate their idea for a new video game before pitching their concept to a panel of industry professionals.  With feedback taken on board, students can choose to go on to develop their ideas before submitting them to BAFTA YGD 2012 and the chance to win incredible prizes – including a visit to a leading games studio, and a playable prototype of their game.

The study day will introduce the career opportunities and skills development offered by video games design – including teamwork, story-telling and problem-solving.

This exciting FREE day is open to all students aged 11-16.  Places are limited and pre-booking is essential.

Please call Di Carey on 0844 856 3799 to book.

For more details visit:

www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/educators

http://ygd.bafta.org/home

UK’s founding father of interactive entertainment to open videogame festival

The co-author of the Livingstone-Hope Next Gen report in 2011, which prompted the government to address ICT in schools, will officially open the Games Britannia videogames education and careers festival in July.

Ian Livingstone OBE, co-creator of the Fighting Fantasy series of interactive adventure books, has given the festival organisers the go-ahead to run a Fighting Fantasy themed workshop. The session, which Ian will help facilitate, will show children how interactive fiction can bring the art of story-telling to videogames.

Ian said: “Interactive fiction is becoming more prevalent in games as players look for deeper, more engaging story-telling and increased scope for decision-making.

“The Games Britannia festival will give children a real look at how videogames involve writing skills and story-telling to create interactive fiction. I hope the Fighting Fantasy workshops will promote a passion for literature and encourage sometimes reluctant readers and writers to …read and write!”

The Fighting Fantasy series of workshops will showcase a new interactive fiction tool, created with writers and schools in mind and completely free of charge, by new creative start-up company inkle

Created by a pair of former videogame developers, Jon Ingold and Joseph Humfrey, inklewriter requires no set-up, no programming and no drawing diagrams – and it enables young people to write and share interactive literature.

Co-creator Jon Ingold said: “Before founding inkle, Joe and I both worked in the videogame industry and we know first-hand the importance of events like Games Britannia, to get kids thinking about how games work and how they’re made.

“It’s a real treat for us to be involved, especially in collaboration with Ian and Fighting Fantasy. We can’t wait to see what the students make with our inklewriter tool!”

Ian Livingstone will also be showcasing his brand new Fighting Fantasy title at the festival, called Blood of the Zombies.

The videogames education and careers festival will take place from 2 to 8 July at the MAGNA Science Adventure Centre, and will celebrate the strength of the UK industry and inspire the next generation of British videogame talent. The festival includes Games Britannia: REPLAYED, which opens the Games Britannia doors to the public for a weekend of games-based learning and entertainment.

Games Britannia, incorporating Games Britannia: REPLAYED, is organised by a partnership including Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, Sheffield Hallam University, Brinsworth Comprehensive School Academy Trust, Replay Events and UK Interactive Entertainment, and is backed by industry companies including Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.

To find out more about the festival, visit  www.gamesbritannia.com/2012/

Launched on Safer Internet Day, the ‘What’s your Story?’ competition, organised by internet security expert Trend Micro in partnership with Get Safe Online, invites schools, families, and individuals aged 7+, to create and submit a short video, song, story, poem or drawing to share their advice to other young people about ‘How to be Web Safe’.

What’s Your Story will award a grand prize of £5,000 to the winning entry, as well as three runner-up prizes of £500 each, and one school runner-up prize of £1,000.  The last day to submit video entries is 3 April 2012.  To learn more about the competition and submit your entry, visit www.trendmicro.co.uk/whatsyourstory 

Interested in FREE resource to assist  see www.yhgfl.net

Tuesday 7th June 2011: Hull – Wednesday 8th June 2011: Scunthorpe – Friday 10th June 2011: Huddersfield

Time 9am-12pm or 1pm-4pm

Do you have reluctant writers? Do you want explore how to use ICT to stimulate literacy?

If so, then this workshop is for you! YHGfL, in association with Espresso Education, is hosting a FREE Motivating Writers Workshop – ideal for ICT and Literacy Coordinators that work with Foundation to Key Stage 2 pupils.

ICT has been recognised as a powerful tool that encourages pupils to put pen to paper. By attending this half-day workshop, you will learn how to use digital resources creatively to engage and motivate your reluctant writers, and to support your literacy teaching.

This ‘hands-on’ workshop will cover:

• using video to enthuse pupils in creative writing
• using Windows Movie Maker* together with videos, to produce news reports and inspire poetry writing
• using Photo Story3* together with photos or video screen grabs, to create sequencing activities and author stories
• producing podcasts as a stimuli for writing for a purpose.

*Free software available over the internet.

Not an Espresso school? No need to worry, this workshop is designed for everyone. All the skills and ideas involved can be used with any video content.

However, if you are not a subscribing school, you will have the opportunity to sign-up for a free, four week trial of the Espresso service at this workshop.

Please use this link your book your place

http://www.yhgfl.net/News-and-events/eLearning-Events

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

To celebrate climate week, BCS has launched a digital media competition for schools. The challenge is for schools to get their students to create a digital media project on climate change or environmental issues, which can have either a global, national or local focus.
The competition is open to all schools and all students and there are a range of prizes available – including the latest iPad2 in a special ‘green’ cover – and there are a variety of ways to enter.

The project can be a video, podcast, presentation, animation or website offering a wealth of choice for pupils and teachers. The BCS state that they aren’t looking for a Hollywood blockbuster- Try to keep it short (such as a one minute TV ad, or up to a 5 minute documentary for video, a 3-5 minute radio show or a 30 second animation)

The competition is open to all students from schools and colleges under the age of 18 and the closing date is July 1st giving you plenty of time to prepare your entry.

For further information visit the BCS website
http://www.bcs.org/content/conWebDoc/39406

Khan Academy is an online library of over 2100 videos and 100 self-paced math, science, and history exercises for students.  The library is extensive and covers K-12  (UK year 1-11) maths, science topics such as biology, chemistry, and physics, and even reaches into the humanities with playlists on finance and history. Each video is a digestible chunk, approximately 10 minutes long, and especially purposed for viewing on the computer. As with many online videos the films are hosted on youtube which may be blocked in your school. For further information about unblocking youtube contact your Local Authority helpdesk.

How can I use Khan Academy to enhance teaching and learning?

Video can be an incredibly powerful tool for pupils when learning or practicing new concepts and ideas, use Khan Academy in the classroom on laptops or mobile devices as a mini tutor on demand to fill any gaps or just offer reassurance. The site is also worth sharing with parents who are looking for ways to support their child at home; maths can be a particularly difficult area as for most parents it has been many years since they have worked on quadratic equations or fractions and this site will help with supporting them.

Finally as we approach exam season the site is an incredibly useful tool for helping pupils with their revision in an appealing way.

http://www.khanacademy.org/

Constitution Day Student Summit
For students age 16+September 17, 2010 3pm to 7pm
 
The project will support a day-long “Constitution Day Student Summit” for students in 15 southwest regional school districts. The students will apply the principles of the US Constitution to the regulation of the Internet by creating a “Bill of Rights for the Internet”. Students at Cornell High School for the event will work with students in (four) other countries through videoconference.  Participating students will share ideas prior to the event through a webpage modelled after the “Letters to the Next President” site (http://www.letters2president.org/).
 
Outcomes:

• Students will analyze the relationship between national and international laws.
• Students will assess how other countries view and interpret fundamental freedoms.
• Students will draft an international agreement defining what rights individuals should have on the Internet.

Schedule of Events:

• 3:00 – 3:15 Welcome
• 3:15 – 4:00 Panelist Discussion forum on Fundamental Freedoms and the Internet (Students will have the opportunity to backchannel during this portion of the event).
• 4:00 – 4:30 Q&A with Panelists
• 4:45 – 5:45 Breakout Sessions (Students will work though scenarios and develop a component of a “Bill of Rights for the Internet”. Each breakout session will develop language for the “Bill of Rights for the Internet” related to one of the following concepts: Free Speech, Privacy, Content Filtering, and Access.
• 6:00 – 7:00  Break-out Groups Report to Group (Students will have the opportunity to backchannel during this portion of the event).

Press Announcement at: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10175/1067802-57.stm

 
Reference materials list:

• http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/06/07/100607fa_fact_khatchadourian
• http://www.economist.com/node/16335802
• http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2010/04/02/06
• http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/07/magazine/07Human-t.html?hpw
• http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2010/02/19/02
• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/28/AR2010052803698.html
• http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125578576
• http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125598665
• http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104688530
• http://www.cecc.gov/pages/hearings/2010/20100324/index.php

To start the discussion:

Clark Rogers of the National Flag Foundation shares…(from the China hearings of the Congressional Executive Commission on China)…
 
“The recent Google controversy with China raises the question of whether China’s regulation of the Internet is both a human rights and a trade issue. Witnesses will examine the challenges and hazards China’s regulation of the Internet poses both to advocates of free expression and to foreign companies doing business in China; and possible ways for policymakers and private actors to respond to China’s regulation of the Internet from both the human rights and trade perspectives. Witnesses will include technology industry representatives and human rights advocates.”

Please let Tim Boundy (tim.boundy (at) ja.net)  know if you would like to form one of the international VC student groups, or just watch the stream and take part in the online discussion.