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Creativity and E-Learning in the Classroom Conference
Key-note Speaker: Professor Stephen Heppell

‘For the times they are a-changin’

With so many new education websites springing up through the concrete vastness of the web, you could spend your life sorting through the rubble. Cue Professor Stephen Heppell: the superhero of e-learning. Acclaimed by The Guardian as ‘Europe’s leading online education guru’ and heralded by Microsoft as ‘Europe’s leading online education expert.’

Young people embrace technology and creativity, and have been hungry for change, so as Professor Heppell puts it: “We are pushing against an open door.”

“Creativities’ time has come”
All over the world Schools are moving from generic education, to personalized, unique, individual learning, in which staff and students can thrive. We are moving away from factory-like schools, corridor-like learning, to wide open multi-functional spaces. What space is more open? More diversified? More democratic and international than the internet? None.

Professor Heppell says: “When you look at something, you stop seeing it: it’s like that with schools.” It is also like that with education in general. This change and shift that we are just easing ourselves into is not “a change for changes sake”. It is essential. Our place in the world as a country that is regarded highly for its education standards is slowly slipping. If we use an analogy form the talk: think of which countries are world leaders in terms of the film industry. Now what about the car industry? Or fashion? Each time you are probably thinking of fewer countries than you have fingers, a handful for each industry. The race to be a world leader in education will produce a few countries: India, China, Turkey.  Now, is a crucial shift in education which will help us decide if we will be one of those world leaders. This depends on our attitudes to learning, and willingness to adapt to these changes.

Trying New Ideas
Here are some examples of what other learning educators are doing around the world:
•    Leasowes School in Dudley, studies one GCSE per month.
•    An Australian School has students from 11 years old sit in on 4 hours of lectures per week at a nearby University.
•    Bilston Academy has quiet cafes and the staffroom if for both staff and students.
•    At a school in Yorkshire, they have introduced “The Praise Pod”: this works in a similar way to Heads’ commendations, when a student(s) has done well they get interviewed and it becomes a podcast and/or video, which they can then take home that day.
•    A school in the Caribbean has students sit on both interview panels and lesson observations.
•    Most local businesses will showcase students work if possible: for example, cinemas can show videos of students work before the main film, TV shops can broadcast them, even simply turning a projector onto a window at the end of the school day is a great way of broadcasting to the local community the activities and achievements of the students.
•    Some schools have also introduced a Board of Good Work to celebrate and look into how to encourage students to celebrate their achievements.

This is mega advanced notice - date for your diary:

Shropshire ICT Conference and Create IT! awards - March 26th 2009, Albrighton Hall.

http://www.oscarstringer.co.uk/

There are many different types of software and types of animation. We are going to focus on stop motion animation. (Which is the type of thing used to create Wallace and Gromit.)

To create a stop-motion animation you need: a camera or video camera, Windows Movie Maker, (which all PCs have) or some other film editing software. You will also need something to animate.

Stop Motion Animation

• Keep it very simple.
• Don’t have too many characters.
• Adapt stories that both students and teachers are familiar with.
• Larger objects are easier to manipulate.

Using Models

• Focus on the main feature of the animal or character you are making.
• Keep facial features to a 2 or 3 (e.g. eyes, nose, mouth)

Areas where animation can be used are:

• in team building for staff,
• developing interpersonal/ people skills.
• as a learning resource for all subjects
• for creativity in Art
• to improve literacy in English
• for calculations in Maths.

One of the benefits of animating is that everyone starts at the same level so it is suitable for students of mixed ability.

Filming Tips and Tricks

• The moves in-between each picture don’t have to be too small.
• To avoid the objects you are animating looking like they are twitching then you will need to do the maths and work out how many shots you will need to take.
• To slow down the animation, you will need a pause. You do this be keeping the object/subject still and taking several photographs.

Bringing your animation to life
You make think once you’ve done your animation and edited it that that will be it, but no. One of the key things with any film or animation is the music. Here are a list of useful websites to get royalty free sound effects and music from.

www.findsounds.com
www.partnersinrhyme.com
www.freeplaymusic.com (this music can only be used in school.)

Also, here are some links to free animation programmes
StopMojo www.mondobeyondo.com/projects/stopmojo/
MonkeyJam www.giantscreamingrobotmonkeys.com/monkeyjam

Oscar Stringer, one of our keynote speakers for this year’s ICT conference [14th April], has some tips for animation on his website.

This letter has also gone out to all schools

The next Shropshire ICT/ e-learning conference will be held at Albrighton Hall on April 14th 2008, from 9:15 - 4. The theme this year will be ‘Creativity in the Classroom’ and we are very lucky to have two excellent keynote speakers - Stephen Heppell (www.heppell.net) and Oscar Stringer (www.animationforeducation.co.uk) , both of whom are leaders in the field of developing creativity through ICT.

The programme for the day will be:
9:15 - Welcome
9:30 - Keynote speaker - Stephen Heppell
10:30- Break
11:00 - School workshops 1 (all at Albrighton Hall)
12:00 - Lunch and seminars
1:30 - Exhibition time
2:00 - School workshops 2 (at Albrighton Hall)
2:45 - Keynote speaker - Oscar Stringer
3:30 - Discussion, action planning and launch of the Shropshire Learning Gateway.
4:00 - Close

The cost of the conference is £125. However, if more than one person from a school wishes to come, there is a special rate of £200 for two people, provided that one of these is a member of the school SMT.
There will be special conference rate software offers running throughout the day, a raffle with exciting prizes and a chance to find out more about the new Shropshire Learning Gateway. We are sure that this will be an instructive and inspiring day.

If you would like to book onto the conference, please contact CPD on 01743 254522 or cpd@shropshire-cc.gov.uk, quoting course code 82330C

We are very grateful to our conference partners - 2Simple, Apple, Espresso, Immersive Education and Kudlian Soft

Futurelab events:

15 January 2008
Birmingham Science Centre

We’re working with the DCSF on a programme of consultation and research into this question, and are keen to involve schools and young people in the debate. We’re holding a one-day workshop in Birmingham on 15 January, with activities designed to help teachers and learners (aged 11-18) identify their hopes, fears and priorities for the future of education.

We would like to invite teachers and students (one teacher and two students from each school) to come along to this event and work in separate workshops, with activities designed to promote thinking and stimulate debate. Working in this way will allow teachers and students to have a voice in such an influential area. We anticipate that this will be a lively and interesting day, with no writing!

The event will start at 9:30am and finish at 3:30pm. Refreshments will be available for all throughout the day, including lunch, and we will reimburse costs of any cover that teachers will incur, plus transportation costs for all participants on the day. The participants will also have entry to the Science Centre after the workshop if wished.

If you would like to register for this event please e-mail beyondcurrenthorizons@futurelab.org.uk”> class=”OEAL”>beyondcurrenthorizons@futurelab.org.uk, or phone 0117 915 8203, with your name, your school’s name and contact details, plus the names and ages of the students who will attend the event with you. Note that if oversubscribed we will only allow one group per school.

“Childnet International is running a national conference with the DCSF on Cyberbullying in London on the 22nd November.  Childnet has specifically allocated 30 spaces at this event for teachers and there are still a few places left.  Kevin Brennan MP the Minister at the DCSF in charge of this issue is addressing the conference and the event will include a unique drama written and produced by young people, as well as practical case studies from schools who have tackled incidents of cyberbullying.   The conference is free but places are limited.  See livegroup.co.uk/childnet/  for full programme and how to register for this event.”

The Isle of Wight Conference - Integrating ICT into the MFL Classroom is to be held on 13 October at Nodehill School on the Isle of Wight. It will feature leading practitioners from around the country running sessions and workshops on topics such as:

• Blogging
• podcasting
• digital video
• eTwinning
• primary languages
• whole class teaching with PowerPoint
• whiteboards/classroom performance system
• one stop animation
• music,song, rhythm and movement
• assessment for learning

Delegates will be able to choose four sessions each as well as attend the keynote and plenary.

The Isle of Wight Conference aims to:

• To provide teachers from the local area and further a field with appropriate practical training by outstanding practitioners
• To strengthen local networks
• To raise awareness of the potential of ICT for enhancing language learning

There is also a free Show and Tell session the previous night.

You can find more information about the practitioners running sessions over at the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust website.

Title: Creativity and the classroom

Date: 14th April 2008

Time: 9.15 - 4.00 (Bafta’s 5.30 - 7.00)

Venue: Albrighton Hall

Keynote: Stephen Heppell

More details to follow…..

At last nights conference planning group it was agreed that we would have the first Shropshire Bafta’s following the conference next year.  There will be 3 categories - Computer Game, Animation and Short Film and four age groups - KS1, KS2, KS3 and KS4+.

More details to follow early in the new term.

As the title suggests, we need a name for the ceremony.  Please leave a comment with a suggestion, including what school you are from, we will then make a decision on the name by the end of term.  Once we have a name we will be looking for a logo and then a design for the certificate.