Books, Radio and More.

Parkview Secondary School visited us last week to take part in an English Book Club Project. The Year 7 pupils had to read the fiction book 'Coraline' and create their own version of events that took place in the book.
Using Photoshop and Comic Life, the pupils created a presentation based on the events of the book. Using shots taken on a digital camera, the children manipulated pictures from the graphic novel to included themselves into the presentation. Then using Comic Life they created a visual page which depicted their own version. Pupils produced brilliant work which will be put forward for the KS3 Chills Book Award 2008. Good luck to them.

Also, last week the fictitious Mr Mooney was resurrected when the CLC transformed into a Forensics Crime Scene. Pupils from Holy Trinity year 11 ran through several scientific tests to identify a murder suspect from a given scenerio. The children enjoyed themselves and showed some good understanding.

This week Photoshop CPD sessions were run for teachers at Parkview Secondary School, giving them basic knowledge of how to use Photoshop in their classroom.

Also, St Saviours year 6 pupils attended sessions on Podcasting and how to create a radio broadcast on Theme Parks. Given an example the children were shown how to effectively get their point across using key words and different voice makeovers. The children came up with some briliiant work.

In The Mix

Last week has been very busy for the CLC, with a variety of sessions having taken place. Small Heath School attended to take part in our Maths in Movement class where pupils did maths challendes to work out circumferences and averages of different sized wheels using NXT Robots. The pupils enjoyed the challenge and completed every task with confidence.

Also, last week Al-Hijra Secondary school attended on several days to take part in Programming Lego NXT challenges, Podcasting - creating a radio broadcast and Website building.

Using google pages the pupils were given their own login and password to create a website based on their personnal interest. They then had step by step guidance on how to add new features and colours to enhance the look of it. The pupils produced some very good work.

Also, Moseley School were given the opportunity to try out handheld learning equipment which could be incorporated into their MFL classes. The outcome will be updated later this month.

Langues étrangères modernes (MFL)

The the staff of the CLC ran five outreach sessions at Washwood Heath Secondary School. Pupils from years 7, 8 and 9 attended each session to create a Digital Presentation using Comic Life to support role place scenarios. This also included speaking and listening, fostering communication and discussion.

Parkview CLC staff supported the MFL (Modern Foreign Languages) Department in Urdu, Arabic and French in creating a Digital Presentation for display, set around the themes of either 'holidays' , 'my school' or 'about myself'. This involved taking pictures relevant to the themes and discussing them in groups then creating a presentation using the Mac books, which were provided.

Pupils worked really hard and the teachers were very impressed with the standard of work.

Podcasting

This week Year 6 of Parkfield Primary School visited the Centre to create their own radio report using Audacity.
Using a script which they have been working on at their own school, the children created a podcast giving a news account of either an escaped crocodile or a tornado. Each pupil worked hard and enjoyed the session.

NXT in Line

This week the CLC was in full robotic flow with St Albans Secondary School attending sessions throughout the week for NXT Programming.

The children learnt about how a NXT Robot can be programmed to do specific tasks, then participated in organised challenges using all the skills taught. Also each child had an opportunity to build and run their own Judder robot which was then placed in a Judder Race. Certificates were given to the winners.

Also the CLC visited Washwood Heath Secondary School to start a project on Handheld Learning. Details of this project will be posted at a later date.

Build your own Future.

This week the CLC ran a cross curricular DT, Geography and Citizenship session for St Albans and Bordesley Green Girls school.

The pupils had to design and plan a community for the future by working in groups to discuss what features should be included. Looking at the geographical features of the land and practical ways to improve energy effieciency; the pupils had to build 3D models and decide where to site them in their community taking into consideration sustainability and renewable energy technologies. If your interested to see more information on this session click this webpage http://yourbuild.googlepages.com .

Watch this Space!

This week Bordesley Green Girls School completed their P.E Perfomance Analysis for a part of their GCSE exam. Recording a game of rounders then watching it back to see how each pupil performed allowed them to take on board various techniques and errors which occured.


Also Al-Hijrah School participated in the CLC Space Day. The Pupils from years 7,8 and 9 learnt about micro gravity and the effect it has on a person. Looking at aspects such as food, drink, leisure and exercise gave an outline of the habitual enviroment for an astronaut. The day was full of engaging mental and physical exercises which everyone enjoyed.


Activities ranged from designing a space station using Google sketchup to building rockets and launching them in the playground using pressure launching equipment.
Pupils recieved certificates to state the completion of the space day and winners of the Rocket Challenge got an extra certificate for their part.

Project, Program and Performance.

There is alot to write about this week as the CLC ran a variety of sessions for our Network Schools. The week started off with the pupils of year 8 from Parkview Secondary School participating in some Lego Robolab sessions. There were four sessions in total and each class had to run through various programming tasks which allowed them to make a Robot follow specific instructions. Each session included exciting challenges which allowed the pupils to compete for best teamwork and best programming champion.

Also this week saw the start of our Modern Foreign Languages Project, which we are running alongside Washwood Heath Secondary School. The MFL project involves several primary and secondary Language teachers using video conferencing to enhance their lessons. Group meetings will be held to discuss new and exciting ways in teaching languages. Progress on this project will be updated in the future.

Pupils from Year 10 Bordesley Green Girls School attended a P.E Performance session this week which allowed them to evaluate and recognise strengths and weaknessess, plan strategies and improve their performance of doing physical education. This session will make 10% of the GCSE mark for P.E. Working in small groups the pupils made videos of themselves playing rounders and watched it later to analyse their playing method. All pupils were very enthusiastic and followed instructions carefully.

Last but not least, another Access session was run this week but this time pupils from Al-Hijrah girls school learnt about creating forms and reports in a database. Another successful outcome was seen by the pupils.

Access Accepted!

This week the CLC created forms and reports using Access software with the pupils from Al- Hijra Boys School. The aim of the lesson was to learn how to create a form and a report incorporating pictures, graphs and the various other formatting features.

The pupils of year 9 visited the centre and were introduced to the 'CLC Movies 4 U' database. They then had to complete several tasks which allowed them to practice inputting and retrieving specific data to place in a form and on a report. The pupils worked really hard and showed some excellent understanding of databases.

Super Science!

At the CLC this week the Catholic Partnership attended a crime scene scenario and were given the opportunity to investigate, through different activites, how to solve a murder. The various network schools who were involved arrived with three pupils from their school to take part in the session. Grouping everyone into specific teams played a major role in this session as it allowed the pupils to build confidence in interacting with pupils who were not known to them.

Each team then worked through a total of six tasks like blood analysis, finger print matching, toxicology and more to try and solve a crime. Everyone worked well together and the session was enjoyed by all.

Also year 10 pupils from St Albans Secondary School took up the CLC Space Challenge, where each pupil went through mental and physical challenges to understand what life would be like for an astronaut. Again the pupils were very keen and quick to learn.

Robots 'n' Space

Robots and Astronomy were the main sessions taught this week at the CLC. Al-Hijrah Secondary School attended Lego Mindstorm classes where the pupils of year 7 and year 8 were shown how to program robots to do specific jobs like moving in a straight line, square, sounding alarms and displaying pictures and text.

Using sensors and sound sensitive equipment the robots were also programmed to do specific actions upon hearing a certain sound and move into various directions when coming into contact with an object.

Also Nansen Primary School attended astronaut sessions detailing what life was like for an astronaut. Each child was put through physical, mental and reaction challenges. They were also given facts on lifestyle and food up in space. All the children this week were enthusiastic and enjoyed all the tasks given.

ICT Champions

As previously mentioned Parkview City Learning Centre initiated the 'English for ICT Champions' project just before May half term. The aim of the project is to train and equip innovative English Practitioners in delivering exciting and engaging classroom content.

Each teacher was given in induction pack and kit which compromised of a Ferarri Laptop, a camcorder, a digital camera and various other essentials needed for the project; both the kit and software will be loaned for a year. Group meetings will be held regularly to discuss and exchange best practice. Also all resources will be stored in an online repository to be accessed by the wider teaching community. Updates of this project will be given throughout the year.

Back in the Trenches!

This week World War One History was taught to pupils of Small Heath Secondary School in a new and exciting way. The year nine pupils enjoyed animating pictures of soldiers, women and even rats using Crazy talk software. This gave the children a new perspective of how lives were effected by the misery of war. The children all produced work that was very well thought out.

Also, Parkview CLC started a project called 'English ICT Champions', in which four English teachers from various network schools were given the opportunity to learn new ways of teaching their subject using ICT. The project includes training in different techniques and how to apply them using equipment which is also provided by the CLC. The kit includes among other items a Ferrari laptop and digital camera. We will keep you updated on the progress of this project in following weeks.

Lego It!

Parkview Secondary School enjoyed creating more animations using iStop Motion last week. Not only did they write good storylines but they also incorporated music which had been created using GarageBand software. All in all it was a good day.

Also, last week the CLC ran INSET sessions for 'Podcasting in the classroom' and Kar2ouche. Various network school teachers attended and enjoyed the different aspects of the training given. Some created their own podcast and learnt how effective it can be when used in the classroom and others learnt how to utilise the Kar2ouche software in different subjects.

AniMania!

Pupils from year 9 Parkview Secondary School participated in another session of Animation using Lego City Buildings. The pre constructed buildings gave the pupils the basis for their storyline. Each child worked hard and produced some excellent animation.

Also the Chrysalis Club visited the CLC to take on some Kar2ouche Training. Positive feedback was given after the session which praised both the staff and the training methods.

Forensics Fun

This week various network schools came together and attended the CLC run Forensics day. Pupils from Hallmoor, Golden Hillock, Bordesley Green Girls and St Albans school participated in various tasks to investigate the outcome of a crime scenario. The children were divised into specific groups allowing them to interact with other pupils outside of their own school.
Also, pupils from Year 9 at Parkview Secondary School attended a session on creating animation using Lego. All the pupils worked in groups of two and produced some brilliant work using iSight camera's and iStop Motion software.

SATS Revision

Crime Suspicion Interrogation

Mathematics was on the agenda for Al Hijra boys school this week with pupils running through motion and movement tasks. The children completed questions on topics like percentages, angles, multiplication and division successfully using mindstorm robots and various software packages.

Also this week the CLC ran a 3D Forensics session for the pupils of Holy Trinity School. Pratical tasks were completed by each pupil which involved solving a murder by analysing hair, fabric, fingerprints, blood samples of both the victim and suspects. Also running toxicology experiments to determine the cause of death. This was a fun session where the pupils learn how science takes place in a working enviroment. Next week more on forensics along with pictures to demonstrate the tasks.

Movement, Motion, Mation.

This week proved to be a productive week for both the CLC and Al-Hijra Secondary School. Taking Animation to the next level, the pupils were given specific tasks to create both a story and then animation using Lego City Buildings. A hospital, airport, factory and house were among the various scenerios to choose from. The children worked enthusiastically editing the Lego masterpiece incorporating Garage Band music and Audio dialogue effectively.

Also this week, percentages, division, diameter and perimeter were some of the topics covered in our Maths in Movement and Maths in Motion sessions. Introducing fun tasks for the children to understand the concepts of mathematics made these sessions very much enjoyable. Next week we have more sessions in Maths and also some Forensics to look forward to.

Space And Beyond

Last week Bordesley Green Girls School attended a session on Space and it's Mysteries. Firstly, designing a Functional Space Station using Google Sketchup, the children were put through several rigourous tests to show a habitual enviroment for astronauts when up in space. The pupils went through tasting different types of food and attempting various exercises which then led them onto the final stage of the session. In this stage pupils added data modules to support extended scientific research such as Space tourism etc. All in all the day was very much enjoyed.

Operation Montserrat

This week Holy Trinity School conducted an e-Mission session collaboratively with National Space Centre, Leicester. Operation Montserrat is an electronic mission that challenges students to apply their science and math skills to an authentic crisis situation.
During the full day session, five teams are organised into groups, which are given various titles eg, Hurricane Team, Communication Team etc. Each group has to analyze data in order to avert possible disaster and save the lives of the people living in Montserrat. The pupils worked very hard and had a productful day. Also another outreach session to Golden Hillock in Textiles proved awarding. The pupils worked very hard on each of their projects producing some excellent pieces of work.

Crazy Climate

Climate change effects everybody and the Year 5 pupils of Nansen Primary School visited the CLC to learn what the causes are and what measures can be taken to minimise the risks.

By using Photostory the pupils created a presentation dipicting Climate Change and what we can do to slow the process down. The work they produced included audio, visual and musical skills, which was taken away with them at the end of the session. Also staff ran an outreach session at Golden Hillock Secondary School for Year 11 pupils to learn various techniques in Textiles using ICT.

BETTer Technology!

Members of the CLC visited the BETT show, which was hosted in London last week. They were quite impressed by the range of services and new technology which is now available. We will be sending details of some exciting links and software in our weekly bulletins over the next month.

Also, James Brindley School attended a session in Art and Design creating their own piece of Aboriginal Art. Once completed, the pupil's work was transferred onto T/shirts for them to take away. Some excellent work was produced by the class. To subscribe to our weekly bulletin's please contact us with an email address that will be added to our mailing list.

Happy New Year!

Now that 2008 is upon us, Parkview CLC would like to notify you of up and coming events at the City Learning Centre. This year we will be running various CPD Inset Courses for our Network Teachers like Podcasting, Creating Websites quick and easily, CAD and many others.
Alongside the CPD days we shall also be running sessions for both Primary and Secondary classes in our Network Schools like Wikispaces, Lego Robolab, Ocean Odyssey, Animation, Journeys and many more. All the information can be found on this website and future dates for courses will be posted shortly.