We have just heard the great news that Myths and Legends has been short-listed for the Bett 2009 Digital Content Award. It will be absolutely completely well deserved because Myths and legends is a truly remarkable piece of online software. What a prompt to look again at Myths and Legends If you havent yet tried logging in and creating and adding sound effects to your story, try that soon. And keep your fingers crossed for E2BN in the next round of the judging.

Halloween Story Competition. Have you seen the latest fantastic competition from E2BN? Use the excellent story builder StoryCreator 2 to create a Halloween story for this Myths and Legends competition. You could win one of two Flip Mino DV Cameras (the cameras that everybody is talking about) and have your story put into the showcase. The competition closes at midnight GMT on Friday the 14th November 2008. To enter the competition you must be aged between 7 and 13.

Myths and Legends Story Showcase. Also have a look at the wonderful two new stories in the showcase from the South West: Have you heard these tales: Green Lady of Longleat and the Gurt Worm of Shervage Wood Prepare to be enthralled!

Everybody seems to be launching on-demand video/TV services these days, and this is a particularly useful one for the classroom. English Heritage has teamed up with the History Channel to launch EHTV, to allow everyone with internet access to watch and download history programmes for free via the English Heritage website. Sponsored by the History Channel (viewable here). Check out the Silbury Hill footage, along with other south west sites to explore. English Heritage say the new free service offers accurate information on the past whilst offering the chance to 'access all areas' of English Heritage on demand, 24 hours a day.

The National Coal Mining Museum offers a new videoconference based on the dramatic inquest following the Hartley Colliery disaster in 1862.

Geography is strongly supported with advice and guidance on how learners can research their locality and school environment at key stages 1 and 2.  For Key Stage 3 and beyond, the QCA’s ‘the importance of geography’ states that pupils must ‘learn to think spatially and use maps, visual images and new technologies, including Geographical Information Systems (GIS), to obtain, present and analyse information.’ uLearn helps Geography teachers to address these requirements in the Revised Geography curriculum. 

To access uLearn, visit the website at www.ulearn.infomapper.com. We would be very interested in hearing about projects across the region using uLearn, that we can share with the teaching community. Email ian.southwell@swgfl.org.uk

uLearn flyer - pdf (480.19 kb)

Junior animators and film makers from schools across North Somerset flocked last night to the Winter Gardens for a glittering awards ceremony. All in evening dress, and joined by parents, teachers and professionals from the industry, they were in for a treat of an evening. With entries on a history theme this year, the audience were entertained with a wealth of different animation styles, ranging from the Titanic Disaster to David Beckham’s Career. St Andrews School, Congresbury won the KS2 award with their very amusing Life of Van Gogh. Local radio covered the event and a camera crew from Points West filmed the day. Watch the films here. With generous sponsorship and support from Aardman and Dreamworks, as well as TAG, RM and other suppliers, the winners took away fabulous prizes, including Apple laptop first prizes. Apple were there too. Anybody who is anybody in animation, it seemed, was there! Congratulations to the organisers and all who took part.

One of our sister RBcs, London Grid for Learning, partnering with Havering LA ,would like to invite you to take part in this National Competition. The theme for this years National Poetry Day is `Work`. In order to celebrate this we would like children to write poems about different jobs. We have lined up Alan Peat and Gervase Phinn to judge the finalists.

We would also like to invite you to take part in a videoconference for primary and secondary schools during National Poetry Day, on October 9^th 2008,  hosted from Engayne Primary School, starting at 8.50 am and ending at 3.30pm. 

Visit the National Poetry Day site find out about the rules, prizes, programme details and how you can take part  www.poetryday.lgfl.net

One of our sister RBCs, London Grid for Learning would like to promote an Opportunity for Primary Schools in the new school year.

Black History Month Primary School Video Conference – October 1^st 2008

The London Grid for Learning, working in partnership with Redbridge Ethnic Minority Advisory Team and the ICT team, would like to invite primary schools from across the UK to take part in a video conference during Black History Month showcasing `People of Achievement past and present` – on October 1^st   from 8.50 am - 12.45pm. We have DJ Spoony (Formally of Radio 1 now 5 Live) and Dr Funke Baffour from Big Brothers Little Brother taking part on the day. Visit the site http://www.blackhistory.lgfl.net  to find out more.

PLEASE BE SURE TO REGISTER BY FRIDAY 26th SEPTEMBER AT THE LATEST.

 

Take part in this fantastic new competition and you could see your work displayed at the world famous Kew Gardens in London.

In 1936 artist Edward Bawden designed a new poster to encourage people to visit Kew Gardens using London transport. Now ArtisanCam wants you to investigate Bawden's brilliant use of linocut, before producing your own design for a new poster using the same lino printing processes that he used.

Learners can submit their designs simply by clicking on the 'send to competition' button. The winner will receive an iPod nano and the winning entry will be displayed at Kew Gardens and seen by hundreds of thousands of visitors."

The competition is open to everyone of school age across the UK and you can enter as many times as you like. The competition closes on 18th July 2008, so get printing!

Visit the website now to get started: http://www.artisancam.org.uk/flashapps/explorelinoprinting/index.php .