http://www.wolverhamptonclc.co.uk Information, news, blog and podcast from Wolverhampton CLC. Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:58:51 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Over the last couple of months, there have been a number of articles popping up in my RSS newsfeeds in Google Reader, or shared via Twitter, that share a common theme: how can software and web tools support creative writing and story-telling? In a short series of blog posts, I'm going ... http://www.wolverhamptonclc.co.uk/2008/12/16/enhancing-creative-writing-part-1-creating-a-context/ The staff at The City Learning Centre would like to wish all of the students, teachers and Local Authority team in Wolverhampton a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We look forward to working with you again in 2009. During the Autumn Term, the CLC has worked with learners from ... http://www.wolverhamptonclc.co.uk/2008/12/09/seasons-greetings/ Four Secondary Schools have visited the CLC since half-term to participate in three-day tailored projects with students. Feedback from all sessions has been very positive. Here is an outline of the projects that each of the projects. The King's School - Digital Imaging / Film-making Year 10 students from The King's School ... http://www.wolverhamptonclc.co.uk/2008/12/04/secondary-project-update-kings-northicote-colton-hills-and-parkfield-high/ During this half-term, the CLC has been running a series of six Social Confidence workshops aimed at Year 7 students. The sessions are planned and led in collaboration with the team from ComedySportz. ComedySportz specialize in improvisation workshops designed to improve students' social and team-working skills. Over the course of a ... http://www.wolverhamptonclc.co.uk/2008/12/01/clc-social-confidence-workshops-with-comedysportz/ On Monday, I worked with Year 9 students from The Northicote School in the first day of a three day project focussing on Science and Maths. We used a variety of technologies to explore two of the key principles of the Key Stage 3 Science curriculum; energy and forces. The use of ... http://www.wolverhamptonclc.co.uk/2008/11/21/exploring-science-with-web-media-and-simulation-technologies/ Wordle.net is an online tool for creating "word clouds". A word cloud is a visual representation of words in a piece of text, in which words are sized according to the frequency in which they appear. Here is an example, based upon the current content of the RSS newsfeed from ... http://www.wolverhamptonclc.co.uk/2008/11/20/wordlenet-create-word-clouds-online/ Today, I have been working with Year 9 students from The Northicote School to create a series of podcasts explaining science topics in the Key Stage 3 Curriculum. Group 1 [podcast]http://s107868650.websitehome.co.uk/clc_v4/wp-content/uploads/northicote_group_1.mp3[/podcast] Group 2 [podcast]http://s107868650.websitehome.co.uk/clc_v4/wp-content/uploads/northicote_group_2.mp3[/podcast] Group 3 [podcast]http://s107868650.websitehome.co.uk/clc_v4/wp-content/uploads/northicote_group_3.mp3[/podcast] Group 4 [podcast]http://s107868650.websitehome.co.uk/clc_v4/wp-content/uploads/northicote_group_4.mp3[/podcast] Group 5 [podcast]http://s107868650.websitehome.co.uk/clc_v4/wp-content/uploads/northicote_group_5.mp3[/podcast] Here are the topics for each podcast: Group 1 - Renewable Energy Resources Group 2 - The Solar System, Earth ... http://www.wolverhamptonclc.co.uk/2008/11/19/northicote-school-science-podcasts-1-to-5/ Today, I have been working with Year 9 students from The Northicote School to create a series of podcasts explaining science topics in the Key Stage 3 Curriculum. Group 6 [podcast]http://s107868650.websitehome.co.uk/clc_v4/wp-content/uploads/northicote_group_6.mp3[/podcast] Group 7 [podcast]http://s107868650.websitehome.co.uk/clc_v4/wp-content/uploads/northicote_group_7.mp3[/podcast] Group 8 [podcast]http://s107868650.websitehome.co.uk/clc_v4/wp-content/uploads/northicote_group_8.mp3[/podcast] Group 9 [podcast]http://s107868650.websitehome.co.uk/clc_v4/wp-content/uploads/northicote_group_9.mp3[/podcast] Group 10 [podcast]http://s107868650.websitehome.co.uk/clc_v4/wp-content/uploads/northicote_group_10.mp3[/podcast] Here are the topics for each podcast: Group 6 - Particle Model of Solids, Liquids and Gases Group 7 - ... http://www.wolverhamptonclc.co.uk/2008/11/19/northicote-school-science-podcasts-groups-6-to-10/ While searching for some resources to support a forthcoming session at the CLC, I came across Phun (http://www.phunland.com/wiki/Home). Phun is a fascinating tool for playing with the physics of objects. You can draw simple shapes, alter their physical principles (density, friction etc.) and manipulate them - throw or push them ... http://www.wolverhamptonclc.co.uk/2008/11/10/fun-with-phun-2d-physics-sandbox/ Tailored three-day projects with six Wolverhampton Secondary Schools are taking place at the CLC between now and Christmas. These projects have been planned in collaboration between the school and City Learning Centre staff. Here are the schools and the topics / themes they are going to be looking at: The King's ... http://www.wolverhamptonclc.co.uk/2008/11/10/secondary-tailored-projects/ If you're ever in need of some beautiful icons / graphics for a web design project, desktop publishing, or to smarten up a Powerpoint or Smart Notebook presentation, then check out this collection of beautiful free icon sets: 40 Beautiful Free icon sets Note: it is important that you carefully read the ... http://www.wolverhamptonclc.co.uk/2008/11/04/40-beautiful-free-icon-sets/ Apple computers are appearing in more of our schools. Small suites in Secondary Media Studies or Art Departments are not uncommon. A primary school may even have a couple of MacBooks or a Mac mini for podcasting or editing video. For most, the reason these computers have managed to break the ... http://www.wolverhamptonclc.co.uk/2008/11/01/beyond-ilife-mac-os-x-freeware-for-educators-and-students/ During the year 2008-2009, the CLC is working with every Secondary School in the city to deliver sessions to students and staff focussed around eSafety (Read more here). The sessions are based around the CEOP ThinkUKnow training, a structured programme of resources and video materials aimed at students aged 11-16. ... http://www.wolverhamptonclc.co.uk/2008/10/20/secondary-school-esafety-videos/ Over the next week, the CLC is collaborating with the Wolverhampton Ranger Service to run Primary school visits to Northycote Farm. The farm is a historic site within the city, dating back 400 years. Under the leadership of the Wolverhampton Rangers, the children are taking part in a series of enganging ... http://www.wolverhamptonclc.co.uk/2008/10/17/exploring-northycote-farm-with-handheld-technology/ During 2008-9, the City Learning Centre is working with every Secondary School in Wolverhampton to deliver a programme of eSafety training with students and teachers. A group of students from each Secondary school in the city is visiting the CLC to participate in a 2 day project. During Day 1, the ... http://www.wolverhamptonclc.co.uk/2008/10/12/esafety-sessions-at-the-clc/ As you can see, the CLC website has been redesigned. We hope that you like the new design. The new version is designed to be easier to navigate, with clear sections for "bookings" information (facilities, room charges etc.), "schools" information (school projects, staff training etc.) and the blog, which seeks ... http://www.wolverhamptonclc.co.uk/2008/09/21/new-clc-website/ The Spring Term was very busy at the CLC. In the shortest term of the year, the CLC worked with 12 Primary schools and 5 Secondary schools on a variety of projects. Primary students took part in a series of visits to West Park where they engaged in history, environmental awareness ... http://www.wolverhamptonclc.co.uk/2008/04/02/spring-term-review/ The CLC has dedicated training, conference and meeting facilities available to hire. Our facilities are available to book by Business, Local Authority and Community users. Full details of what is available, including a promotional video showcasing our facilities, are online now in the "Bookings" section. http://www.wolverhamptonclc.co.uk/2008/03/31/training-conference-and-meeting-facilities/ The Learning Studio, the City Learning Centre's main teaching space for our work with schools, has been transformed during the Spring Term. The new design features: Five large tables, purpose-built to each house six PCs and two 24" iMacs Completely flexible desk designs. Each PC is hidden within the desk, and can ... http://www.wolverhamptonclc.co.uk/2008/03/31/clc-learning-studio-transformed/ On Wednesday and Thursday last week, I worked with Year 9 students from Deansfield High School to create soundscapes based around three conflicts in the 20th Century. Students created audio diaries for front-line soldiers on the Western Front in World War I, the D-Day landings in World War II and ... http://www.wolverhamptonclc.co.uk/2008/03/16/deansfield-war-soundscapes/