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the bett awards

28/1/2014

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So I’m coming to the end of my first month at TrueTube and I’ve been caught up in a whirlwind of new and exciting things. Being completely fresh to the media world, I can safely say there is a lot to learn – but I’m getting the hang of it! Luckily, I have a lovely team around me and they are helping me get used to the bustle and fast pace of this type of work.  One of the highlights for me this month was the BETT Awards. I soon discovered that being nominated for a BETT Award and attending the BETT Show at London’s Excel Centre was a real privilege for anyone in the world of education. BETT 2014 is the global meeting place for the education technology community and it’s now celebrating 30 years of powering learning (it says here).  The series of events began on the 22nd of January and ended on the 25th of January, and included 300 hours of content, 400 speakers and 700 exhibitors. It’s safe to say we came away inspired! The show covered a wide range of learning technology for schools so we were spoilt for choice as we went exploring for new ideas. We were even nominated for the award “Free Digital Content/ Open Education Resources” but unfortunately for us, Microsoft’s Kodu was in the same category – not a bad company to lose to I’d say!  But being nominated this year and already having two BETT Awards under our belts from 2009 and 2013 still makes us pretty tough contenders in the most sought-after competition of educational technology. We’re looking forward to next year already!

CREATION ON DEPRESSION FROM BIOMATION

The new film on TrueTube called 'Feeling Down?' has been created to reach out to young victims of depression. It provides valuable information on the symptoms, how it can affect sufferers and the people around them, and how it can be overcome. Like so many issues to do with mental health, depression is often misunderstood. 1 in 8 teenagers experience depression and often feel too ashamed or isolated to tell anybody. This makes the subject all the more important to teach. Education and awareness can make a big difference to those who feel so alone.

The film was produced by a small media company called Biomation who use animation to help people explore issues they’re passionate about. The animation and voiceover were created by a group of young people and is designed to connect with the audience on a personal level. It uses a combination of simple imagery and animated metaphors to make this dark topic seem easier to tackle.  The film starts off by describing the difference between having depression and just feeling down.  It then goes on to identify different symptoms of depression and provides a step by step guide on how to get better. It’s these tiny steps that can make a big difference.  Young people with depression can feel like there is no way out of feeling so low and no one can help them. They may feel like they’re strange and different to everyone else and that no one would understand what they’re going through; but with guidance like this, teachers, parents and friends can help to bring this suffering to an end and let these young people know they are not alone. 

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New things this week....

21/1/2014

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Story of  a Heart

‘Whatever you do to yourself, you do to me’ A stirring quote from the fresh new film on TrueTube, which tackles the issue of heart disease from a dark but humorous angle. The film looks particularly at how alcohol and drugs affect our hearts, an issue many people choose to ignore until it is too late.  At the heart of the story (excuse the pun) we have a young man called Leon who wants to do nothing more than to chill at a house party with his mates, get high, get drunk, and have a crazy night.  On the surface, Leon seems to be having a good time but it is all ruined when his heart follows him around moaning about how the drugs and alcohol are making him feel poorly. Did I mention his heart follows him around as a walking, talking man - sized friend? No? Well it’s certainly something you won’t forget once you've watched it!

Leon tries to carry on with the night as if his heart wasn't there; continuing to abuse his body and concentrate on the short-lived high rather than the potential long-term damage. It is only at the end of the night, when Leon finishes off the evening with a cheesy kebab that his heart has finally had enough. After a long evening of successfully ignoring what his heart is trying to tell him, Leon collapses on the way home. By presenting the issues initially from a comical angle and finishing it on a dark note, the film has a shock factor that gets the point across to young people.  So to all of you teachers out there who are looking for a fun but strong way to teach your students about the dangers of alcohol and drugs - this is it.

Take a look at thelesson plan available on TrueTube to help you get started. 

oUR COMPETITION HAS GONE LIVE! 

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Jesus Christ Voiceover Star

When a  young person gets into a recording studio for the first time, it’s usually about jamming with their newly-formed band and getting their first few tracks on tape. But now it can be an experience to help with the teaching of RE thanks to TrueTube.  We have just launched a new competition in which students are asked to produce a voiceover script  for films about the Easter Story. Easter is the most important religious festival in the Christian calendar, and our website has provided an inventive way to teach it.

Details of the competition can be found on the TrueTube website where you will find three two-minute films encompassing the essential parts of the Easter story. These are namely, ‘The Last Supper’, ‘The Crucifixion’ and ‘The Resurrection.’ They are excerpts from the BBC1 documentary ‘The Story of Jesus’ and provide a dramatic reconstruction of the events.  Students are asked to produce voiceovers for each section. The winner will be invited to TrueTube’s recording studio in the heart of London between Monday the 17th of March 2014 and Friday the 28th of March 2014. When they arrive, they will experience the world of media first hand and record their voiceover scripts which will then be dubbed onto the films. TrueTube will cover the cost of travel for two people (including the student) and provide a DVD of the finished films and certificate to the winner.  A session in a recording studio is bound to bring out the competitive streaks of your students, and get them engaged in the task!  The films will go live on the TrueTube website for the world to see, and for your students to feel proud.

It can be a challenge for any teacher to convey the emotions running through Biblical stories. This competition provides a creative way for teachers to demonstrate how such topics as loyalty, courage and betrayal feature in the story of Easter and it gives students the chance to personally express their response to what they learn. Taking part will expand your students’ imaginations and bring out their creative side. You could even use it as a cross-curricular activity with your English or Media department!

The judges will be asked to look out for:

·         A clear knowledge of the Easter story.

·         An understanding of what the events of Easter mean for Christians.

·         A voice-over that matches and creatively responds to the images on screen.

·         An imaginative use of language in poetry or prose.

Students are free to play around with the form of their prose or poems. They may chose to provide a reflection on the film, comment on what the audience are seeing, or produce an emotional response. The TrueTube team will shortlist four entries for each film in two categories - Key Stage 3 (Years 7, 8 and 9) and Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11) - from which winners will be chosen by our judging panel.  Teachers’ notes are provided on the website to help you get started. This activity gives your students the chance to feel like a star for the day and learn a valuable part of their religious education curriculum in the process.

Good Luck!  

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Jessica's Story: My time with TrueTube

14/1/2014

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Hello there! I’m Jessica Toogood (no, that really is my name) and I’m TrueTube's new Marketing and Research Assistant. Welcome to my blog. Teachers far and wide, I’m writing this blog for you! I’m going to be giving you the inside track on what goes on at TrueTube, so visit my blog as often as you like to keep up to date with what we have to offer. I will be talking about my favourite films, recent discussions, and debates from the website, and welcome any contribution to the conversation - get involved! This blog can be used as a hub for all of you who want to stay on top in the world of education.

First a bit about me

I have a degree in Religion, Philosophy and Ethics, and I have finally landed a job I am really interested in (not an opportunity many graduates have so fresh out of university!) This is all thanks to an internship programme called ‘Time to Shine’, which funds my position with TrueTube. The programme was set up by The Rank Foundation and gives young people like me a chance to work for great charities and aims to help us develop skills needed in the world of work. (lucky me!) So with the force of ‘Time to Shine’ behind me, I have a pretty exciting year ahead.

My Role

As the new Marketing and Research Assistant for TrueTube, my job is to promote our website and to encourage the discussion of the religious and ethical issues amongst all of you teachers and students out there. My role is to find out how you use our media and how you think we can improve it.

My favourite bits and bobs.....

I’ve been familiarising myself with TrueTube’s films and the ‘Holy Cribs’ series is definitely a favourite for me. TrueTube has provided a new creative outlook here, on learning about different places of worship - it certainly held my attention! Even though the style of the films is much more MTV than BBC, do not fret teachers-it does not fail to deliver key facts of the syllabus from Key Stages 2 to 4. The personal tour of each holy building by a young person, made me feel as if I was there, being treated as a VIP guest going from room to room. Presenters lead the camera around the religious buildings in true student style, careful not to leave out any important facts, mind you.  It is now possible to bring the energy of a school day out of a classroom, which is evident throughout all films in this series. With your own personal tour guide and extensive detail of each place of worship, students are provided with an alternative to looking in a text book to help them understand- this vital section of R.E. Whether you’re a regular MTV viewer (like me!) or not, Holy Cribs offers entertainment and the right information you need to feed your students. Take a look, and see if you agree. 




This is my favourite one....
Another favourite series of mine is definitely ‘Rites of passage’. This series is presented in a much more storytelling style, but like Holy Cribs, it does not exclude important facts you need the students to know and hear. From Bar Mitzvah’s to Christian funerals, the audience is taken through a range of different journeys from different religions as the camera holds a front row seat at the ceremonies. Once again, young presenters are used from each faith and explain how their personal rights of passage have affected them and how it will shape their future.


Other news: competitions, awards and shows

TrueTube has received a number of awards and accolades since 2008 - this year is no exception to the rule! TrueTube has been shortlisted for the BETT Award for ‘Free digital content / Open educational resources’. The BETT show is the most well-attended education hub in the world so the whole team are really looking forward to attending. TrueTube also won the BETT Award for ‘Secondary Digital Content’ in 2009 and again in 2013 - fingers crossed we strike lucky again!

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