Students from 8 local schools in Hull are undertaking the first Diploma teaching of the IT Diploma in the City Learning Centres in Hull.

On the day of the visit the 29 students at the CLC in East Hull were enjoying an exciting session with Jon Robson from the IT/Media company Café Society, Jon talked to the students about updating blogsites , adding photographs and enabling zooming in and out of the images demonstrating usability. He talked about being self employed and the importance of marketing yourself, using Youtube and his blog using WordPress as 24 hour marketing tools. On his site he showed the students the 200 videos he had sited there, which had been viewed some 375,000 times all together, and had gained feedback, comments and possible work from this.

He showed students how to pull video clips from YouTube into their own websites/blogs. In addition he looked at the integration of Google earth into their sites to demonstrate geographical locations, with interlinks to videoclips flagged up by the country. Jon said the students have the equipment and ability to record, upload to the web and edit as a filmmaker. He told the students “you are at an amazing time for the development of IT –there is plenty of money and many jobs within this exciting environment”.

Students were asked why they had chosen the diplomas over regular GCSEs and responses included “it is not all classroom work there is more practical work to it”, “you get more qualifications for a Diploma”, and it is a fun way to help you for the future”, “we get a laptop each”. When asked about what skills the Diploma helped students develop, such as communication, team working, creative thinking etc, one student added that the Diploma had improved her social skills as the group had students from other schools who she probably would not have engaged with had they not been part of that course together.

Students commented on the fact that many jobs for tomorrow involved IT and felt the IT Diploma would give them that solid platform in IT within business and equip them more fully for employment generally.

They found Jon’s session very exciting and interesting helping them to use their mobile phones as IT/media tools, next session would include taking audio from their mobiles using Bluetooth to update their websites using the free software Audacity.

Sally Hill, Training Manager Hull CLC and Hull IT Diploma Champion said “This is an interesting and exciting time for students and staff involved in the pilot IT Diploma in Hull, there is plenty of scope for students to shape their education and develop personal skills that will become key to them gaining employment and moving into Further Education. Involvement from local employers is a key part of the Diplomas, students will work and study alongside employers, training organisations and partners from other institutions to form a city wide collaboration”.

Last Tuesday we all met Jon. We went with Jon around Barmby with the cameras. He told us how to use them and respect them. He showed us how to use the touch screen, macro mode and panaramic mode.

My favourite picture was a picture of Guy and an old tractor. It was fun and I really liked doing it.

Here is another one of my photographs

Last week on the 12th ofr january Ks2 class learned how to use a camera. A man named Jon came in and tought us the potential of a camera.

We went out in to Barmby village and took photos of the village, chapel and in the cemetary. We were split in to groups i was in a group with Bryony, Natalie and Anna. One of our best pictures was of a wax flower thet Bryony smudged in to the snow to make it look nice.

Anna took the picture. After we’d been out we came back to school and looked at the pictures we’d taken. Over lunch Jon edited them when we came in from play we looked at the newly edited photos. I will keep the moments of the snow and also remember the gorgeous pictures we all took.

Last week Jon Robson came in to teach us about film and photography . We went into barmby and took pictures of things we found interesting . In Barmby snow fell on the ground . The best pictures I took was of the horses . from now on i will keep on taking phtos because that lesson inspired me.

Here is one of my photographs of a horse in the village.

On tuesday the 12th of January the KS2 class learnt how to use a camera to achieve its maximum reasults. We were introduced to the upcoming project. Jon came into school and showed us the basic technuiqes we’d be using. He aslo showed us some of the work other children and school had made.

We then met him again on the 12th of january,this was when he taught us how to use all the different settings to use in different situations.

Our best photo in my opinion was a wax rose from the church that has small flakes of snow on that just added to the effect. We did this when we took a small trip into Barmby to find interesting and unique pictures that represent what and where Barmby is!!!

Everyone in Barmby school went in to Barmby village with Jon. He taught us how to use a camera, a digital camera. He was a bit funny and Jon is really nice. I’m glad he is worcking with us all term,Im really exited.

Here is one of my first photographs

Last week on the 12th January KS2 of Barmby Primary school went on a walk around the village. We separated into groups with a camera each. Our target was to achieve many creative photos that are exclusive to Barmby, describing the neighbourhood.

It just happened that we went out after the snow had fallen, which captured a moment that was very different to many winter photos from past years. Barmby has never seen so much snow! Jon the photographer showed us the basics of a digital camera, macro, landscape and panorama mode.

The best photo I took was a wax rose from a grave in the locl church, frost had settled on it and close up it was beautiful! The trip inspired me and from now on, I will capture every great moment I take part in on camera!

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iPhone halloween costume

Originally uploaded by Gregory Hull.

this is classic – the first idog..

Ings Primary School – Hull.

Getting to grips with the equipment

The ‘Enquiry Question’ for the school to explore was:

‘What cultural and co-operative experiences can we give to our Key Stage 1 children to ignite their imaginations and inspire original, confident writing?’

The original question was  based around the development and enjoyment of writing for KS1 pupils, and the development of pupils’ awareness of the world and other cultures.

Literacy was identified as a key priority, as was developing the children’s awareness of the world and its cultures.

The links with the school improvement plan are as follows:

• thinking about their own identity and comparing with others is a way to engage the child’s imagination and empathy.
• the engagement of pupils in the creative aspects of the project will enable them to express themselves more confidently through their writing.
• the children will become more confident as a result of the wider life an cultural experiences that they will encounter and learn about throughout the project
• pupils will become more confident as individuals – their contributions to the creative process will be valued and their motivation to work together to explore other cultures will increase
• the experience of enjoying the project and work done for the project, and the inspiration of discovering more about their own world and of other lives and cultures will generate the motivation to complete the project to a high standard
• the connection with a school in Sierra Leone will give the pupils exposure to lives other than their own, and will provide a stimulus to further explore wider cultural influences
• the use of digital media and ICT in different areas of the curriculum will develop the topic-based work that is to be implemented within the school in the future

In the ICT suite.

The project aimed to develop the school’s international dimension by strengthening links with St Philips Primary School (Sierra Leone). The children will create multimedia work through exploration about what the children at St. Philips would like to know about their life. 

They will need to start by researching about what they, themselves, would like to know about the St Philips children to begin this mature thought-process.  The children will work co-operatively but also independently through developing their camera skills, reviewing what they have done, using their skills out and about, then creating a book and a stills film from this exploration.






Jon worked with 2 classes of Y1/2 pupils including 2 teachers. Timescale for activity work: 7 weeks.

End of project exhibition with film showing, and written work and photographs on display. The book produced by the children, and the photo booklets will be on sale. Also Fairtrade products will be available to buy – strengthening the links between the local Co-op.

Hull Kingston Rovers stadium tour

Staff development in the use of media programmes and photographic equipment has increased considerably, and will be used in future theme based projects to give another element to teaching practices employed in the school.

The school CP co-ordinator and the other class teacher were both involved in the planning process. The children were asked about places that meant a lot to them, and they also had discussions about where they would take a visitor from Sierra Leone if they came to Hull.
The project has helped to develop the value of a more creative approach to teaching and learning, and the inclusion of creative skills in the theme-based approach to the curriculum.

The focus of the project on improving literacy was important, although the project developed and encompassed other skills which led to the improvement of writing skills – confidence building, speaking and listening, team working, learning about other cultures etc.

The development of these skills inspired the written work, and the experiences of the children while they have explored different aspects of their own and other cultures has increased vocabulary and the social skills needed to help the children to express their view and opinions.

Photography trip to the Humber Bridge

The project has inspired the whole school, and has given morale a boost during a time of uncertainty. Staff are already using the skills they have gained from the CPD sessions.

The end of project exhibition helped to forge new relationships with parents, and there is increased enthusiasm within the school to further develop the links made with Sierra Leone.

The project made the following contributions to Every Child matters:

• Every child had a say and was fully involved in the project and its content
• All children were involved in the trips organised as part of the project
• All children developed skills in the use of photographic equipment and ICT
• All children were given responsibilities, and were allowed to work independently as well as in teams
• The project contributed to the development of essential life skills

Hull Landmarks photography trip

The project idea has had a great impact on both the children and the staff. It was recognised that the lack of knowledge and cultural understanding of the children meant that their imaginations weren’t stimulated, and that, in turn, affected their confidence – in their own abilities, and in their view of themselves and their value to others.

The project has increased the knowledge that the children have in their own City and environment, as well as increasing their knowledge in the lives of others. This has stimulated the interest of all the children, but has especially had an impact on the interest and enthusiasm of the boys in the two classes – to write about their experiences and to be involved in collaborative work.

Staff commented on the excellent skills of Jon – he was flexible in his approach to the project, and was extremely approachable (important to both staff and children). His use of technical language was easily understandable – staff and children were able to use photographic equipment and new media programmes with ease. He was brilliant with the children – showing both humour and patience throughout the project.

Every Child Matters

The project ran smoothly and had a huge impact within the whole school. The children were involved in all aspects of the programme, and their involvement as co-constructors of learning gave them a very positive approach to work done throughout the project’s duration.

Shine is a national festival celebrating all the talents in all young people and is taking place between 6th and 10th July 2009. Embracing the energy and enthusiasm of young people, teachers and youth workers Shine Week creates a real buzz across the country and in the media and is a really exciting way to celebrate the talent that every young person has. Shine Week is about celebrating all talent, it can be in the performing arts but it can also be in technology, science or working in the community.

Last year over 2,500 school and organisations participated in Shine, with around a million young people taking part. Shine received wide spread and very positive national and regional media coverage. This year Shine is building on last year’s success.

Signing up is quick and easy and gives you access to your own school or organisation page on the Shine website where you can upload film, sound, word and pictures and keep your own blog.

You will also be sent an Event Pack which includes a range of posters, stickers and certificates to use during Shine Week and a Media Pack to help you gain publicity and show how your school or organisation shines!

Click here to visit the site and get involved >>

Pupils in year 5 at Lisle Marsden C of E Primary School used photography, film making, script writing skills, adobe premiere and photostory 3 to produce 2 versions of the Easter Story.

Firstly the pupils scripted and story boarded the traditional gospel version of the easter story and acted out the story while taking still images of the scenes, using microsoft photostory the pupils were able to add narration to the film along with a soundtrack.

In the second week of the project, pupils scripted ‘Jerusalem Today’, a tv news station that interviewed key characters in the easter story. Using chroma keying techniques pupils were able to transport themselves in history.

As part of our Creative Partnerships change school project we are working to equip the school with new IT skills and a new creative approach to delivering certain parts of the curriculum. The school wanted to place a heavy emphasis on multi media and the creative use of ICT.

It’s been a great experience working at Wheeler Primary School in Hull through the Creative Partnerships change school programme. We have been working with staff and pupils to enthuse them into working more creativley within the curriculum using multi media, photography, film making and animation.

I think our favourite film so far has to be Jack & The Beanstalk,
See what you think :-

As part of our continuing work withg Creative Partnerships – Hull, we have recently started our second Change School Project with Lisle Marsden C of E Primary School in Grimsby.

The first phase of the project has been to deliver a keystage 1 / keystage 2 transition project based around digital media and a themed topic area.

The keystage coordinators decided they wanted to use the Great Fire of London as the theme so we planned to create a series of stop frame animation films and news reports based on the timeline of events from the historic event.

Th school had purchased digital still and video cameras along with ‘I can animate’ and Serifs – ‘movie plus x3′ software.

Below are the series of animation films produced by year 2 & 3 pupils.

The ‘Change School’ work has now begun in earnest and all the pupils and staff from Year 2 and Year 3 engaged in a very exciting two week ‘Transition Matters’ project learning about the Fire of London through the exciting use of film and ICT.

Working alongside Jon Robson and Chris Webster, the CP Creative Practitioners from Hull, children discovered through firsthand experience how a topic from the ‘Middle Ages’ can be brought to life through the amazing use of 21st century technology!

As well as having lots of fun and learning of course, this work has much deeper significance! All pupils and staff are mixed; teachers, teaching assistants and children from both Infants and Juniors are working together as one. Planning together, playing together, eating together and learning together! This project forms part of the important transition work that is now a feature of the school.

Transition isn’t simply children moving up in July as one school year ends and then starting again in September with a ‘new’ teacher with all the potential anxiety this can bring. It is about personalisation; getting to know the children, ensuring their needs are met, setting appropriate expectations and smoothing out progression as children move from the Foundation Stage to Year 6 and then finally preparing the way for the children as they move onwards into Key Stage 3!

USEFUL LINKS ::

Creative Partnerships – Hull
Lisle Marsden C of E Primary School – Grimsby.
Kudlian – I Can Animate – easy to use animation sofware for both Mac & PC.
Serif Movie Plus X3 – easy to use video editing software that allowed us to chromakey easily.

As part of Wold Newton Primary schools Creative Partnerships project, young people in years 5 & 6 produced a film on the schools Cycle Training programme. Pupils wrote questions for their fellow peers and the Cycle Training tutors who were from East Riding Council. They filmed cutaway shots alongside interviews and edited the content using video editing software. Here is their final edit.

Gembling Primary school have been getting to grips with wind turbines and sustainable energy options by producing a short film with the help of Cafesociety.org about the wind farm which is currently under construction in their comunity. They used photography and an interview with the local minister alongside researched images found on the internet.

The project is part of the schools enquiry programme supported by Creative Partnerships.

During July 2008, Jon Robson of Cafesociety.org undertook a speaking and listening project at Sidmouth Primary School – Hull.

The project entitled ‘Fantasy Worlds’ was funded by Creative Partnerships – Hull and tried to answer the enquiry question – “Can new technology be used to improve speaking & listening skills in a year 1 class where over 50% of the pupils have English as a second language ?”

We decided to use digital story telling and film making as a vehicle to improve speaking, listening and written work. We themed the project around 4 areas. – Under the Sea, Castles, Space & Pirates.

The pupils developed their stories orally and created story boards to visualise the scenes, after the stories had been craeted, time was spent developing the characters before designing puppets and background scenery for filming.

Here are the finished films :-

They showed persistence and engagement with the making of the puppets and scenes.

The children very much enjoyed the artwork process… Getting messy and covered in paint is a real thrill..

They also showed imagination when creating their stories and designing their puppets.
The children gained experience in working in teams.

They had to plan and discuss their ideas for their own particular themed story.
Pupils had to work together and be able to listen to each others ideas.

Pirate Day :: We all planned to take over the school and hunt for the treasure. Luckily for us 3 ks4 pupils from endeavour were on work experience at the school and proved themselves invaluable.

The children came prepared with home made costumes to act out their story and take control of the school.

We planned our attack and filmed it as it unfolded.
Some teachers looked on with true fear !

Improvisation was a key element in our unfolding story. We were unsure how the head teacher would react to her school been taken over…. Luckily she obliged and the school became ours !

Because the project encouraged speaking and listening,
The EAL children benefited from this in that they were motivated to communicate their thoughts and ideas.

Fact :: Kids love technology !
being trusted to use high tech equipment was a confidence boost for the year 1’s

They engaged in the whole process of filmmaking from start to finish. It was clear that they had felt that the films were ‘theirs’ and they were proud of them.

The children were enthralled by the whole experience.

They are still talking about their films even now. The project has made a lasting, positive impression upon them.

Mini Olympics transition project at St Marys College – Hull. During transition week over 250 year 6 pupils were given a whole range of new sporting activities to try along with guest speakers from the sporting and literature world.

Current media studies students from the school worked alongside Cafesociety.org and documented the ‘Mini Olympics’ and created a series of 20 news bulletins which were uploaded to www.smc4sport.net and viewed around school on whitebaords and flat screen TV’s.

2pm Thursday 19th June – Phoenix Centre, Dunford Road, Holmfirth

A series of short films, made by members of Holme Valley Sharing Memories Group, will put the spotlight on the lives of the older generation in Holmfirth.

The films will be premiered on Thursday 19th June at 2pm at the Phoenix Centre in Holmfirth as part of this year’s Holmfirth Arts Festival (7-27 June).

Members of the group, who are all in their 70s, 80s and 90s, have been working with artists Jenny Ellis, Jan Benham and Jon Robson to capture personal memories of the past 80 years. The films reveal fascinating stories, including an overland expedition to India by motorbike in the early sixties and how lives were changed after the second World War.

Sierra Leone’s reggae diva Khady Black performs Mr. Government. Filmed on location in Kingston Upon Hull – UK.

Ever wondered what it is like being a teenager living in Hull today? In a new exhibition, pupils from Endeavour High School invite you to experience life from their perspective. “What’s Your Story?” uses films, photographs and personal objects to create an insight into the lives of a diverse group of young people.

The exhibition is part of the “Campaign! Make an Impact” project, an innovative project in which students are inspired by museum collections to create their own campaign about issues which affect their own lives. This project has been led by Hull Museum Education who have also been working in partnership with Cafesociety.org, the British Library and the Thackray Medical Museum.

Hull Museum Education teamed up with creative media practitioners Jon Robson and Matt Stephenson of Cafésociety.org to work with the students on their contemporary campaign inspired by museum collections.

Jane Avison, Senior Education Officer at Hull Museum Education said: “The young people have created the exhibition as part of their campaign against racism and intolerance. First they made short films about their own lives and then came to the museum to investigate the slavery collections and issues around racism. They developed a greater understanding of each other and wanted to run a campaign to promote tolerance between different cultures.”

The aim of the campaign is to break down barriers between communities, dispel some myths and promote understanding of different cultures. Jane continued: “The young people have been very courageous in putting themselves forward as the face of the campaign, giving us an insight into their lives. They would like the viewer to stop and think before making judgements, to consider the person and their story, not just nationality.”

The exhibition will be officially opened by Sir Keith Ajegbo, the Government Advisor for Citizenship. There will also be the opportunity to show case campaigns from the other partners involved in the “Campaign! Make an Impact” project.

The exhibition will be held in the Live Arts Space at the Ferens Art Gallery from Saturday 8th March to Sunday 27th April. It will then be displayed at the Artlink Centre for Community Arts from Thursday 8th May to Monday 2nd June.

More exciting work with Hull Museums Education Service

Hull Museums Education Service, together with the British Library and Museums, Libraries and Archives Yorkshire (MLA Yorkshire) havre asked us to get involved in a programme of work relating to citizenship, identity and campaigning, following on from the succesful Making an Impact Young Campaigners project we developed at Winifred Holtby School earlier in 2007.

In the first phase we’re planning on working with pupils from Hull’s inner city Endeavour Secondary School, making a series of short films focussing on the views and stories of people from other countries who have chosen to settle in Hull.

A later phase will see us working with pupils to develop documentary photographic, journalistic and campaigning skills for an exhibition and book exploring the identities and lives of the pupils themselves.

Exciting stuff and a great project to be involved with.

Hull Fair Travellers School

Another exciting project… During the two weeks of Hull Fair, the city council runs a temporary school for the children of the families who run the fairground attractions. We’re really looking forward to working closely with the school on another photography and journalism-based project which will document the lives and views of the children who travel with the fair.

It will be fascinating for us to learn more about their lives, meet their families, and – of course – we’ll all be making work which will provide a unique insight into on of Europe’s biggest and oldest fairs.

The end result will be a book (which will be available to order – details soon) and a series of short Photo Story films.

Restorative Practice

Before summer we began work documenting the pioneering Restorative Practice work being developed by Estelle MacDonald, head of Hull’s Collingwood Primary School.

We’re currently editing interviews with pupils and expect to be back in school soon to finish the job and we’ll post the film on the site when it’s complete.

Keep an eye on the site for details of how work progresses and new jobs as they come up…

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Back to work… been a busy summer though…

Our good friend Barmmy Boy returned to Freetown on August 10 so he could be back in time to vote in the elections. Barmmy had a great time here in the UK, worked really hard, made loads of friends, learned a lot. He now intends to work closely with the British Council to help Cafesociety.org develop school partnerships and media training work in Freetown.

Another Salonian friend of ours, Tony Gblah, also returned to Freetown recently after spending a year in Hull as a volunteer with various church social projects. Tony’s having a bit of a tough time at the moment – no money, no job, no fixed abode – we’ll be trying to help him get back on his feet.

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The Mayor of Freetown, Winstanley R. Bankole Johnson payed a short visit to Hull on the 29th August 2007. After a civic lunch with the Lord Mayor of Kingston Upon Hull, Cllr Brenda Petch he had a meeting with Jon Robson and Richard Skog of the Freetown Society, during which he signed the petition supporting the Fight For Freedom Campaign.

Mayor Johnson then launched the opening of Greetings! Wilberforce Women, a photographic project between women in Freetown and women in Hull, a Wilberforce 2007 project.

Lansana Mansaray, aka Barmmy Boy, a rapper from Freetown in Sierra Leone, has been in Hull working with Cafesociety.org for the last four weeks. He has worked with secondary pupils in exploring their creativity through music.