The Tell Me Project website – www.thetellmeproject.com – has had a major upgrade. Web developer Jonathan Teare, director of interactive web design studio Manx Revolution, has given the site a new ‘look and feel’ and introduced a suite of enhancements that not only bring Tell Me online to life, but also make it easier for students and teachers to edit and upload interviews. A new navigation system is more user-friendly, the site has widened its reach through better search engine indexing and content can now be viewed on all major browsers including iPad, iPhone and Android devices. And, with the project in its current format concluding in October with the launch of the Tell Me Project 2011 book, the website’s learning zone, packed with teaching resources and video tutorials, offers opportunities for this unique record of social history to be expanded in the future. Directed by Mr Teare and scripted by the Tell Me Project’s co-ordinator Elizabeth Flynn, the video tutorials feature Gale Force theatre school founder and director Barbara Gale with a number of her students and supporters who demonstrate – to vivid effect - good and bad interview techniques. Mr Teare said: ‘My brief was to create a highly engaging and self-sustaining website that could take the Tell Me Project to the next level encouraging participation from schools and other community organisations from the UK and beyond. To this end we have concentrated on making the upload of content as easy as possible and have developed a range of training videos to support this. The website has already received positive feedback on which we hope to build.’ The Tell Me Project is a Freedom to Flourish initiative. Core partners are Age Concern Isle of Man and the Isle of Man Department of Education and Children, supported by Manx Radio, Isle of Man Newspapers, Manx Telecom, Manx National Heritage and the Manx Heritage Foundation. Jacqueline Shirtliff, a teacher at Marown School, which took part for the first time this year, said: ‘Despite embarking on the Tell Me Project so close to the end of term when the children were tired and ready for the long summer break, the whole class was so enthusiastic about taking part. Initially the children worked in groups to discuss potential questions and to write them down on large sheets of shared paper. When we brought all our ideas together everyone was really keen that “their” question be part of the planned interviews. Together the children chose who should be the interviewers. On the afternoon of the interviews, when two grandparents and a past teacher at Marown came in to be our interviewees, excitement was high, and the whole class couldn't wait to hear the finished results. ’The Tell Me Project was really fun, and the whole class was involved. There was such an enthusiasm for finding out about recent history, and it really seemed to bring the past alive for us all. It helped the children to work together in groups and as a whole class and we all learned so much. Without the Tell me Project this opportunity would have been missed, and yet these were just people we knew, telling us what life used to be like. Anyone could do it - we could talk to our neighbours, ask our grandparents - it's obvious really, but it struck me that we could learn so much about the past if we just asked!’ Co-sponsors of the four-year project have been AXA Isle of Man and the H&S Davidson Trust whose chairman, Hugh Davidson said: ‘Tell Me may be drawing to a close in its current format but these past four years have demonstrated its unique appeal and educational value. Jonathan is to be congratulated on developing such an outstanding website that I am confident will serve to inspire others to continue Tell Me’s work to inform, delight and educate generations young and old for many years to come.’ ENDS