Students from two of the Island's secondary schools helped to present an image of the future earlier this week when they took part in a major technology exhibition in London.
Be Very Afraid is an annual gathering at which ingenious students from primary to university age talk about the extraordinary things they are doing with new technology in their learning.
The sixth annual event took place alongside the Learning and Technology World Forum at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre (which is hosting the Iraq inquiry). One of its main sponsors is Bafta (the British Academy of Film and Television Arts).
Guests at the event included education ministers from countries around the world, including China, Australia, the USA and Canada.
Robert Leece and Mduduzi Mtshali, Year 8 pupils at St Ninian’s High School, told the high-powered delegates about the school’s Pompeii Project.
The Year 7 cross-curricular project explores the eruption at Pompeii in 79AD in a creative and imaginative way, including through ICT.
Students work in small groups, structuring their own learning with peer and staff support, to produce visual presentations to share with others.
Alex Townsend, an ICT teacher with the Department of Education, who accompanied the students to London and made a film for screening about the pioneering work going on in ICT in the Isle of Man, said, "The boys were fantastic and many of the visitors were full of praise of their confidence and eloquence."
The boys were interviewed by TV crews and podcasters. As a result of their attendance at Be Very Afraid, a lecturer at a university in Australia has invited Mduduzi to take part in a video conference with her students.
Be Very Afraid organiser Professor Stephen Heppell, who has followed the progress of ICT on the Island for many years and is responsible for its attendance at the last three events, is a prominent member of Bafta and invited the Isle of Man party to an exclusive visit to its premises in London’s Piccadilly on Sunday.
Kyle Withington, a Year 10 pupil at Ramsey Grammar School, who displayed his animation work at Be Very Afraid, felt it was an invaluable experience and really appreciated the chance to look over Bafta’s facilities. He has dreams of returning one day as a Bafta winner.
In light of the quality of Kyle’s animation, attempts are to be made to pass some of his work on to Nick Park and Aardman Animations with the focus of arranging a meeting with them in Bristol. The Academy Award-winning filmmaker is best known as the creator of Wallace and Gromit.
Pictured (l-r): Professor Stephen Heppell; Mduduzi Mtshali; St Ninian’s ICT teacher Maff Long; the school’s head of English Rachel Withington; Kyle Withington; and (seated) Robert Leece are pictured with a small part of the set used in one of Kyle’s animated movies.
