ISSUE 5 ; 05/11/08

ILT NEWS
EGG SUCKING
APPLYING FOR UNIVERSITY

EGg Sucking is NOW on sharepoint along with everything

else you need to keep up to date with college happenings.
You can’t help but have noticed your At the moment I am staring at a reminder that
new homepage, the Bath College Staff there is a college open evening coming up but
recent announcements have included news
Portal https://sp.citybathcoll.ac.uk of student successes and information about
but have you had time to explore collaborative projects with other colleges.
yet? Everything you need to keep up To catch up on recent announcements you
to date with college goings-on can be need to click on Announcements in green to
found there. go to the news archive.
The green tabs across the top take you If you need cake or a kitten, check the Sales
quickly to the college’s various sites; Moodle, and Wants board. Just below this is the Events
mail, the college website and the student section with useful reminders of Parent’s
intranet. Evenings, Prize Givings and Parties.
On the right hand side you have got important The left hand side has the kind of content that
resources including the college phone book, you used to access in shared folders or public
jobs bulletin, college calendar, Celcat and folders. Each curriculum area has their own
most importantly Egg Sucking!!! There is folder and the college’s most important forms
also a link to the Principal’s Blog. and documents can also be located here.
The main body of the page is given up to If you need to make an announcement to
announcements and college news. Verica everyone just contact Verica and she will get
Mazakovska updates this regularly. it on to the staff portal.

ILT TIP OF THE WEEK

Why not spruce up your Moodle and

add a bit of bling to show off on the
Open Evening?
Polish it up a bit and get it looking smart
and shiny. Use the add label function to
add pictures and animations.
As well as livening up your page for
visitors it will also provide landmarks
for your students, making it easier for
them to locate material, for example
the performing arts students can easily
locate their Alice Website Production
Forum on Moodle because it is next to
the white rabbit.
If your Moodle is filling up with long
lists of links and documents it might
be worth while breaking it up a bit
with some smart images or fancy
typography. One very smart looking egg.


 ISSUE 5 ; 05/11/08
RESOURCES ROUNDUP
http://www.toondoo.com
This fabulous website allows students and teachers to quickly produce
and publish their own cartoons and electronic comic books. It is easy to
use and a lot of fun. You only need to register your email address and
away you go. Have a look at what other students have produced; french
projects, history books, science comics ... fabulous. See below my own
work of genius, produced in ten minutes of messing.
EGG SUCKING
APPLYING FOR UNIVERSITY

EGGHEAD games is one of participation and taking

part. The games industry might therefore
bring to the current educational debate
Academic and provocative its expertise in making content accessible
theories and debates on and lively while motivating players to
the subject of ILT continue to overcome complex and
difficult challenges.
Serious Games Through playing games, he claimed,
“Serious Games” is a term used to describe players may be able to develop a more
computer and video games developed for a subjective view of events and issues, to
purpose other than pure entertainment, for develop their personal understandings
example, in the military, health, social policy and and empathy as well as to experience
education. The Apply Serious Games event (10 alternative worlds or versions of the real
July 2008) was intended to explore the state of world that would otherwise be unavailable
the debate in this area, as well as to showcase to them.
some recent developments. Lord Puttnam’s particular interest is in
There was also a strong dose of marketing and how climate change can be tackled, and
business speak, though this probably shouldn’t he sees games as having a role here. How
be seen as surprising given that video games are might serious games illustrate and allow
a major corporate phenomenon produced and players to explore the effects of climate
sold in a multi billion dollar international industry. change? One response was provided by
And this is my point: if we are truly serious about Gobion Rowlands of Red Redemption,
“serious games” then we have to be very serious who make “socially conscious games,”
indeed about the role of this industry in debates in the shape of the free game “Climate
about our health, lifestyles, social policies and Challenge” (winner of the 2008 European
education. Opening the conference, Prof. Richard Green IT award).
Bartle claimed that “the army plays games, and The game allows players to control the
not for fun reasons.” Quite. So if games are to be future of the planet by taking on the
played in schools, what might be the reasons? role of EU president for a year, and it
Lord David Puttnam (chairman of Futurelab uses accurate data provided by the
amongst other things) provided the main intergovernmental panel on climate
keynote. Suggesting that video games seem to change (IPCC). With over 2 million users
many children to be “an antidote to school,” he to date, this is an example of a serious
argued that public policy makers and the games game that remains entertaining. In
industry need to be involved in a dialogue with Rowlands’ words, “fun does not have to
educators. Whereas, according to Lord Puttnam, be vacuous.”
many children experience school as a process http://flux.futurelab.org.uk/2008/07/14/
of “being done to,” their experience of playing serious-games/