Posts In Category Inspire at Digital Shoreditch
Coding for kids
on May 30, 2012 by Admin in City University at Digital Shoreditch, Inspire at Digital Shoreditch, Comments (0)
Youtube video courtesy of Proactive Paul.
As the Raspberry Pi finally went on sale this week, the accent was firmly back on the importance of coding. It may be no surprise to attendees at Digital Shoreditch this week and last that some of the brightest and most creative coders are still at school.
We spoke to young coders at Digital Shoreditch’s Inspire day (21 May) and get a feel for the skills they’ve acquired. A straw poll revealed CSS, HTML and PHP to be top of the list, and they’re quick learners. One participant said: “I started playing around with HTML and am now into CSS as I’ve got more confident. But everything I’ve learned has been in the past 12 months.”
Self-directed learning (as teachers would call it) or trial and error (as the rest of us know and love it) is unsurprisingly the way most of our young coders liked to learn. But schools are playing a vital role too. One year 13 pupil spoke approvingly of after-school clubs led by the IT staff at his south London school, but confirmed that he was one of the older members. “Most of the kids there are year 7s, 8s and 9s,” he said.
Creating your own avatars in the classroom
on May 21, 2012 by Admin in Digital Shoreditch, Inspire at Digital Shoreditch, Comments (0)
So, what would your Avatar look like? Would they be an exact replica of you? Or is it going to be a fanciful image you may have of the ideal you?
With technology developing at breathtaking speed, the sky’s the limit. Take your pick. Create your very own.
In the film “Avatar” James Cameron showed just how boundless the horizons are in creating a virtual world.
Now school children can take charge and create their very own Avatar in the classroom
“They can create their own landcsapes and decide how their Avatar looks,” said Leanne Hammacott of bodydatespace.net, an East End design collective. It runs school workshops which give students free rein to express themselves as creatively as they want.
“It is really great and very enriching. The students get into it very quickly, ” she said after explaining the limitless possibilities of the Avatar in a presentation at Digital Shoreditch festival.
Some create virtual clones of themselves, others offer intriguing glimpses of how they would like the world to see them. The line is blurring between the virtual and the physical world. — and it doesn’t stop with Avatars.
“We are also developing tele-presence — that is basically full-bodied skype,” she said of the project which takes to the stage of the National Theatre next month with portals in London, Paris, Istanbul and Brussels all linked up for a “Me and My Shadow” performance.
It promises to teleport people into a “deeply poetic experience. Connect and interact in a shared virtual space with people across Europe.”
The science of the three-card trick
on by Admin in Digital Shoreditch, Inspire at Digital Shoreditch, Comments (0)
Magic is a good way to draw in a crowd. But just how does it relate to computer sciences?
By Sarah Collins, Digital Daily reporter
Science and magic link up in ways that are hidden – often it is science that creates the magic.
You can use chemicals to make liquids change colour, or use refraction to make solid objects disappear when they’ve covered by water.
At Digital Shoreditch today, one man was showing how one particular branch of science, computer science, related to magic.
Paul McOwan was showing off with card tricks, then explaining how they were done and the maths behind them.
“A good card trick is a bit like a good piece of computer software,” he said. “There’s a mathematical secret behind it, like the algorithm, but unless you understand the human being, unless you get the presentation right, both the software and the card trick won’t work as well as they should.”
When people look at a web browser they often look to the top left, then along the lefthand side, then along the middle. A good programmer needs to make sure that the important information is contained in those areas. Computer software, like magic, needs to be designed around the human being.
He’s been working on the magic of computer science with other professors from Queen Mary, University London for a few years.
“Magic makes the impossible possible, and if you think about it computer science, computing, IT can make things in this world possible which even ten, fifteen years ago wouldn’t have been possible.”
Inspire – Day 1 of Digital Shoreditch
on by Admin in Digital Shoreditch, Inspire at Digital Shoreditch, Comments (0)
The Art Doodle App. Pic: Togeva
The first day of 2012′s Digital Shoreditch is all about the next generation – the programmers, entrepreneurs and designers of tomorrow. And the Big Top at Shoreditch will be packed with presentations and fun ideas to get young brains whirring and unleash creativity. Most important though, it’s going to be fun. “The Inspire Day is aimed at 12 to 18 year olds,” said a spokesman for Digital Shoreditch. “But we reckon we can inspire a few parents and grandparents too!”
A packed day of events kicks off with Art Doodle Live, which allows you to take your favourite piece of art, drop it onto a mobile canvas and play around. So if you love the Mona Lisa or the Scream, but think you can do a better job, take a look at Art Doodle. You and your pals can even work on the same picture from different computers. There’s an artist in us all, waiting to get out. Photo Mosaics is brought to you by Hoxton’s Geffrye Museum, and allows you to create beautiful mosaics using digital software. And Robots and Avatars Learning Experiences- Developing your digital skills through creativity looks at how our real and virtual worlds are becoming increasingly blurred.
Back to basics and Blog to business is aimed at inspiring the next generation of digital entrepreneurs. Londoner Naweed Shams launched his own digital business at age 20, while Marc Taylor is managing director of Inspiring Young People. They’ll be explaining how to turn your passion into a business.
Your brain is in charge of your entire inner life and is unbelievably complicated. Does that mean you’ll be looking at very complex diagrams at the Brain in a Bag Show? No. Jonathan Black – of the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science at Queen Mary, University of London – is convinced that computer science must be fun, and will show you you can make a working model of your brain out of clothes line, loo rolls and other everyday household goods.
Is coding the new Latin? There’s certainly a growing realisation that the next generation need to speak the language of computing and break beyond the interface. Coding for Kids will tell you how to get started and where coding can lead you. And Let’s Code further addresses the question: “Do you want to be a creator or a consumer?” The CoderDojo team be providing examples of the great things you can do with even the simplest of codes, like creating games, apps and websites. Plus workshops for whoever wants to learn the basics of computer languages JavaScript, HTML and CSS. Join in a workshop, try out some coding, or just come along and talk to one of the expert mentors.
Tell a creative to come up with ideas and they turn to their Mac, rather than pencil, paper and imagination. So is education failing to fire our imaginations? Hear Chris Arnold, former creative director of Saatchi & Saatchi discuss the Creative Economy.
Check out Creative Apps Generation with AppShed and design an app your love of fashion or sport, your favourite band or actor … the possibilities are endless. Students become creators of technology, not just consumers. Every student leaves with a huge sense of achievement, having been able to produce something tangible they can share with others.
If the thought of Maths brings you out in a cold sweat, discover how numbers can be, yes, fun. Check out the Maths and computing Magic Show where conjuror/mathematician Peter McOwan guides you through the secret world where maths and magic meet. Technology can even be funny (really). Pensioner and iPad – When Man and Machine Collide uses standup comedy to educate the audience on technology past, present and future, and asks the serious question – can we use this stuff to change the world for the better?
How do you get other brands to notice what you’re creating and get you on their pitch list? How do you make sure you continue to have interesting opportunities for your team to work on? How do you ensure a regular flow of new business? Check out Top tips for getting new clients. Meanwhile, in Shortcuts to Success, mentor and entrepreneur Dwain Reid gives his tips and being successful.
That’s just a taster. Remember there is lots more to explore and most events are repeated at different times throughout the day. Check out the schedule of daily Digital Shoreditch events.
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