Peer to Peer teaching in ICT - Stop Motion Animation

As part of a creative Partnership residency in Derby, we ran a whole school digital storytelling week.  Working in teams pupils wrote storyboard scripts and created mini sets in cardboard boxes!  Each team set-up a digital camera on a tripod and took pictures of action figures/small toys moving around the set. Y4,5,6 helped Y1, 2 and Y3s take pictures. Even Foundation Stage got in on the act! The media specialist students (they had been trained in using ICT creatively by me) were on had to offer advice to teachers and help other pupils!

A great example of year groups working together and sharing skills across the school.

Top Tips;
1. Use a tripod and keep the camera still when taking photos
2. Set you picture quality to no more than 2mega pixels
3. Keep take your Set as still as you can!
4. Taking 50 pictures means 25 seconds of animation
5. You can view your animation in camera
6.You can add titles, music and a narration using editing software. Check out my adding a narration tutorial.
7. If your using the XP version of MovieMaker, in menu- options/advanced - change image duration to 0.5 seconds. Trust me its make thing easier in the long run!
8. Have a play using pine cones/leaves/twigs/etc.to get your animation movements right - you can make them to dance!
9.You can download free music here
10. Make sure you have plenty of light, open curtain/blinds, turn the classroom lights on, point your Set at the window - use your camera flash if you need to.
11. If you have a webcam- stop motion animation is easy! You can save your picture directly to your computer using great free software like Philipp Brendel's Frame by Frame.

Making Maths Fun Part 1

Median average worked out with the whole class.

Here is lessons learned from my work with KS3 Maths students. 


Along with the Maths teacher, I worked with Y7 students to create a series of short films that explored 'Averages'.

Every pupil got involved in presenting a highly visual demonstration of averages! 


The Median, Range, Mode and Mean were all demonstrated by the students. 

Students understanding of Averages  had increased.

Text and graphics added to clarify the results.  
The films created were shown to the rest of the school.

Padiham Greenway, Padiham, Nr. Burnley

A disused railway has bene transformed into a linear park and cycleway!


A lifetime in the making, this project was about the stories surrounding the old railway line and the ideas and aspirations for the new park.


Somethimes funny, sometimes sad sometimes poeticI helped a group of secondary school kids explore these stories and ideas using video and digital imaging. 


A Mid Pennine Arts Project.  You can view their films here