A new way of Googling

I've just stumbled on a new way of using google that may suit learners that like their searches to be categorized for them like this,

All you have to do is open Google, put your search criteria in (in my case "apple ipad") and then click on "Wonderwheel" which is on the left hand side of the page.........go on......have a look.

It breaks down your search results into categories that are looked at frequently.  This helps you narrow down your searches in a clear way.

A History of Computers

Ever wondered how modern day computing came about?  Well even if you haven't, this really informative infographic shows you how. Techking have created this and it is well worth 5 minutes of your time.

www.Textspace.net

This is a great website that allows to create really good banners, buttons or text.

See the example below for MAXIMUM effect.


LCD Text Generator at TextSpace.net

Copyright Free Images, Sounds and Videos

As you are all aware, when you take an image, sound or video off the Internet, you must make sure that you have permission to take it.  If you don't, then you may well be breaking copyright law.


Here's a helpful list of sites that allow you to take their copyright free files;

Video

http://www.bbcmotiongallery.com/gallery/home/royaltyfree.do

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/audio_video/

http://gallery.nen.gov.uk/

http://www.arkive.org/

http://www.bfi.org.uk/filmdownloads.html

http://www.bfi.org.uk/creativearchive/

http://www.open2.net/creativearchive/index.html

https://www.filmclub.org/login/

Audio

http://audio.lgfl.org.uk/

www.findsounds.com

www.freekidsmusic.com

www.1stnurseryrhymes.com

www.freeplaymusic.com

Images

http://gallery.nen.gov.uk/

http://openphoto.net

www.flickr.com

www.freedigitalphotos.net

http://creativecommons.org

http://taggalaxy.de/

http://www.cooliris.com

Withernsea High School is not responsible for the content of external websites.  Special care has been taken to ensure that inappropriate content is restricted.  However, if you see anything inappropriate, contact any member of the ICT staff.

Did you know that the UK is a world leader in special effects? But for how long?

Well did you?  The UK is in fact THE major player in special effects for movies and games. 

Films like Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows had all of its special effects made in the UK.  The latest Grand Theft Auto, amongst many other brilliant games, was made in the UK.

There is a problem though.  Many schools aren't providing a curriculum that teaches the skills needed to keep the UK at the top.  At Withernsea High School we have integrated units within the OCR nationals that allow you to learn how to create graphics, animations, sounds and videos.  So keep up the good work and you may well get a job at the top of the special effects tree.

Click on the title to see an interesting video about this problem.

iPhone, iPod touch and iPad apps

In ICT we are trying to promote the use of mobile devices around the school.  There are thousands upon thousands of mobile applications to download and use to make your learning fun and interesting.

The website appadvice.com is a brilliant resource for Apple apps which categorizes all of the latest and best apps around.  Loads are free too! Click on the picture above to go to the site.

Teach-ICT.com

This site is a must for us at Withernsea High.  It's full of amazing help that has allowed us, and you, to achieve in ICT.

Just have a look at the video tutorials section to see how useful it can be.

We have a three year subscription to the site and many of the resources are password protected - so if you need access to them, just let one of the ICT staff know and they'll sort it for you.

Welcome

Hi and welcome to new the Withernsea high school blog.

Over the next few weeks we will be telling you all sorts of news from the exciting world of ICT.  We will also be offering advice on how to pass your coursework, reviewing the latest ICT developments and make you aware of ICT news events.

Keep checking back to see what we're talking about.