Students Light Up with Raspberry Pi

Year 10 bright sparks from Ormiston Sir Stanley Matthews Academy (OSSMA) had a great day learning how to connect up a Raspberry Pi computer and write code in Python to control physical objects. The students were challenged to write the code in order to simulate a traffic light sequence and then develop this into a pelican crossing.

The group were also taken on a tour of the College’s state of the art facilities and enjoyed lunch in the College’s Food Hall. Mr Smart, Head of Curriculum and Timetabling at OSSMA, said ‘It was great having a ’hands on’ day. The taster was well delivered in terms of content and the level pitched at!’

Callum Lawton, OSSMA Year 10, said ‘I never knew about Raspberry Pi but it was great fun setting it up.’ The pupils all rated the session ‘good’ or ‘very good’ on their feedback forms!
 
If you are a pupil or teacher and would like a group from your school to attend a taster at Newcastle-under-Lyme College please contact School Liaison on 01782 245347 or email schools@nulc.ac.uk.

If you would like to learn more about Raspberry Pi NULC is hosting its third event at the College on Monday 12th May. To find out more visit http://northstaffsrjam1.eventbrite.co.uk.

First Raspberry Jam a huge success

The College’s first Raspberry Jam was a big success with over 50 people attending, networking, discussing and demoing their ideas for use of the Raspberry Pi mini-computer. 


The evening started with a talk from Carl Plant from BitJam all about the 'Internet of Things' including some uses of Raspberry Pi in in-house health care. Jonathan Westlake from Staffordshire University followed this up with a useful talk on his progress in running outreach sessions in schools introducing Raspberry Pi and also discussed some of the resources he has used such as the Raspberry Pi Emulator. James Wade wrapped up the talks by discussing the Potteries Hackspace including some of the cool projects being done there such as Raspberry Pi powered arcade machines.

Two introductory sessions ran this evening, which gave attendees the opportunity to set up a Raspberry Pi and learn some basic programming.

Paul Simmons, Curriculum Leader for Level 1 and 2 Vocational Computing at NULC organised the event.  He said: "I got the impression that everyone learned some good programming skills and had fun taking their first steps into Raspberry Pi."

He added: "The event was such a success, we're now in the process of planning another event in 2014."
There was a lot of interest in the demos especially the Quake 3 demo and the arcade machine but there was also a large crowd round Jonathan Westlake’s demo all evening as he answered questions and showed off some physical computing.

To find out more about studying Computing at NULC contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or email info@nulc.ac.uk.

Raspberry Jam Event

NULC is holding it's first Raspberry Jam, but what exactly is a Raspberry Jam?

Raspberry Jam's are events set up to allow people of all ages and abilities to come together and share knowledge and ideas related to the use of the new mini-computer, the Raspberry Pi.

What’s a Raspberry Pi?

The Raspberry Pi is a credit-card sized computer that plugs into your TV and a keyboard. It’s a capable little PC which can be used for many of the things that your desktop PC does, like spreadsheets, word-processing and games. It also plays high-definition video.

Who can attend the NULC Raspberry Jam?

There are sessions for beginners as well as opportunities to share projects and ideas related to computing using the Raspberry Pi mini-computer. As with all the other Raspberry Jam events, we welcome people of all ages, backgrounds and experience; mums and sons, dads and daughters, teachers, developers and enthusiasts. Of course, we particularly want children to attend, so this will be a ‘family-friendly’ event.

What will I learn at the NULC Raspberry Jam?

Attending a Raspberry Jam allows you the opportunity to learn more about the Raspberry Pi mini-computer as well as share ideas and projects you have been working on. In essence, it is all about learning new skills and sharing your enthusiasm and ideas with others.

The skills and knowledge which can be gained through coming together to discuss Raspberry Pi can be used to help change your career, gain a better understanding of programming or help your children or friends/family to learn new computing skills.

You don’t need to have a Raspberry Pi to attend, just an interest in what you can do with it. Some people bring the Raspberry Pi and any projects along to show others, some come along to discover more about the Raspberry Pi computer.

The NULC Raspberry Jam will take place on Thursday  7 November 2013, from 6.00pm -9.00pm.  For more information or to book your place click here.

Computing students uncover computing secrets at Bletchley Park

Computing students at NULC travelled back in time to experience how the computers we all use nowadays were developed. 

During the visit to the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park, some 40 students from the Extended Diploma IT, Foundation Degree IT and ITQ were able to experience programming as it used to be, see 100's of different computing systems and understand how computing developed from breaking the Enigma and other encryption systems in World War II through brilliant minds such as Alan Turing and Tommy Flowers. 

 




To find out more about the trip or studying Computing at NULC contact Paul Tanner Curriculum Leader Paul.tanner@nulc.ac.uk.

BTEC Computing Students attend Game Expo

Students studying BTEC Level 3 Computing at NULC recently attended the EuroGamer Expo in Earl's Court in London. The Expo showcases some of the latest products of the games industry and find out about some of the opportunities available with the industry.

  
For the Year 2 students on the Software Development option it also allowed them the opportunity to refine their ideas for their own computer game which they will be developing throughout the year.
 
All students enjoyed the day and were clear that the chance to attend allowed them a good insight into the industry which some of them are considering entering.


  

To find out more about studying Computing at NULC contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or info@nulc.ac.uk.

NULC students brush up on employability skills

Students studying health and social care, IT and engineering attended an employability event hosted at Staffordshire University.

NULC took 120 students from level 3 courses in health and social care, IT and engineering to take part in a national initiative the Splash programme which is ran by Working Knowledge.

During the day students worked on their employability skills meeting with local employers and taking part in workshops and employer carousels.

The event covered topics including business idea ,operational, sales, marketing and finance. As well as local business experts providing students will a ‘real-world’ perspective on the business environment.

Click here to view a film from the event. 

To find out more about courses at NULC visit www.nulc.ac.uk or contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or info@nulc.ac.uk.

College helps young people boost their employability skills

Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) has provided a week long of events to help students to boost their employability skills.

Students studying the Network to Work course took part in various activities as part of the College’s Employers’ Week (10-14 October). A range of local business experts were on hand to offer advice, including Tony Altham (local businessman and networking expert), Louise Griffin of Achieve Your Potential, Kerry Bonfiglio of Appointments Personnel and Steve Cunningham of Blind Vision.

Students also took part in an ‘Employer Carousel’, where they got the opportunity to speed network with local employers including representitives from Newcastle Borough Council, Bibby Consulting and Support, Staffordshire Police and Intercog.

 Pictured: Craig Brown from Newcastle Borough Council and student Ben Adams aged 18.

Simone Taylor from Bibby Consulting and Support said: “As a former NULC student it was a pleasure to come back and pass on my experiences to the students. There’s an immense amount of knowledge to be learnt on the job and I am looking forward to passing this knowledge on.”

Carl Kelsall, Neighbourhood Policing Officer for Staffordshire Police said: “It’s important for young people to know there are various skills they need in the workplace. Confidence and communication skills are vital employability skills, which I can see these students have developed during the session.”

The Network to Work course was set up by Computing, Accounting and Business staff at NULC to prepare its students for life in the workplace. The course is six weeks in duration and at the end of the course students have the opportunity to progress on to a full-time course, apprenticeship or go in to the workplace.

During a week when youth unemployment was reported at a record high with more than one in five 16 to 24-year-olds out of work, the College is keen to give its students the skills they need to succeed in securing employment after College.

Deb Harrison, Curriculum Leader for Computing, Accounting and Business said: “The Network to Work course has enabled our students to work closely with local employers to gain a wealth of knowledge including how to conduct themselves in a job interview, how to write CVs, how to network and more.”

Pictured: Employers and students from the Employer Carousel.

Ben Adams, aged 18 from Werrington this week completes the Network to Work course and has two apprenticeship interviews lined up. He said: “The course has helped me with CV writing, interview skills and shown me the general do’s and don’ts when in an interview. I have enjoyed chatting to employers and they’ve helped my confidence grow.”

Employers who are interested in getting involved in the Network to Work course or interested in employing an apprentice from NULC can find out more by contacting Deb Harrison on deb.harrison@nulc.ac.uk or call 01782 254374.