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Skype with the Creator/Owner CEO of ThingLink

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Edited by Jonathan Vernon, Friday, 1 Nov 2019, 12:25

‘Beautiful images’ said CEO of ThingLink, Ulla Maaria Koivula

I had a delightful exchange with Ulla Maaria Koivual the Creator and CEO of the burgeoning interactivities platform ThingLink this morning. 

Being in Helsinki and over from the US she can more easily take up a Skype call. Otherwise this would have been late evening last night for her, breakfast for me.

I told my story, in part, with the ThingLink platform over the last 18 months. I couldn't honestly remember why or how I ended up trialing ThingLink. We had one 360 camera, bought a couple more and I started to take images. Then we looked for a host platform and tried more than one. At some point, probably because of an email making positive noises from ThingLink we got a free trial that was extended many times. Breaching some parameters summer 2018 when we got a lot of visitors I had to beg to keep us online until I pushed through a tiny spend shared between Learning Resource and Met Marketing. They were happy to oblige - keen to see the platform being used. 

I shared how interest in the platform would wax and wane and how I try to sell myself to tutors as their very own agency and support and facilitor. I offered reasons why something is not followed through: students back from holidays, curriculum and time pressures ...

I gushed about the recent upgrades:

Ease of creating a 360 tour with Thumbnails

Ease of adding text and massive plus for Immersive Reader for accessibility reasons.

And just added, on the fly, a bit of audio yesterday (this to a video clip of hands pressing the Ctrl, Alt an Delete keys at a computer keyboard.

Nervously I dug out on the fly the gmail sign ins for Marketing and for Learning and Ulla was immediately able to see what I was doing, the plan we are on and much more besides I am sure. 

I introduced GB MET and the advantages of being a vocational college covering things such as: construction, carpentry, aeronautics, motor vehicle workshops, performing arts, theatre, props and special effects, textiles, fine art and fashion and so on. 

Ulla, coming from a teacher background some eons ago - maybe 10 years I think,  wants the platform used in the classroom for collaborative project learning. Later I explained to someone how I saw this happening, say a trip behind the scenes at Glyndbourne with students taking images then tagging and annotating what they saw as a project to submit as course work. Then the act of doing this work itself embeds and ingrains the knowledge they have created and thought (and fought) over. 

My experience qualifies me as a Educator. I go beyond meeting the basic criteria. Am I the first person in the UK to gain this recognotion? 

Possibly!

It is hoped that I will be able to attend Bett Jan 23 to 26th in London and that some of the work I have created for GB MET will be showcased.

I joined the ThingLink Facebook  Educators to be part of the community of active users.

 

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A lot more of this: ThingLink 360° Interactive Tours

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One of the Control Rooms in the impressive complex of live rooms, control rooms, post-production and other rooms (DJ room, sound booth) all at Northbrook MET, West Durrington where I am based at least once a week - often throughout the week supporting various creative departments inlcuding Performing Arts, Props & SFX, Textiles and Music & Music Technology.

Music : http://bit.ly/2kpQyue

Theatre : http://bit.ly/2m4IM9n 

Textiles : http://bit.ly/2lM2Gpp

Props & SFX : http://bit.ly/2lHeE3J 

 

 

 

 

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VR Tours - 360 Tours around various workshops, a theatre and Music Facility

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Plumbing & Electrical

 

Motor Vehicle Workshop

 

Carpentry

 

Machine Tools

 

Hair Salon & Beauty Treatments

 

Aeronautics

 

Motor Vehicle Maintenance

 

Motor Sport

  

Carpentry

 

Catering 

 

Northbrook Theatre

 

Learning Resource Centres

 

Music Facilities

 

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The Fun Continues

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Edited by Jonathan Vernon, Friday, 29 Jun 2018, 06:43

Students from GB MET showcase their work

End of Year Fine Art & 3D 2018, York Hall, Greater Brighton Metropolitan College

The first stitch of the images and the magic begins. Choices have to be made over labels, over direction or the words used with each tag. Still testing what can be done already I see the need and value of some deeper planning. If this is to be seen by prospective students and parents then some indication of practice would be helpful - in fact the kind of information shown in the cards on each student: what they studied, where they are going next and a little about their learning experience.

And some gamification: a quest, in which a range of art materials have been placed around the hall to collect, or a quiz, and some video as well as the planned mid and close-up shots.

In brief, it requires a brief. To avoid the criticism of 'so what?' I need to address these questions:

What is the problem?

Who are we speaking to?

What do we want to say?

What do we want them to take away from this message?

I might answer:

Future students and parents don't realise the quality of achievement possible and the paths that this opens up to an arts student.

We are speaking to future students and their parents, rather than celebrating the work of those shown here - who have, after all, made the next step already.

We want to show and say what a wonderful experience it is to be a student at GB MET.

We want them to apply. We want them to feel enlightened and excited about their immediate future.

 

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