You are welcome to become involved with any aspect of Flickernet.
If being a teacher has taught me one thing, it is that many brains produce the best outcomes!
There are three distinct areas in which Flickernet operates. Each presents an opportunity for involvement, depending on your own interests and motivation.
Flickernet is about teaching through technology.
At one time we had the strap-line “The best of technology, explored with you” which perhaps captures the coaching aspiration which we have sought to offer for over twenty years: joint amazement at the many ways in which technology benefits learners.
Today Flickernet specialises in Physical Computing, offered to all ages and based on Project Based Learning.
This describes the experience of working together towards a common goal – one that helps disadvantaged people in our case, so that there is a clear purpose to the task and the skills requiring development.
In close association with Tech To Help, a registered charity, and Digital Writes, a not-for-profit community interest company, we seek to deliver learning and worthwhile design work in equal measure.
There are many opportunities to inspire learners and their teachers with the cross curricular potential of computing – especially when it is hands-on, tangible and practical.
For those new to Physical Computing there is a collection of helpful links here.
If you would like to discuss Flickernet or to become involved in session delivery, perhaps as a STEM Ambassador, please email me:
Outdoor Learning: Space To Learn
Flickernet was founded by Phillip Anley in Northern Ireland in 1999. The renovated shipping offices that adjoined Mourne Park House became known as The Studio. It was in The Studio, Mourne Park that Flickernet began, but now it has a new base elsewhere on the estate, within what is called Ballyrogan. An old schoolhouse, built in the 1830s by Phillip’s Great Great Great Grandfather now serves as a base in Northern Ireland for the company’s new endeavour: Space To Learn. To explore the site please click here.
Having delivered IT skill courses to the local community in Mourne, Phillip moved to England where he became a classroom teacher in the state sector for sixteen years. This was twelve years in Primary, followed by four years in secondary teaching IT and Computer Science.
In 2021, partly as a response to Covid, Phillip saw the potential for outdoor learning which was based on innovative uses of technology. By 2022 Phillip was ready to take a sabbatical year from Lydiard Park Academy in Swindon, to focus on exploring the many avenues presented the current technology.
The Micro:Bit, Raspberry Pi and related microcontrollers are revolutionary kit for teachers.
Returning to the concept of supporting adults with technology, Phillip resolved to offer a means for teachers (especially in Primary schools) to up-skill themselves on the specific area of physical computing.
Whilst there are clearly defined sections of the Computing curriculum that require physical computing to be taught, the largest benefit for teachers is learning about the cross-curricular potential of physical computing.
Every single subject can benefit from physical computing. From PE. (triggered slow-motion cameras from reclaimed mobile phones); to Biology (trees that tell you all about them as you hold up a Micro:Bit) – this CPD is vital for teachers.
Furthermore teachers should be given a space in which to try out their physical computing: a test-bed location.
The part of the estate that the Schoolhouse is on (the SW corner) – contains twelve acres of ancient woodland with spate river frontage. It has a vibrant untouched ecology – red squirrels, pine martin and badgers that hunker down into buttons,, containing Micro:Bit sensors and endoscope cameras.!
The Space To Learn page records the development of this learning environment.
On 11th October eighteen Year 10 pupils became the first school group to experience Space To Learn when they came for the day and left having explored the woodland using Micro:Bit compasses (that they had coded and re-coded); found hidden treasure in the undergrowth using Micro:Bit metal detectors (that they had coded..) as well as using the little Micro:Bits to measure the environment about them.
One on-going project is the Raspberry Pi up a tree which measured particulate matter (pm2.5) which it send in real time to this website. There is a live data feed here.
If you are interested in deploying your own experiments – especially those which incorporate Raspberry Pi or Micro:Bit devices, please do contact me with your ideas. There is plenty of bandwidth, mains electricity and, yes, space available which I am happy to share!
Tinker
Tinker is a space for enthusiasts of technology who would like to explore what can be built using the techniques of physical computing and maker space ingenuity.
The core group who meet to build, discuss and occasionally podcast is open to all. We would just ask that you agree with our mission statement: to do good with what is built and not to charge anything for it.
Details of current and upcoming projects can be found on the Tinker website page.
To understand more of the Flickernet approach to helping through technology, please see https://www.flickernet.net/tth
Finally the Flickernet Archive is an ongoing personal mission to digitise, document and relate family history. I am seeking to write a historical narrative.
It is based in Northern Ireland, however the processes and experiences that it has led to may be of interest. If so please feel free to get in touch and I will happily share what I can with you about the project. A brief overview of the family history can be found here
