News
Adobe call for entries
Adobe Systems Incorporated has announced the call for entries for the twelfth annual Adobe Design Achievement Awards (ADAA). The competition recognises the best student graphic designers, photographers, illustrators, animators, digital filmmakers, developers and computer artists from higher education institutions worldwide who have created innovative projects using Adobe software. Students are invited to compete in 13 categories, including Game Design and Development, as well as Application Development and Mobile Design. For the second consecutive year, the ADAA will also recognise teaching excellence through three categories designed specifically for higher education instructors. Since the ADAA competition began in 2001, nearly 25,000 students from 73 countries have been involved; in 2011, a record 4,600 entries were submitted.
Free to enter and open to students, faculty and staff of higher education institutions worldwide, the 2012 ADAA will be judged by a panel of international design experts in three independent judging sessions. Submission deadlines are January 27, April 27, and June 22, 2012, giving participants more opportunities and flexibility in submitting their work. Semifinalists will be announced after each judging session, providing participants with early visibility into their competition status. In October, finalists will be invited to attend the ADAA awards ceremony in Los Angeles, California, where winners will be announced and awarded Adobe software and cash prizes.
For detailed information about ADAA submission guidelines, deadlines, categories and more, visit
www.adobeawards.com/uk. Students and faculty are invited to submit projects through this website and view winning work from prior years in the ADAA Gallery. Visit the 2011 ADAA Yearbook for a look at the 2011 ADAA ceremony in Taipei, Taiwan.
OCR new generation ICT qualifications
As Education Today went to press, leading awarding body OCR was set to showcase its new Cambridge Nationals in ICT qualifications for 14 to 16 year olds at BETT 2012.
OCR provides the broadest range of ICT qualifications, including GCSEs and A Levels in Computing which focus on understanding how computer technology works. The new Cambridge Nationals in ICT qualifications incorporate the recommendations of the 2011 Wolf Report and have been designed by OCR to meet the government’s new performance table criteria for schools. Industry leaders, teachers and training providers were consulted during development to ensure OCR’s new qualifications focus on the skills as well as the
computer knowledge expected by future employers and places of study. Cambridge Nationals in ICT will be launched in schools and colleges for teaching from September 2012, following accreditation by Ofqual.
If a school or college is already approved for the current ICT Nationals range, OCR will automatically transfer centre approval to the new Cambridge Nationals in ICT from September 2012. Mark Dawe, OCR Chief Executive, commented: “We are looking forward to sharing the details of this high-quality vocational qualification which has been re-developed to meet the specific needs of 14 to 16 year olds in the rapidly changing world of IT. Thanks to feedback from teachers, training providers and employers, we are confident that the new Cambridge Nationals not only reflect some of the most exciting aspects of IT in young people’s lives today but will help students to be more effective and efficient at using IT because of their enhanced understanding of software and hardware.” Details of the new qualification are available on a dedicated OCR microsite –
www.cambridgenationals.org.uk.
Primary and SEN pupils celebrate progress on their new school
Pupils from Pontygof and Waunlwyd Primary Schools and Pen-y-Cwm SEN School gathered on- site at their future school to celebrate its progress on Tuesday, 13th December.
The 3-16 school, estimated to cost around £50 million, is part of The Works: Ebbw Vale regeneration scheme and the primary phase will merge the three schools into one facility and also provide a new children’s centre. It is scheduled to open in September 2012 and is being constructed by the Leadbitter Group on behalf of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council and the Welsh Assembly Government.
The pupils gathered in the main hall of the new school—where construction of the roof had just been completed and a large Christmas tree was
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www.education-today.co.uk
erected for the occasion—to sing carols and receive a visit from Father Christmas. Bradley Morgan, Chair of Blaenau Gwent Youth Forum, addressed those who attended: “As chair of the youth forum, please accept my sincere thanks for giving me the opportunity to attend today’s memorable ceremony. We can now look forward to exciting times where all children, young people and their families can benefit from the fantastic regeneration of the steel works.
“On behalf of the young people of the borough I would like to thank the Authority for its tireless work in making our futures look much brighter. I would also like to thank the Welsh Government for its support and finally contractor Leadbitter.”
January 2012
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