Sunday, August 09, 2009

Tech Camp's over for another year

It's been a bit quiet on the blog for the last week. And I have an excuse!

The annual Tech Camp organised by the Presbyterian Church in Ireland may be a week when I'm off work, but it's probably one of the busiest weeks of the year. Living, eating, sleeping and doing all manner of techie stuff with fourteen 13-16 year olds.

  • A geocaching scavenger hunt around Belfast (amazing that you can leave tupperware clues in the open for hours on end).
  • Setting up a blog and talking about twitter. A visit to UTV and U105 - including sitting in on the "One Take Pammy" recording of the 6.30pm and 10.30pm weather reports (at half four in the afternoon).
  • Making videos to support a Mac vs PC debate - irony was that all but one of the PC-supporting videos were prepared on Apple Macs!
  • Taking over Banbridge community radio station 102.4 Shine FM for four hours on Wednesday.
  • Clay stop motion animation, and inspiration from animator William Barr.
  • Learning the basics of putting together a PA system, and valuable lessons about feedback. Photography workshops and a photo walk.
  • A trip to laser quest round at the O-zone (only one injury requiring an icepack).
  • Evening worship and a chance to feedback what they'd learnt to parents and friends before the final BBQ.
  • And lots, lots, more.

A busy week. Probably best described by the audio package the campers pulled together with the help of the staff on BBC Northern Ireland's newly re-skinned Community Bus that came to visit on Thursday.

Now just to burn the week's content onto DVDs for the campers, return the borrowed kit, and unpack all those cables and gadgets until next year.

4 comments:

Justsayinisall said...

Are you really suprised Alan that nobody in Belfast, or anywhere in NI would pick up a tupperware container that they weren't expecting to find in a given location? I am old enough to remember lunchbox bombs left on window ledges and garden fences etc. You are lucky not to have brought the country to a standstill! But then again, who would notice the difference......

Alan in Belfast (Alan Meban) said...

lol - they were very small, transparent, and had a coloured piece of paper inside. Very innocuous and safe looking.

Niall said...

Reminds me of a favourite Viz "Top Tip" of old ... "BOMB disposal experts' wives: Keep hubby on his toes by packing his lunchbox with plasticine and an old alarm clock."

Justsayinisall said...

Don't joke, poeple thought I was on hunger strike back in the seventies because I was too scared to open my school packed lunch!