FREE CHILD ENTRY
Children visiting the Education Centre with their class in May and June will receive a complimentary ticket giving them a free return visit to the Scottish Seabird Centre. Why not come back in the Summer Holidays and impress your parents with your knowledge of the surrounding wildlife and show off your skills on our interactive cameras.
You and your pupils are invited to a FREE activity day at the
Scottish Seabird Centre -11th and 12th of May 2010.
The ‘Life around the Turbines’ workshops - which are based around the subject of offshore windfarms - are cross curricular and have been designed by the Marine Biological Association and the National Marine Aquarium with funding from COWRIE (Collaborative Offshore Wind Research Into the Environment) to meet many of the units of the National Curriculum.
Students will take part in 3 curriculum linked sessions during the day, beginning at 10.30 am, with a break for lunch and finishing by 2.30pm.
Biology – Pupils will discover which animals colonise the bases of the turbines and why!
Physics – Pupils will see a miniature wind turbine generate electricity and then get to build their own weight bearing turbines to take back to school.
Citizenship – Pupils will be asked to debate the environmental and human issues of building wind turbines out at sea and the importance of sustainability and renewable energy.
The sessions are most appropriate for years 5 and 6. The maximum number of students that can be accommodated on each day is 60, so book now to avoid disappointment!
Don’t forget all workshops and resources are completely FREE!! We are also able to subsidize the cost of travel to and from the event.
If you would like to book or need some more information, please get in touch with Jenny at education@seabird.org or 01620 890202
Competition Time!
Tammy the Puffin and the Scottish Seabird Centre will be 10 years old in May!
Would you like to help Tammy and the Centre celebrate their 10th Birthday? Are you 10 this year too? 
Yes? Then we would love you to design and make a 10th birthday card for Tammy and the Scottish Seabird Centre and be in with a chance to win a trip for you and your class to Tammy’s Big Bird Birthday Party. There will be fun and games, facepainting, birthday cake, a chance to visit our Discovery Centre and your very own showing of Professor Egghead’s Save the Planet Show.
We hope you can help Tammy celebrate in style!
Even if you don’t win, your birthday card could be displayed in the Centre as part of our 10th Birthday celebrations. Good luck!
Closing date: Friday 7th May
For more information click here: 10th birthday competition
Save the Planet Show
See if your class have what it takes to help Professor Egghead solve the mystery of what’s gone wrong on Puffin Planet. It’s down to you to save Tammy and his feathery friends!
Join Professor Egghead and his team of presenters this term for an exciting new live show at the Scottish Seabird Centre, North Berwick. Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival, with lots of madcap experiments and crazy fun.
Your ticket for Save the Planet is free when you book an educational workshop as well as a visit to our exciting Discovery Centre with its amazing live cameras, Kids' Zone, Wildlife Theatre, saltwater aquarium, Environment Zone and Migration Flyway.
Shows start at 12.00 and will last approx 40mins so can be added on to either a morning or afternoon workshop.
The show will only run subject to demand so please ask to see it when booking your workshop.
Watch Out for the Puffins
Last week 500 toy puffins were hidden all over Edinburgh, Fife and the Lothian’s. As puffin mania swept the region children and teachers were on the lookout for a chance to find a puffin and win a prize. Towerbank Primary were one of the lucky winners, winning their school a Samsung Flash Camcorder. Others were not disappointed and many children found a puffin lurking on the school gates, in the courtyards and playgrounds. Finders Keepers – the children not only get to keep the puffin but it also gives them a free visit to the Scottish Seabird Centre - And now is a great time to come down to the centre to see the puffins. Why not book your class trip to hear all about Percy the Puffin……
Percy the Puffin's Homecoming Adventure
Our story begins in the middle of the sea when Percy hears a voice whisper “come back to me!” Using puppets, musical instruments, actions and songs, your pupils cannot fail to be inspired by our Curriculum for Excellence linked, original and interactive story telling sessions. Discover the story of a puffin life cycle in this fully rhyming magical tale. Look out for the tree mallow and be prepared for a splish and a splash and a splish-splish splash! Children will then have the opportunity to see the puffins live on our interactive cameras and can re-enact the story during a free play time with art, soft toys, drama and sand tray activities
Education Programme Update
The new Scottish Seabird Centre Education Programme has been going down a storm with schools. Storm is maybe not the best word to use for Dirleton Primary P3/4/5 who battled there way through one to visit the centre on the 23rd February, but maybe a bit more appropriate for P2/3 from Aberlady who thoroughly enjoyed learning all about the water cycle and even made their very own rain clouds From the little ones from Campie Nursey, who took part in an interactive story about the life cycle of a puffin, to the big ones from North Berwick High, who had a very energetic debate on the future of fossil fuels and renewable energy, the pilot workshops have been getting rave reviews and the bookings are flooding in! Be sure not to miss out and book your class in now!
The pupils were highly motivated by the learning tasks and enjoyed all the activities. The range of activities and structured tasks kept all the pupils involved in their learning. They particularly enjoyed using the cameras, video cameras and doing rubbings of the birds. Class teacher - Dirleton PS
Puffin workshop for Ante Preschool Group ( 3 year olds) child centred, stimulating and age appropriate. Children all very engaged and enthusiastic - Brilliant. Thank You !!! Nursery Teacher - Campie Nursery
Junior Tour Guides Make their Debut Performance at the Scottish Seabird Centre - 26th February 2010
Pupils from Law Primary School in North Berwick have been polishing their skills for the last six weeks and are now fully fledged tour guides. They made their debut performance on Friday 26th February, at the launch of the programme, when parents, teachers and VIPs were invited for a guided tour of the award-winning Scottish Seabird Centre.
The Junior Tour Guide Scheme is an innovative education programme, which is delivered in partnership with Karen Kyle McKenzie of Illuminate UK, a professionally trained actor and drama practitioner. From an original concept developed with Historic Scotland, and a successful pilot scheme with the Scottish Seabird Centre, the programme is now being delivered to schools across Scotland.
The programme links to the Curriculum for Excellence and gives pupils the chance to build their confidence and develop good communication skills from an early age. The pupils deliver the tour in pairs, taking on the role of "Ali and Sam", a couple of seabird fanatics. They are in charge for the duration of the tour, demonstrating how the cameras and interactives work and giving fascinating facts about local wildlife and environmental/ conservation tips along the way. 
Jenny McAllister, Education Officer at the Scottish Seabird Centre comments, “The Junior Tour Guides gain valuable life skills and confidence from this project, I was amazed to see how quickly these developed over the past six weeks. The Juinor Tour Guide experience is available to all schools booking an educational workshop, free of charge. The tour offers both the guides and the visiting children the opportunity to share their knowledge in a fun and interactive environment.”
David Pearce of Loretto Junior School, Musselburgh commented after his school had enjoyed their visit, “The Junior guides at the Seabird Centre added tremendous value to our trip. The children were well informed and delivered the tour confidently. Our pupils were at once entertained and informed and some were so impressed that they wanted to become tour guides themselves.”
Scottish Seabird Centre welcomes Anna from University of Edinburgh
The Scottish Seabird Centre were delighted to work alongside University of Edinburgh’s Moray House in offering a placement to Anna Danby studying a Postgraduate Diploma in Outdoor, Environmental and Sustainability Education. Anna worked alongside Jenny in the Education Centre for 5 weeks. Anna (pictured with Tammy) brought a wealth of knowledge, experience and enthusiasm with her which she drew upon whilst working with the school groups piloting the new Scottish Seabird Centre’s education programme.
CBBC's brand new series Natural Born Hunters takes a fresh look at some of the most supreme predators in the animal kingdom, looking at how some of the world's most lethal creatures in the wild survive a typical day. The programme features film of the amazing gannets on the Bass Rock, taken from the Seabird Centre's live cameras! You can watch it here again, if you missed it! (The first gannets have arrived home to start nesting on the Bass Rock - you can check them out on our live webcams!)
GLOW Meet 11th March
Author Annemarie Allan talks about her new book 'Breaker'
Our next Glow meet will take place on the 11th March at 1.45pm. Log in to hear author Annemarie Allan talk about her new book Breaker set in North Berwick. A class from Law Primary will be joining us live on the day - why not join us online and ask the author questions too. Further information about the meet will be available on the Glow Scotland website at http://www.glowscotland.org.uk/
Synopsis: "Tom and Beth are not happy when they move to North Berwick and find themselves facing a rainy, windswept beach, a house that’s falling to pieces and a school full of strangers. When they meet Professor Macblain, with his weird and wonderful inventions, little do they know that he has a secret: not only is he a thief, but he has stolen the one thing that can save the Firth of Forth from environmental catastrophe."
Launch of New Education Programme for 2010
The Scottish Seabird Centre is definitely an exciting place to be at the moment with the launch of the new 2010 Education Programme. We have workshops to suit all ages and abilities to inspire and engage students to learn about care for and appreciate Scotland’s wildlife and natural environment. We are ideally placed to provide a range of real world experiences for pupils supporting the four capacities of Curriculum for Excellence. Workshops are cross curricular with the main focus on the sciences and social studies. They cover topics such as habitats, food chains, adaptations, the water cycle, pollution, biodiversity, conservation, renewable energy and sustainability.
Not only has the programme had a facelift for the new year but so to has the Education Centre, it’s looking fabulous, and with all the new technology including an interactive whiteboard, voting response pads, camcorders, laptops and microscopes you can’t fail to be inspired. Pull up a beanbag and get ready to learn, but be prepared to get involved.
Scottish Seabird Centre to Host East Lothian's First Teachmeet - 4th Feb 2010
Teachers - come along learn something new, be amazed, amused and enthused. This is an informal gathering of those curious about teaching and technology. Anyone can share great ideas they've trialled in their classrooms, ask important questions or simply sign up to take part in learning conversations. Would be good to see and hear both Primary and Secondary Teachers.
As far as we're aware, there hasn't ever been a TeachMeet in East Lothian. They're such a fantastic opportunity for teachers to get together and share ideas. TeachMeets have often focused on the use of ICT in classrooms in the past. While this is clearly important, we'd like to try and broaden the spectrum a little for our TeachMeet. We'd like to encourage presentations on any new ideas teachers have been trying out in our classrooms, whether they involve technology or not. This is why we've given our TeachMeet the 'curriculumforexcellenceedition' tag line.
You can come along to chat, meet new people, or give a seven minute talk, a two minute nano presentation.
For more information and to sign up visit http://teachmeet.pbworks.com/TeachMeet10EastLothian
Scottish Borders Schools - £500 Science Grants
Fancy a trip to the Seabird Centre to take part in one of our new exciting workshops?
Need a grant to pay for it?
If you are a school based in the Scotish Borders you could be eligible to apply for a £500 grant through the Edina Trust Science Grant Scheme. This can be used to fund science trips out of school. So why not apply, book a bus and come and visit us this term.
For more information visit:
http://www.edinatrust.org.uk/ETScienceGrantScheme.html
Join our Teacher Focus Group
Our Teacher Focus Group is a group of teachers who work with us to help advise and develop our programmes.
We are currently recruiting new members - would you like to join us?
The Teacher Focus Group will meet once a term (over drinks and nibbles), to network, talk about science, social studies and the Curriculum for Excellence, and advise the Seabird Centre on our programmes and plans.
We are looking for teachers who are interested in, cross-curricular learning, and/or curriculum planning. You don't have to be a science specialist or in a promoted position: you just have to be interested in learning about the Seabird Centre, and lending us your thoughts at our meetings.
Teacher Focus Group members get the opportunity to trial new workshops for us and get free class visits to the Seabird Centre. Being a member of the group is also an excellent way to enhance your own professional development, and network with others teachers and Seabird Centre staff.
If you are interested in joining us at our next meeting in January 2010, please contact Jenny on education@seabird.org or by calling 01620 890202
The New Look Education Centre - Winter 2009
The Seabird Centre’s Education Centre has had a makeover – themed with new murals and giant squishy bean bags, themed toilets and a new interactive Whiteboard. Download our Autumn Workshops Programme here to find out more.
Early booking recommended by calling 01620 890202 or emailing info@seabird.org
Scottish Seabird Centre welcomes Heather - Summer 2009
This summer, the Seabird Centre was delighted to welcome Heather Cyrus, who joined the centre for 3 months on a summer internship from Oregon University. Heather (pictured with daughter Hadlie) is studying for a double major in Environmental Studies and Journalism and was a valuable addition to the Education team bringing a new perspective and helping to develop the new programmes for next year. She worked with Joanne Doddie, a teacher placement from Edinburgh, on a new workshop called “I Gannet Believe It” which will be implemented for 2010.
Explore the Seashore!
Don't miss this wonderful exhibition of pop-up books and art displays from 5th March to 16th April, featuring the work of the pupils of Law Primary School, who worked with the Seabird Centre and local artist Sandra Vick to create the exhibition. Created as part of the John Muir Award, the exhibition is accompanied by information about the award, the work of the John Muir Trust and the man himself. Also showing is the Ingenious Whittler, John Muir the Inventor.
For this week only… the children themselves are also going to be available at the Seabird Centre to give visitors a personal tour of their work, see timings below. They’d be delighted if you can make it along!
1.30–2.45pm Wednesday 4th March
1.30–2.45pm Thursday 5th March
2pm–4pm Saturday 7th March
2pm–4pm Sunday 8th March
Learning and Teaching Scotland - 18 March 2009
GLOW HOSTS ITS LARGEST ONLINE GATHERING
MORE than 1,000 teachers and pupils today took part in Glow’s largest national event to date.
Children from 63 schools and nurseries across Scotland linked live to the Scottish Seabird Centre at North Berwick to welcome back Scotland’s puffins to the Firth of Forth via the Scottish schools digital network.The national event was the first experience of learning through Glow for many of the children and was aimed at developing literacy, numeracy and expressive arts skills in the early years. The pupils took part in songs, riddles and games in their own classroom while listening to the interactive storytelling session, “Percy the Puffin’s Homecoming Adventure” from the Scottish Seabird Centre.
The event was the second national Glow Meet to be held live in Glow and is part of a regular series that will be taking place across curricular areas from now on. LTS has also set up “Glowing Thursdays” to give practitioners ideas for using Glow in the classroom or just to develop their skills in using the network Each week a different virtual event will take place including masterclass sessions with experts, chartrooms on topical issues and ‘how to’ discussions. Information on the sessions will be available in Glow and on the Glow Scotland website at http://www.glowscotland.org.uk/
Marie Dougan, programme director for Glow, said: “These events provide practitioners with the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues across the country and develop their skills in using Glow. We hope it will build teachers’ confidence and encourage them to set up their own events and Glow Meet sessions. The success of this event shows how keen teachers and pupils are to exploit modern technology and the benefits Glow is offering teachers and learners.”
Emily Dodd, education officer and storyteller at the Scottish Seabird Centre said: “It’s great that Percy the Puffin set the record for Scotland as the largest Glow Meet so far. After the event Percy had fun answering questions like do puffins eat pizza, how long do puffins sleep and can you keep a puffin as a pet? The nurseries and schools will now be able to use this as a context for learning across the curriculum.”
For more information contact:
Lee-Ann Fullerton, Press Officer
T: 0141 282 5036 M:07973512453
Learning and Teaching Scotland
The Optima, 58 Robertson Street, Glasgow, G2 8DU
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/
LTS has also set up “Glowing Thursdays” to give practitioners ideas for using Glow in the classroom or just to develop their skills in using the network Each week a different virtual event will take place including masterclass sessions with experts, chartrooms on topical issues and ‘how to’ discussions. Information on the sessions will be available in Glow and on the Glow Scotland website at http://www.glowscotland.org.uk/
Percy the Puffin's Homecoming - 18th March 2009 
Emily Dodd, Education Officer for the Scottish Seabird Centre, will tell the story of Percy the Puffin and his homecoming to early years pupils, in Glow meet. You can join her while she tells this story in her classroom at 10am, in North Berwick. If you are an early years practitioner, not just in East Lothian, who would like to take part in this national event, go to the Early Years National Glow Group and join us inGlow meet.
The story is a whole class activity and ideal for introducing pupils in nursery classes to Glow. Look out for news in Glow and join us on the morning of Wednesday the18th March. Come into Glow to hear more about Percy’shomecoming and adventures in the Firth of Forth. Further details about Percy and other stories can be found on the Scottish Seabird Centre website.
Teachers will need a projector, web camera and computer, with marrratech software (a whiteboard can also be useful). If you are a new user in Glow more information can be found about using Glow meet .
If you are an early years practitioner and intend to take part in this Glow meet event, you can also ask questions in the Early Years National Glow Group. Ask questions in ‘Discussions’. Alternatively you can ask for support from a local Glow mentor. Further support is availablefrom your Local Authority and at National Level. Find out more about Glow in your Local Area .
This Glow meet will befacilitated byMartin Brown and Stuart Oliphant from the LTS Glow team.For further information contact m.brown@ltscotland.org.uk.
1st National GLOW meet for Science shows everyone loves a good dissection - 3rd February 2009
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PUPILS across Scotland watched leading scientists perform a bird post mortem at the Scottish Seabird Centre, thanks to new technology in schools. The procedure was broadcasat on GLOW, Scotland’s newly launched national education intranet, which digitally links schools across the country. The award-winning Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick was the venue for the autopsy and scientists, led by Dr Jan van Franeker, who carried out a post mortem on a fulmar seabird as part of their Save the North Sea project which aims to raise awareness of the damage caused by 20,000 tons of litter dumped every year.
School pupils from 22 local authorities in Scotland had the chance to view the event live online. It was also be recorded and is now available for teachers and pupils to access again if they want to revisit it, show people who missed the event or even access it at home to help with homework later on. See the links below for the latest coverage of the event:
The Scotsman The force is with Glow as virtual help links up schools - 11th Feb
The Scotsman Glowing example of e-learning - 3rd Feb
BBC News Bird autopsy beamed into schools - 21st Jan
Glow Scotland Pupils log on to Glow and work with leading scientists – 22nd Jan
Times Educational Supplement Where post-mortems come alive – 30th Jan
Blogs:
Onwards and upwards for GLOW « Mimanifesto - Jaye’s weblog
A couple of weeks ago, students at my school were able to take part in a live autopsy beamed out from the National seabird centre in North Berwick via GLOW meet. I say ‘take part’ because, of course, as it was a GLOW event, ...
Bird Autopsy- Via GlowMeet! tessawatson.com ...Yesterday my Higher Biology class and I were lucky enough to participate in this live autopsy...Fulmar Autopsy Fulmar Autopsy. The Scottish Seabird Centre hosted a Glow Meet for Biology classes on Wednesday and I was in Morgan ...
Glow at the Cutting Edge : John Connell: The Blog ... that was relayed across Glow today from the Scottish Seabird Centre in ... Why the autopsy? To quote from the BBC report:. Many fulmars are ...
Wildlife in Glow By Martin Brown
I met with Emily Dodd, the Education Officer at the Scottish Seabirds Centre in North Berwick. She has an amazing classroom at the harbour and some fantastic technology to back it up, with large screens linked to live cameras and web cams.
School of Rock-pool - 26th January 2009
Primary 5 pupils at Law Primary School presented their Seashore Project to parents and invited guests at the school in North Berwick last week. The Seashore Project is a joint partnership between the Scottish Seabird Centre and Law Primary and also part of their ongoing John Muir award.
The pupils were involved in a series of activities, kicking off with a visit to the Seabird Centre where they designed and made their own rockpool habitats as part of an interactive workshop. The pupils were also fortunate to have the chance to work with local environmental artist, Sandra Vick, who helped them to design their own colourful pop-up books and book stands.
One of the pupils said: "Our visit to the Seabird Centre was great fun! Our group made a home for a lobster from old wood, sand, shells and seaweed. We learnt about how rubbish can ruin the animals’ homes and how we can try to stop this happening."
An exhibition of the children’s work will go on display at the Seabird Centre in March and Sandra Vick and the Seabird Centre are also hoping to be able to publish the artwork in the future.
School of Rock-pool unpacked
Law Primary School Primary 5 pupils have been blogging all about this unique project.
Read about how the project began as part of their John Muir award
What did Primary 5 think about their visit to Seabird Centre?
View ‘a day in the life of a sea creature’, work inspired by the visit to the seabird centre
Find out about making pop-up books with Artist Sandra Vick
New Technology in Scottish Schools Lets Pupils Work with Leading Scientists - 19th January 2009
Puplis across Scotland will watch leading scientists perform a bird post mortem live on Wednesday 21st January at 2pm, thanks to new technology in schools.
The procedure will be shown on GLOW, Scotland’s national education intranet, which digitally links schools across the country.
The award-winning Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick is the venue for the autopsy and scientists, led by Dr Jan van Franeker, will carry out the post mortem on a fulmar seabird as part of their Save the North Sea project which aims to raise awareness of the damage caused by 20,000 tons of litter dumped every year. Dr Franeker is a senior scientist at the Institute for Marine Resources & Ecosystem studies in the Netherlands and will take pupils through the dissection and findings and host a question and answer session afterwards. Many fulmars are killed every year by ingesting plastic dumped in the sea. Around 96% of the birds are found to have plastic in their stomachs and many die from suffocation or become weak and unable to feed because of it.
Pupils studying biology will be able to see live on GLOW how scientists are researching what is happening in the North Sea and how they are using the findings to protect sealife and find ways of reducing the amount of marine litter. GLOW is a safe and secure online environment which brings together every school, teacher and pupil on the same digital network and allows them to work together, no matter their location. Its webconferencing tools will let pupils and teachers view the post mortem as it happens, speak to the scientists involved and then discuss the procedure and the issues affecting the North Sea afterwards using its discussion groups and chat functions.
School pupils from 22 local authorities in Scotland will have the chance to view the event live online. It will also be recorded and available for teachers and pupils to access again if they want to revisit it, show people who missed the event or even access it at home to help with homework later on.
Marie Dougan, GLOW progamme director, said the event is just example of how GLOW is providing unique learning opportunities for pupils that could be difficult for schools to organise themselves. She said: “The Scottish Seabird Centre is involved in fantastic groundbreaking work that provides an ideal opportunity for teachers to discuss science, biology, environmental change and citizenship in the context of real work that is on-going in Scotland at the moment. This is exactly the type of experience that is envisaged taking place in terms of Curriculum for Excellence. Not all schools would be able to visit the Centre or talk directly to the scientists involved but Glow provides the tools for schools to take part, no matter where they live. This type of approach not only gets pupils enthusiastic about their learning but also helps them make connections across different subjects and instills a deeper knowledge and understanding.”
Emily Dodd, Education Officer for the Scottish Seabird Centre added, “We are thrilled to be hosting the first national GLOW meet for science. This is a fantastic way to interest students in Scotland’s wildlife and hopefully encourage them to look after our precious environment”.
For further information please contact:
Lee-Ann Fullerton,
T: 0141 282 5036 M: 07973512453
Learning and Teaching Scotland
The Optima, 58 Robertson Street, Glasgow, G2 8DU
http://www.ltscotland..org.uk/
New for Christmas: Seal Craft Workshops and Green Santa Singalong - 19th December 2008
Pictured are P1-3 children from Dirleton Primary School with their teacher Jan Holden. The children were taking part in the Seabird Centre's new Christmas Seal Workshops and Green Santa Sing-a-long workshops. They had a fantastic day - they spotted lots of fluffy white seal pups on Craigleith and the Isle of May, using the Centre's live cameras. They then had the chance to design their own seal pups from their old socks (finished results pictured!). The children then joined in the Green Santa Singalong - which they then proudly taught their classmates back at the school.
Read about it in the East Lothian News.
Scottish Seabird Centre wins 2008 John Logie Baird Award for New Schoools Project - 11th December 2008
The Scottish Seabird Centre at North Berwick has scooped another award, winning the John Logie Baird Award for innovation at a ceremony in Glasgow’s Science Centre, which included guests of honour, BBC Dragon’s Den judge, Doug Richard and John Logie Baird's son, Malcolm Baird. The Seabird Centre was the only winning ‘not for profit’ organisation.
The Scottish Seabird Centre’s winning Pods4Schools is an interactive educational project, which engages local schools and the wider community with wildlife in East Lothian and around the Firth of Forth. By combining video editing equipment, a safe website and a set of MP3 players, the package enables schools to create their own wildlife podcasts which are then hosted on their own devoted webpage, or viewed on an MP3 player.
The project will be available free to a worldwide audience and, with its focus on using technology and the local environment to promote interest in the wider, global environment, it has been enthusiastically welcomed by the education sector. Working in partnership with Dunbar Grammar School, the first podcast features John Muir and the kittiwakes in Dunbar, which was made as part of the school’s John Muir Award programme. Emily Dodd, Education Officer and Paul Nixon, Discovery Centre Manager, Scottish Seabird Centre are pictured receiving the top award from Bernard Dunn of sponsors, MacDonald, Reid and Scott
Seabird Centre Education Officer, Emily Dodd comments, “We were thrilled to win this award and we hope that the project will inspire and motivate young people all over Scotland. We are particularly grateful for all the support we have had from schools in East Lothian in making it happen.”
Isabell Majewsky, from award organisers, added: "All of our winners really impressed our judging panels, who saw pitches from hundreds of inventors and innovators. They encompass what the John Logie Baird Awards are all about – entrepreneurship, passion and dedication." She added: "During the course of the programme, we have identified many magnificent inventors and innovators and I’d like to congratulate them all."
Emily Dodd, Education Officer and Paul Nixon, Discovery Centre Manager, Scottish Seabird Centre are pictured receiving the top award from Bernard Dunn of sponsors, MacDonald, Reid and Scott.
Read more about the award and Pods4Schools
The John Logie Baird Award website:
Local 'Pods4Schools' Project finalist in John Logie Baird Awards 2008 - 7th November 2008
This week an innovative new Scottish Seabird Centre education project, ‘Pods4Schools’ was selected as a finalist in the John Logie Baird Awards 2008 - ‘Impact through Innovation’. The awards are designed to recognise and celebrate innovation. The Seabird Centre's initiative to make wildlife films with schools and host them on a specially created website http://www.pods4schols.com/ was highlighted as an excellent example, with the judges commenting that the presentation by the Centre's Education Officer Emily Dodd and Discovery Centre Manager, Paul Nixon, was exceptional. As finalists, they are now gearing up to present to a national judging panel with the chance of winning the converted John Logie Baird Award and will be provided with a coach to prepare for the presentation.
The Seabird Centre will also have the chance to exhibit the Pods4Schools project at a special one day exhibition at the Glasgow Science Centre on 10th December, where the awards will be announced.
Dunbar Grammar school made the first podcast on Kittiwakes, John Muir and Dunbar as part of their John Muir award. Other schools can view and comment on their films which can be accessed by the public and visitors to the centre can hire mp3 players to watch the films.
Seabird Centre Education Officer, Emily Dodd comments, “We are delighted to be shortlisted for this award. “The podcast project has the potential to inspire and motivate young people all over Scotland and as more schools become involved we will be able to extend it to cover more wildlife.”
For further information see http://www.johnlogiebairdawards.co.uk/awards.aspx
Seabirds in Crisis - 5th November 2008
The Scottish Seabird Centre launched its newly developed secondary school workshop last week - 'Breaking News: Climate Change - Seabirds in Crisis' with 10 pupils from Broughton High Schools Eco Schools Group. The students aged 12-15, learned about the local food web and how climate change is endangering our local seabirds. As well as producing and presenting a series of short news reports, the pupils also enjoyed a practical session with a boat trip out to the island of Craigleith to work on the SOS Puffin project. Work is ongoing on both Craigleith and Fidra to rid the islands of the alien plant Tree Mallow and allow the puffins to nest again. This new workshop is just one of the exciting new developments at the Centre.
Seal of Approval - Friday 31st October 2008
We would like to invite teachersto enjoy a complimentary visit to the Scottish Seabird Centre for a sneak preview of our ‘new Seal Workshop’. You will also be able to enjoythe wonderful winter wildlife spectacle of newborn white fluffy seals pups on our new upgraded digital link, with two live cameras, overlooking the seal colony, whichwill be available to use on the day. Hourly sessions are available on Friday 31st October from 2pm-5pm. (pictured right is is a still from our cameras of 'Lucky' the seal pup born on Friday 13th October last year).
Meet Emily Dodds, our new Education Officer and Anne O’Brien, our dynamic Outreach Officer to discuss Curriculum for Excellence linked school workshops and/or outreach visits over refreshments and nibbles. All are welcome, but places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Please book early to avoid disappointment and ensure you get the time slot of your choice.
RSVP to info@seabird.org by 17th October 2008 stating your first and second choice time slots. Offer is limited to 2 teachers per school. We look forward to meeting you.
Kind regards
Diane Smith - Office and Marketing Assistant
New Wildlife Podcasts Created by Dunbar Grammar Students - 23rd September 2008
The results of an exciting new project to create Wildlife Podcasts with students from Dunbar Grammar were unveiled this week, with the first showing of the film taking place at the school. The project, a joint initiative with the Scottish Seabird Centre forms part of the John Muir award for students in the enhanced curriculum and covers John Muir and the kittiwakes of Dunbar.
The Podcasts will be available on the internet for the public to access and the Seabird Centre is also purchasing mp3 players which will also allow visitors and school groups to play the podcasts from the centre at North Berwick. The pupils will also be involved in the SOS Puffin project and there are plans in the future to make Seal Pup Diary podcasts, as part of the Seabird Centre's junior tour guides programme.
Seabird Centre Education Officer, Emily Dodd comments, “It was wonderful to see the finished result. Everyone was delighted with their work. A new website is also being developed which is essentially a cross between Facebook and U-Tube and will feature the films for other schools to view, download and comment on. This is a project which has the potential to really grow as more schools become involved and we cover more wildlife.”
For further information contact Lynda Dalgleish on 01620 890202 or 07747 477218.
Dunbar Grammar School pupils (pictured) with teacher and the Seabird Centre's Kerr Loy and Education Officer Emily Dodd.
