Located in the heart of the city in the Cultural
Industries Quarter, the newly refurbished centre provides a wide
range of opportunities for the city's Creative & Media and IT
Diploma students for teaching class groups and also for hosting
special 'Virtual Classroom' events with industry
leaders.
The Virtual Classroom is something special.
Designed by video conferencing experts Techex, with 5 broadband
connected screens, it is at the centre of a network that will link
4 outlying City Learning Centres as 'virtual' participants in live
events with employers. This means that, as well as students at Red
Tape, many more can take part 'virtually' across the city, not only
watching but also asking live questions and voting. The ambition
for the future is to go live with other locations across Yorkshire
already interested.
The Virtual Classroom will host visits from
industry experts whose work is relevant and inspiring. These will
run like a TV chat show, with three or four people interviewed
live. David Kay, organiser of a recent IT Diploma event involving
technology directors from Ufi learndirect and Sheffield
International Venues, describes it as 'Jonathan Ross without the
bad language - because it's live, it's candid and it's
interactive'.
The events are filmed and subsequently edited
to create bite-sized snippets of industry related learning content
linked to the Diploma curriculum. Teachers and students can then
access this content via the internet, from school or at home at any
time.
Students who have visited Red Tape Central are
excited at the prospect of the practitioner visits. Paige, a
student at All Saints, says, "I like it here because it's a
welcoming environment. I'm looking forward to using the screens to
talk to the different schools and interview people."
The Virtual Classroom is just one of the
facilities at Red Tape Central, alongside Apple and PC equipped IT
suites and wireless laptops. It is also home to Red Tape Studios,
offering over 20 years of experience in music technology and
performance training, and to student led, IT recycling and repair
company, Livetech.
Pete Eason, Diploma & Enterprise
Development Manager at Red Tape Central, thinks the variety of
facilities is crucial. He says, "It's about educational enrichment.
The work here does have structure but everything is flexible and
personal. There are the resources for the students to do things
like design, editing, filming and composing. The space isn't
regimented, so teachers and students can use the space to suit
their programmes."
Glynn Robins, school ICT Subject Co-ordinator
at All Saints adds, "The students are very enthusiastic about
working here, which is great to see. They really get into the work
and often forget when break or lunch time is as they are so
absorbed in it."
"It's a very positive step to have a place like
this for the diplomas as it is so hands-on," he continued. "The
students learn by seeing businesses in action and speaking to
experienced practitioners. Now we've worked here, I would be
reluctant to run the diploma without this facility."
Email Emma Hayes for more
information