The awards, being held at The Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham on the 18^th March, coincide with the annual Education Show and serve to “focus on the resources, services and people that really make a practical impact on learning and the day-to-day work of the teachers in the classroom.”

This nomination follows RM Lightbox’s recent shortlisting at the BETT awards in the category ‘ICT Exporter of the Year’, further highlighting the company’s commitment to expanding into markets overseas and developing software applications that can enhance teaching and learning worldwide.

To download the shortlist and read more about the awards visit the BESA site.

The award ceremony took place on 11 November 2010 at the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square. 

The judges said:

‘In a hugely competitive category, the judges were unanimous in awarding the Gold to this outstanding e-learning simulation perfectly pitched for its target audience of 11-14 year olds. MP for a Week is a seamless blend of photography, video, illustration and 3D design that brings the political process to life in an engaging and entertaining way to achieve its aim of raising political literacy among players.

It puts the player in an MP’s shoes, experiencing the personal and professional dilemmas of a week in politics. Learners experience first-hand the challenge of keeping all the political plates spinning as they negotiate the corridors of power. It gives a credible and intriguing view of politics.

A series of quick-fire activities and games are chosen by the learner, during a personalised journey through the content. The system randomly selects the number, variety and content of activities to ensure no two games are the same, allowing a learner to replay the game with a very different experience and outcome each time.’

We are extremely proud of the MP for a Week resource which has been so well received by both our client, Members of Parliament, the press and, crucially, by the young people and their teachers it was created for, so to receive this award is a fantastic additional bonus.

Take a look at MP for a Week here

We are nominated in the following categories and look forward to attending the ceremony on the night.

Secondary, FE & Skills Digital Content

• Lightbox Education – EcoBuilder
• Lightbox Education and Parliament’s Education Service – MP for a Week

Tools for Learning and Teaching

• Lightbox Education – Anithings

ICT Exporter of the Year

• Lightbox Education

Come and visit Lightbox Education at this years BETT show being held at Olympia, London from the 11^th – 14^th January 2011.

Originally launched in January 2007, Podium has been enthusiastically adopted throughout classrooms both nationally and internationally and was the winner of a prestigious BETT award in 2009.

“The possibilities of using podcasting within a classroom environment are absolutely boundless,” comments Dave Pearson, managing director, Lightbox Education. “When we developed Podium, we recognised its potential in aiding teaching and increasing attainment, and now see podcasting becoming a key tool in enhancing core skills within the curriculum and encourage more schools to use it.”

For more details, visit www.podiumpodcasting.com

The UB-T880 Panaboard series has just been launched internationally and the partnership further highlights Lightbox Education’s commitment to providing quality solutions to schools worldwide.  Lightbox Education is part of the RM Group, a global organisation that already supplies and supports thousands of educational establishments with innovative and practical IT services.

“We are extremely pleased to be working alongside an organisation of such calibre and reputation as Panasonic,” comments David Pearson, managing director, Lightbox Education. “Having our new software product pre-installed with the Panaboard will bring a real advantage to schools who want to bring quality ICT solutions to the forefront of their teaching and learning practices.  We see this partnership going from strength to strength following successful launch activities, and we are looking forward to developing the relationship further.”

Easiteach Next Generation is the latest version of Easiteach, a product which is already used extensively in thousands of schools, and will be supported with a wide range of content and resources as well as a dedicated website translated into a wide variety of languages. To date, the software is translated into 15 different languages, with more additions expected. With core tools for text, drawing, video and animation combined with a growing range of curriculum focused activity builders and widgets Easiteach Next Generation makes it easy for teachers to create and deliver exciting and engaging, interactive lessons.  For further information, please visit www.easiteach.com.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Samantha Ingram, Lightbox Education, 01332 258381, singram@lightbox-ed.com

FantastICT will offer training in the full suite of Textease Studio CT software which includes the 9 core tools: Publisher CT, Spreadsheet CT, Database CT, Movies CT, Draw CT, Turtle CT, Paint CT, Branch CT and Presenter CT.  Textease tools, in some form or another, are in the majority of primary schools in the UK. FantastICT has a team of over 40 trainers ensuring that they can deliver Textease training on site at schools throughout England and Wales, as well as at their headquarters in Staffordshire.

“We are delighted to finally be able to provide quality training provision for our popular Textease titles,” said Peter Sadler, Lightbox Sales and Marketing Director. “The training will be able to cater for those with older versions of Textease, e.g. Textease 2000, Textease Studio and Textease Studio Plus, all version 5, as well as the latest toolset, Textease Studio CT, which is version 6.”

Since its formation in 2007, FantastICT has gone from strength to strength, now offering a complete range of ICT training and consultancy services to schools and colleges.

Director of Business Development at FantastICT, Mike Spooner: “We are committed to extending learning opportunities through the effective use of ICT and believe that high quality CPD is fundamental to achieving this goal. We are really pleased to be able to add the Textease range of software to our portfolio and are looking forward to working with Lightbox and their customers.”

FantastICT will offer customised Textease training ensuring that it fits every client’s needs and objectives. Formats may vary from all staff twilight sessions to training during lesson time with pupils in class. Course content can vary too, focusing on using the tools in Textease Studio CT specifically, or using the tools to fulfill certain curriculum criteria.

“The point about our training is that it’s flexible,” added Mike. “Our trainers have a great knowledge of the curriculum for all age phases as well as software expertise and can tailor their offering accordingly. They also take part in regular training sessions to keep their own knowledge and skills up to date and keep up to speed with the latest educational developments.”

Click here for more information on Textease training.