Ten reasons why an immersive space will transform your sensory room!

Newfield School - Sensory space

Lots of schools we work with replace their sensory room with an immersive space. The combination of light, sound and projection all run through a tablet device is ideal for calming sensory activities, fun physio sessions and curriculum based learning too.

If you’re looking for a fresh, creative approach to a sensory room, here’s ten reasons why you need to talk to 4D!

 1. Curriculum focused…with a wide range of preloaded content, the immersive space can be used to teach lessons for all key stages

2. Inclusive…pupils of all ages and abilities can learn and interact in an exciting, creative environment

3. Instantly change…your environment to react to the needs and engagement of your pupils

4. Control…your entire space through tablet devices and wireless switches for captivating hands on learning

 5. Built to last… only the best quality kit is used in our installations so you can be confident that your space is built to last

6. Future proofed…images, videos, sounds and lighting can all be customised for every session. New content is quick and simple to upload.

7. Interactive and fun…splash in virtual water, reveal hidden images or trigger sound effects for an active, physio session

8. Socialisation…from a trip to the shop to a job interview, practice real life situations in a safe, friendly environment

9. Cause and effect…use assistive touch technologies to control the entire space

10. Simple to use…a press of a touchscreen changes light, sound and projection instantly

Want to find out more? We recently made a video with Hebden Green School to show how they use their immersive space:

Inspirational Immersive Learning at Hebden Green School from 4d creative on Vimeo.

If you’d like some more information or for us to come and see what we can do with your sensory room, just get in touch via our contact page. 

 

 

The Great Fire of London workshop at St Hugh’s Primary School

Sthughspopupgreatfire

Last week we travelled to St Hugh’s Primary in Liverpool to run one of our new immersive workshops. The 4D Pop Up was the scene for as creatives to run the session looking at the Great Fire Of London.

The two primary classes entered a time tunnel in the 4D Pop Up where they met the man who started the fire, Thomas Farriner. Pupils learnt all about the fire and how it started in the Pie Shop before a newsflash from the 1666 news came in with all the events of the day. As the lesson progressed, a quick press of an iPad dramatically changed the 4D Pop Up to engage the young people and give them new experiences.

Groups then wrote and shared virtual postcards sharing their ideas on how London should be rebuilt using all the knowledge they had developed in the session. It was a fantastic time working with the pupils and we were delighted to see how much the young people learnt and how their confidence grew in the immersive space.

Check out our full gallery below

In the afternoon we also ran the second of our free creative workshops.  We welcomed 25 practitioners to the school and ran a session in the 4D Pop Up before a second workshop in St Hugh’s immersive space. The focus of the event was creativity and best practices for sharing a whole school approach. We’d love for you to join us at our next creative workshop, to register, fill in this form.

Or if you’d like to book a a creative workshop for pupils, then just email Inés on ines@4dcreative.co.uk or call on 0844 414 2595

 

Immersive spaces in health and social care update

sedgmoor

This week we were really pleased to hear that Sedgemoor Care Home has been nominated in the Innovative Design Category at this years Pinder Awards.

The dementia support centre which opened in 2013 in Liverpool is also home to one of our first immersive spaces in the health and social care sector. The Awards promote and recognise the very best developments in all types of care-related property. Well done to the staff and all involved with Sedgemoor and we hope you win this well deserved award.

The immersive space we installed features large scale projection, an interactive wall, lighting and sound. We have also been working with the fantastic staff at Sedgemoor to use the space in a person centred manor, giving a space that can be used to start conversations, share memories and relax. This initial project is showing us that our spaces are having a positive impact on people with dementia and their families.

We also recently welcomed staff from Clarence Ward and Sedgemoor Care home to our offices to discuss where the project goes next. A very positive and enjoyable time was spent exploring the possibilities. Expect more exciting developments very soon.

Watch an ITV news report on the opening of Sedgemoor Care Home below.

[media url=”http://vimeo.com/66386129″ width=”600″ height=”400″]

 

Free taster creative workshops

workshops

Are you thinking about how to make creative learning and thinking as part of your environment and curriculum?

Come and find out more about 4D creative and our innovative approach to teaching and learning.

This year, 4D creative will be running regular taster events, starting this month in Manchester followed by Liverpool at the end of February.

Each event will explore how immersive experiences support positive and engaging learning for all children and young people.

This is a chance to explore the immersive experiences we create and gain key skills to inspire young people and innovate learning that can be used in any classroom setting.

The events run by 4D creative and as creatives will be split into two sessions:

Workshop 1

How immersive experiences support creative thinking and learning at a practitioner level both within the classroom and within an immersive space.

Workshop 2

The impact of creative learning and thinking on outcomes and achievement for children and young people for senior leaders.

Full details and to book:

26th February – Liverpool Training Workshop at St Hugh’s Primary School, Liverpool. 1.30 – 3pm or 3.30 – 5pm

To book your free place, simply register below using Eventbrite or call us on 0844 414 2595 – please note each event and session will be identical.

Our March and May events will be launched very soon. Email Pete in our office to be kept up to date with events as they are launched.

Liverpool Event

 

Save The Cycle Workshop at Holywell High School

HolywellHigh

Just before Christmas, we took the 4D Pop Up to Holywell High for a days workshop on the Carbon Cycle. Our friends from AS creatives joined us to lead a day long workshop for pupils from a selection of high schools from the local area.

Together, the group explored the impact we have on our planet, global warming and what we can do to prevent further damage. After an introduction in the 4D Pop Up, pupils explored the carbon cycle, wrote presentations and gathered content. At the end of the day each group presented their findings in the style of news reports to their peers inside the 4D Pop Up.

In a suitably overblown manor, we have quickly pulled together some photos of the event into iMovie. Saving the world should always involve ridiculously empowering music! iMovie trailer maker is one of our favourite ways to capture videos like the one below and is always something we recommend to the schools we work with.

[media url=”https://vimeo.com/82277853″ width=”600″ height=”400″]

This year we will be launching our new programme of creative workshops – explore immersive learning in any setting for any age group. If you would like to find out more then just get in touch via our contact page.

MCA Content Project Part 4 – Outstanding pupil presentations.

mca3

The first stage of our Content Creation project came to a close this week with the pupils of Manchester Communication Academy presenting their work.

Our teaching and learning lead, Gav, visited the academy to see the pupil’s creations and has written us this report…

“As the culmination of a huge project, I was invited to see the outcomes of the content creation work by one of the six year eight groups, that have been following the same programme of study.

Given the starting point of ‘Inspiration’ by year eight teachers of PE, the young content developers of tomorrow selected the development software to use, iMovie; researched the subject and selected the people who they considered to be inspiring.  From Jessica Ennis and Bradley Wiggins, to Felix Baumgartner and Neil Armstrong. The end result was four interlinked themes, built into 4D create and ready for the sharing.

What has struck me throughout our association with this project is the evident pride the content developers have in their work and ideas.  It was exciting to see how fired up the groups were about their own work and that of their colleagues. Throughout the sharing I was told what choices and adjustments to transitions they had made, or how they had found the right picture at the right resolution. Reflecting on tips we had offered but mainly the learning, skills and steer given by Alex Garry, their teacher.

All I can say is, their work, their choices and the activity they came up with was a pleasure to be part of. Sometimes I can be accused of ‘gushing’. I’m not going to apologise for that! Even though I am no longer a full-time teacher in a school, it was a ‘what I got into teaching for’ moment.  Beaming kids, asking questions, achieving, being proud of their work and being proud of their teacher.  I am a gusher!

One of the most exciting and rewarding hours I have spent in any of our rooms. Since moving to MediaCityUK, the hub of digital content development in our North-West regional home, I can see how the young content creators in schools today are being given the creative and technical skills and aspirations for jobs that exist today and for the jobs that have not even been thought of yet”

Since the lesson, it’s been fantastic to find out that the content creation project is to become a scheme of work for Year 8 and GCSE pupils. Lots of credit needs to go to the staff and pupils at the Academy who all put a great amount of effort into creating some outstanding pieces of work. A big thanks needs to go to Mr Gary and Mr Sibbald from the Academy who have lead this project with us.

The next stage for the Content Creation project is further meetings with the academy to see how we could expand this scheme of work further. We are also planning to pull together packs of resources so similar projects can take place in any of our network of schools. More news coming soon!

World Book Day 2013 – What we’re reading!

world-book-day

As it’s World Book Day today we thought we’d share with you what the 4D Team are currently reading. Storytelling goes to the heart of what we do at 4D and the immersive spaces we create are ideal for setting the scene for a creative writing session.  I’m sure lots of our immersive spaces are being used for exciting storytelling sessions today!

Let’s find out what keeps the 4D team occupied on the daily commute to the office:

Matilda -Roald Dahl (Louise – Account Manager)

My son Riley got given the Roald Dahl box set for Christmas so we’ve been working our way through all the classics.  Riley loves Matilda and thinks it’s hilarious. Bruce Bogtrotter eating the giant cake has been his favourite bit so far. He fell asleep as I was reading to him the other night, I was enjoying myself so much I carried on reading without him!

Beyond A Joke – Inside the dark minds of stand-up comedians by Bruce Dessau (Gav – Teaching and Learning Associate)

I am reading Beyond a Joke as it feeds into my second love outside of work, comedy. Third if you include family of course.  Watching it, reading about it, seeing comedy live, all these pursuits offer a great distraction from reality.  This book examines the image of all comedians as being damaged and flawed in some way. I have met a few along the way with my other distraction, The Funny Looking Podcast and they have all come across as rather sweet and ordinary people.

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy (Inés – Office Administrator)

I’ve just finished All The Pretty Horses and loved it so am on the lookout for a new one! Set in post-war America, All the Pretty Horses follows two teenage cowboys, John Grady Cole and Lacey Rawlins, who ride south into Mexico in search of new adventures. They meet a young and somewhat odd boy called Jimmy Blevins along the way, who turns their journey into something much darker than they could ever have expected. It’s slow, atmospheric and beautifully written, and McCarthy’s simple yet stunning descriptions of the Wild West’s sounds, light, and spaces make you feel like you’re right in the middle of it all – a bit like a 4D space I suppose! Granted, it’s a bit of an oldey, but the perfect book to delve into when it’s horrible and grey outside!

Inverting The Pyramid by Jonathan Wilson (Pete – Marketing and Communications)

Inverting The Pyramid is a discussion on the history of football tactics and makes me feel like a massive loser every time I read it on the tram! Football is something I’ve loved for as long as I remember and over the last couple of years I’ve really enjoyed finding out more of the history of the game. Inverting the Pyramid takes you right back to the start, explains how football developed and then how different people have interpreted the game.  Thankfully the writing is excellent and there’s lots of fascinating characters explained in great detail to keep the book from becoming a total bore. It also fuels me for post match discussion in the pub!

If you’re a proper football geek like me you should also check out The Blizzard which is a quarterly magazine come book that is full of great articles from the world of soccer.

The Flying Scotsman: The Graeme Obree Story (Mark – Designer)

The Flying Scotsman is the autobiography of the twice cycling world hour record holder Graeme Obree. He’s a pretty inspiring guy. He basically turned the cycling world on it’s head when a relatively unknown rider from Scotland broke the world record on a bike he built in his kitchen, using parts from a washing machine! Not going to lie, it’s a brutally honest and bleak account on the dedication and lengths you have to goto to be a world beating sportsman.

There’s a really cool documentary on Youtube about his rivalry with Chris Boardman in the early 90’s here. Graeme’s currently working towards beating the World Human Powered Land Speed record at 47 years of age. Of course it’s on an unusually designed prone bike he’s building out of  among other things pots & pans! You can follow his progress here.

 

 

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