You are welcome to become involved with any aspect of Flickernet.
If being a teacher has taught me one thing, it is that many brains produce the best outcomes!
There are three distinct areas in which Flickernet operates. Each presents an opportunity for involvement, depending on your own interests and motivation.
Flickernet is about helping others with technology.
At one time we had the strap-line “The best of technology, explored with you” which perhaps captures the coaching aspiration which we have sought to offer for over twenty years: joint amazement at the many ways in which technology benefits learners.
Today Flickernet specialises in Physical Computing, offered to all ages and based on Project Based Learning.
This describes the experience of working together towards a common goal – one that helps disadvantaged people in our case, so that there is a clear purpose to the task and the skills requiring development.
We seek to deliver learning and wellbeing in equal measure. Our therapeutics approach is best explored here: www.flickernet.net/infindingout
There are also many opportunities to inspire learners and their teachers with the cross curricular potential of computing – especially when it is hands-on, tangible and practical.
For those new to Physical Computing there is a collection of helpful links here.
If you would like to discuss Flickernet or to become involved in session delivery, perhaps as a STEM Ambassador, please email me
Background:
Flickernet was founded by Phillip Anley in Northern Ireland in 1999. The renovated shipping offices that adjoined Mourne Park House became known as The Studio. It was in The Studio, Mourne Park that Flickernet began, but now it has a new base elsewhere on the estate, within what is called Ballyrogan. An old schoolhouse, commissioned in the 1830s by Phillip’s Great Great Great Grandfather now serves as a base in Northern Ireland for the company’s new endeavour: Space To Learn. To explore the site please click here.
Having delivered IT skill courses to the local community in Mourne, Phillip moved to England where he became a classroom teacher in the state sector for sixteen years. This was twelve years in Primary, followed by four years in secondary teaching IT and Computer Science.
In 2021, partly as a response to the pandemic, Phillip saw the potential for outdoor learning which was based on innovative uses of technology. By 2022 Phillip was ready to take a sabbatical year from Lydiard Park Academy in Swindon, to focus on exploring the many avenues presented the current technology.
The Micro:Bit, Raspberry Pi and related microcontrollers are revolutionary kit for teachers.
Returning to the concept of supporting adults with technology, Phillip resolved to offer a means for teachers (especially in Primary schools) to up-skill themselves on the specific area of physical computing.
Whilst there are clearly defined sections of the Computing curriculum that require physical computing to be taught, the largest benefit for teachers is learning about the cross-curricular potential of physical computing.
Every single subject can benefit from physical computing. From PE. (triggered slow-motion cameras from reclaimed mobile phones); to Biology (trees that tell you all about them as you hold up a Micro:Bit) – this CPD is vital for teachers.
Furthermore teachers should be given a space in which to try out their physical computing: a test-bed location.
The part of the estate around the Schoolhouse (the SW corner) – contains twelve acres of ancient woodland with spate river frontage. It has a vibrant untouched ecology – red squirrels, pine martin and badgers that share the dense woodland with Micro:Bit sensors and endoscope cameras.!
A bee hive with internal camera feed is scheduled for Spring 2025.
180 degree cameras feeds are in place for an immersive booth experience that is designed to inspire a new field of high-engagement therapeutics.
The Space To Learn page records the development of this learning environment.
School groups and local youth groups visit the woodland to see the STEM experiments in action and to create their own experiments which they can then monitor remotely post-visit. Each new design and implimentation of novel technology enriches the possibilities for a wider community.
In some cases the entire focus of a visit is around wellbeing, but the amount of learning that still occurs remains of great value. See our blog to explore examples of Northern Irish visits to the woodland.
One on-going project is the Raspberry Pi up a tree which measured particulate matter (pm2.5) which it send in real time to this website. There is a live data feed here.
If you are interested in deploying your own experiments – especially those which incorporate Raspberry Pi or Micro:Bit devices, please do contact me with your ideas. There is plenty of bandwidth, mains electricity and, yes, space available which we are happy to share!
Finally the Flickernet Archive is an ongoing personal mission to digitise, document and relate family history. I am writing a historical narrative using technology to sort and present the materials through embedded delivery systems within the landscape.
It is based in Northern Ireland, however the processes and experiences that it has led to may be of interest. If so please feel free to get in touch and I will happily share what I can with you about the project. A brief overview of the family history can be found here
