Fibre the key to students' digital diet

A film maker in the making, Olivia Bratty, 9, plays the part of teacher in the short movie her group made under the guidance of Channel North staff. Photo/Michael Cunningham

Young techies have had a blast at a school holiday workshop in Whangarei designed around the new digital age that is fast approaching via high speed fibre optics.

Northpower Fibre's ultra-fast broadband network is just weeks away from completion and several events have been designed to lead into the "arrival".

Forty primary and intermediate age students enrolled on each of the three days of the free Digital Workshop programme at Forum North where they were able to design computer games, make and edit a short film and record music in a mobile studio.

The participants were put in groups to experience the different digital creative opportunities. Online games developer Gamefroot have taken them through the process of designing computer games, Channel North was responsible for the short film making workshop and the mobile studio Jam Bus enabled kids to record their own performance. All the youngsters were able to download and 'take home' their creations.

"The kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves," said Sandra North, co-ordinator of the regular school holiday programme provider, Kidzones, under whose umbrella the event was organised.

With today being the last day of the Digital Workshop programme, the next stage of promoting fibre optic capability benefits for business, education, public and private arenas will be staged at the ICT Hub at Forum North starting today, running until May 8.