Students from Yorkshire will be some of the first to submit their work for the Euro Creator Award 2009 as part of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation.

On 5^th & 6^th February students from all over Yorkshire, including those studying the new 14-19 Creative and Media Diploma, attended the first Apple Euro Creator workshops at nti Leeds. Lead by Apple Distinguished Educators, the event enabled students to gain hands-on practical knowledge of Apple software, and just some of the possibilities for its use.

[caption id="attachment_1765" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Students learning to use GarageBand from Apple's iLife software"][/caption]

Students were split into three groups to undertake a variety of exciting tasks. The first group used GarageBand (from the Apple iLife suite) to produce their own ringtones, by recording music, transforming their voices and working with photo and video before sending the ringtones to their mobile phones. The second group also used iLife and iTunes to create a podcast and website to launch a new band. The third group created a short animated film by making plasticine models, photographing them and then combining and editing using Kudlian's Icananimate and Apple video editing tools (a must for Wallace and Gromit fans).

Chloe Mosley from West Leeds High School said "I think it's great, it's fantastic, it's really good fun! I didn't know how to use GarageBand until I did this, but it's really useful". Vincent Deeks from Bradford College also said "I really liked the animation workshop, some of the features of Icananimate were really interesting".

[caption id="attachment_1770" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Icananimate in action"][/caption]

But it wasn't just the students who were fascinated by this event. Zafar Iqbal from Bradford College also said that the workshop was really useful for education staff, who might not have a great deal of experience with Apple equipment and software.

Michelle Nall from Education Leeds thought the events were a great success, commenting that "Technology is moving so fast and Creative and Media is the most popular diploma choice in Leeds. This is a fantastic opportunity for the students to use technology to the maximum and show off their potential. It's also a great opportunity to meet real-life employers who have worked in the industry and can inspire them to go on to become film or music editors in future".

For more information, or to find out about similar events in future, please contact us on 0845 122 1555 or info@ntileeds.co.uk