A glimpse into the future for College pupils

Mrs Evans, Rebecca Wilson and Jordan Lennon look on as Alicia Whiteside experiences a virtual world using the Oculus Rift. INCT 10-721-CON

The 15 ICT students were accompanied by Mr O’Loughlin and Mrs Evans at the ‘Make IT Digital’ event, which showcased some of the latest technology available.

Pupils sampled various devices including the Oculus Rift, a 3D headset which allowed them to visit a virtual location.

Several of the boys also enjoyed a virtual golf session, which used a wrist band to track the distance and angle the golf ball is hit.

Kyle McBride and Jack Thompson tried out interactive ping-pong, a futuristic version of the classic game which makes use of LED sensors and sound showing the players where the ball lands on the table.

Meanwhile, the girls created a stop-motion animation clip using models which were photographed in different positions and then played back.

They also showed off their weather presenting skills using the real BBC NI weather map and a green screen.

In the afternoon the pupils had a programming workshop where they learned how to code using the Raspberry Pi.

A spokesperson for the school said: “They found this very interesting but challenging, giving them a taster of what programming is like.

“The pupils also created their own music using the Raspberry Pi which they enjoyed. This was a useful workshop as the ICT department recently purchased some Raspberry Pi boards to use with Year 10 students.

“Overall it was a great day out which will prove useful for these GCSE ICT students giving them hands-on experience with some technology they could be asked about in their GCSE exam.”