Crazy Talk

Students working in Computer Club have been experimenting with the facial animation software Crazy Talk. They have added images of themselves into the software and created animation points on their faces so that the tool can animate in a realistic fashion.

They have then added speech to their models and synchronised the sound and the movement together. One student has even added his speech in French.

Crazy Talk is an extremely sophisticated, but simple to use piece of software that could be used across the curriculum, especially in Literacy, Humanities and MFL. Hopefully we will have the chance to use it in wider applications during the forthcoming year.

Now that they have mastered the basic techniques, Computer Club will be revisiting Crazy Talk throughout the year.

The Gender Divide Hits Back

In the past we've discussed whether there's a gender divide in ICT. Are boys really more interested in computers than girls? With the new wave of games being produced by software companies that are marketed directly to young females I'd assumed that it was a pretty level playing field between boys and girls.

However I was a little surprised to receive my list of students who have signed up for Computer Club this term. They are nearly all boys! When you consider that some of the best work in Computer Club last year was created by girls this is a great shame and will cause us problems when we do tackle some of the digital video work we've got planned for later in the year. It could be back to the days of Shakespeare with boys having to take on the role of the lead female!

Maybe we should consider a project started some years ago in the UK called Computer Club For Girls (pictured). This DCSF funded project is now well established and has been a great success, as can be seen by a number of positive case studies. With ICT being an essential part of the career path of all of our students and the huge links with creativity across the curriculum it's vital that we work to address any divide that might exist.

Any thoughts and opinions gratefully received.... especially from female students!!!