Mailbox climax to nationwide exhibition.
The BBC’s Make it Digital tour will make its final stop at the Mailbox in Birmingham on 26th and 27th September.
Unveiled in March this year, Make it Digital is the BBC’s flagship education focus for 2015, a major UK‐wide initiative to inspire a new generation to get creative with coding, programming and digital technology.
The BBC’s Make it Digital tour has been travelling the country since June putting digital creativity in the spotlight like never before, and helping build the nation’s digital skills through a series of free events across the country.
Aiming to inspire audiences to learn about digital, alongside some of the BBC’s best loved brands and live broadcasts, the tour in Birmingham will feature:
BBC Weather Zone where visitors are introduced to the basics of coding by creating their own weather using the variables found in the jet stream. Some lucky visitors to the event could also get the chance to present their very own weather forecast with Midlands Today’s Rebecca Wood.
Doctor Who Zone offers the chance to get to grips with coding by programming The Doctor’s arch enemy, the Daleks on their quest to retrieve the Orb of Fates using our Dalek maze. There’s also the opportunity to take a #DalekSelfie and explore the BBC’s Doctor and the Dalek game.
Broadcasting Zone will be located right beside the BBC Midlands Today and BBC WM 95.6 newsroom. This area offers a behind the scenes peep at how the digital world has revolutionised broadcasting and will showcase BBC content made in the city.
Digital Discovery Zone is a celebration of digital past, present and future and chronicles the digital story from the first computers to tablets; from Morse code to mobile phones. Local experts will also be on hand to showcase their own digital discoveries and innovations.
The University of Birmingham has joined forces with the BBC to showcase some of the work that they’ve been doing in the digital world. The School of Computer Science will be on hand to demonstrate some of the robots they’re working with including Bob – the Security Guard Robot.
And The Human Interface Technologies Team at the School of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering, who work with virtual reality, augmented reality and simulators, will be giving visitors the chance to get hands-on with their technology.
Sinead Rocks, Head of BBC Learning, says: “This tour is an important part of BBC Learning’s contribution to the Make it Digital initiative. With it being aimed at a wide age range it’s a great opportunity for both young and older to get to grips with the idea of what digital and coding is all about.
“By using popular TV programmes such as Doctor Who and the Weather, we hope to demystify the digital world for the thousands of people we will meet face to face across the summer. This will all be backed up by iWonder guides and school activities as we move into the autumn.”
David Jennings, Head of Regional and Local Programming for the West Midlands, said: “I am very excited that Make it Digital is coming to Birmingham, where people of all ages can experience a wide range of activities and ideas. It is sure to be a fantastic weekend.”
Make it Digital will be in Birmingham on the 26th and 27th September, at The Mailbox from 10am on the Saturday and 11am on the Sunday.