Agtel

Agtel Produces Web Videos for TCD Pharmacy Unit

Whether because of migraines, coughs or in search of dental floss, we’re all regular visitors to the local pharmacy. Trinity College Dublin prides itself on the level of expertise its Pharmacy students graduate with and its new state of the art ‘Practice of Pharmacy Unit’, the first of its kind in the country, is a testimony to TCD’s commitment to hands on training.

Agtel produced a series of three mins web video clips available on YouTube and as podcasts on iTunes U, to enable prospective students to learn about the unit and hear staff and students talk about what its really like to study at Trinity.

Launch of ‘Ireland and the EU’ DVD

Agtel were delighted to attend the official launch of the Agtel produce  ‘Ireland and the European Union’ DVD at the Dublin headquarters of the European Commission Representation in Ireland by Tánaiste Mary Coughlan TD. The DVD provides a concise introduction to the European Union, its origins and development and the tangible benefits of membership for Ireland. The resource, aimed at seconary school students, can be viewed in Irish or English and gives an overview of how the institutions work and how decisions are made at European level.

Also in attendance was Director of the European Commission Representation in Ireland, Martin Territ.

Ireland and the European Union

Whether you travel by LUAS around Dublin or spend Euro coins on holidays abroad, you’re benefiting directly from Ireland’s membership of the European Union. These and other advantages of EU membership are outlined in Agtel’s recent production for the European Commission Representation in Ireland. 
 
The European Union plays a role in all our lives and has had a huge impact on the development of Irish society for almost forty years.  This new and exciting DVD outlines the expansion of the EU from the 1950s to the present day and uses contemporary footage to highlight the many positive aspects to Ireland’s involvement in European affairs. Aimed primarily at senior/secondary school students, Ireland and the European Union is intended to create a sense of the EU and Ireland among young  Irish people. Working closely with the European Commission office in Dublin, Agtel devised a visually engaging production to illustrate the functions of the EU.  From the day-to-day workings of the European Parliament to EU involvement in overseas aid, this DVD gives an insight into the many ways in which the EU operates on a local and international level.
 
Ireland and the European Union will be viewed at the European Commission’s office in Dublin, at information centres around Ireland and will also be distributed on DVD.

It can be viewed on the site here.

Inspiration for Young Entrepreneurs

Going on Dragon’s Den was an intimidating experience reveals Tim Rooney, founder of the health food snack Surf Seeds, in a fascinating case study Agtel filmed with him recently. But he managed to rise to the challenge of the dragons and they invested €100,000 in the business. Likewise, Nicola Byrne who founded directory enquiries services 11890 had tough meetings with potential clients when she first started promoting her business – but finding clever ways to overcome the obstacles in her way is one of the things that’s made her business successful.
 
Both Nicola and Tim feature in the latest Agtel on-line and DVD production for the County & City Enterprise Boards. You can check out Tim’s case study here. Their candid and inspiring case studies are designed to motivate young students to set up their own businesses – and to enter the annual Student Enterprise Awards. The case studies are accompanied by a series of five “soft skills” tutorials that help teachers convey hard to teach topics such as sales and branding. The video tutorials use drama scenes focussing on a group of school students (played by actors) going through the whole process of setting up their own company to bring the subject to life.
 
The video tutorials and case studies are integrated into the on-line Student Enterprise Awards website and are now also being distributed on DVD to schools around the country.

Launch of eQuality Measures

We found in our recent organic gardening production for Bord Bia, that girls and boys were equally energetic and courageous when it came to tackling the big jobs of composting, bug catching and snail hunting.  But such gender equality may not always arise naturally.  Some school structures, curricula and subject choice options may inhibit the extent to which both girls and boys can participate equally in the educational system. 

Agtel has just released an ambitious pack consisting of two DVDs and set of five PDF booklets that provide post-primary school management with comprehensive information and practical guidance on the implementation of a gender main-streaming programme.  Produced for the Department of Education and Science, this pack tackles a complex subject in an engaging and accessible manner, with the focus very much on practical implementation.

Maureen Bohan, Senior Inspector with the Department said:

"It’s been a long journey from the time we started the project and I want to acknowledge the excellent partnership we established with Agtel since you were awarded the tender to undertake the making of the DVDs.

From the beginning the Agtel team became an important part of the whole project. Although employed to undertake the technical part of the project, it soon became evident that you understood the objectives of the project and this was proved by the excellent direction and editing of the interviews and relevant background material and by the beautiful design work for the booklets.

I am aware that we were pretty demanding clients in terms of asking  for several edits, designs and finally proofing but the patient and courteous response of all of your team was commendable and very much appreciated. I think everyone will agree that the final product ticks all boxes in terms of quality."

The pack was an enormous undertaking both in terms of video production and print design and Agtel worked very closely with the Department to ensure that the focus of the message remained paramount at all stages of the production.

HSE: Training Value for Money

Training course design, trainer fees, travel, per diem expenses and lost working hours.  How can essential training be delivered without the expense of traditional face-to-face training sessions?  Agtel has found a solution for the HSE with the production of a DVD-based training resource that features video playlets, graphics, audio, animation, text and a self-service menu option that allows either trainees or facilitators to work through the content in an intuitive, appealing and effective manner. 

Drawing on best practice in adult learning principles and courseware design, a hybrid DVD was developed that provides HSE Line Managers with both the theory and practice of people management and employment law.  The realistic drama scenes, provide a learning experience that is highly visual, interactive and grounded ‘in the real world’. 

Supporting text, downloadable forms and other resources make the DVD an innovative package – a complete training centre on a DVD.  Add to this, the full integration of the resource with the HSE’s eLearning system and the scope of the resource is extended further.

High quality training delivered in a highly cost-effective manner.

Innovative eLearning DVD just launched

Agtel’s latest production for the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (www.fsai.ie) has just been launched.

A finalist in the Best eLearning product or course category of the 2009 Digitial Media Awards, this innovative eLearning training production is a key part of the new “FSAI Safe Catering Pack”. It uses a TV show-style approach to engage the target audience of 29,000 food businesses around Ireland, and makes full use of high quality video, DVD interactivity and motion graphics to deliver its message using solid adult learning principles. The DVD also contains frequently used forms in PDF format that the food businesses can print out themselves.

Mary Wallace, TD, Minister for Health Promotion and Food Safety at the Department of Health and Children launched the FSAI Safe Catering pack at their headquarters in Dublin. Food safety is becoming increasingly important as more and more businesses from shops to small cafés start to provide a range of foods to customers. In response to this, the FSAI developed a Safe Catering pack that smaller food businesses can use to put a food safety management plan in place.

The FSAI faced a challenge in ensuring that industry professionals move through the “tipping point” form initial perceptions through to an understanding that the pack is a valuable and practical tool. Agtel took a unique and innovative approach to this challenge by developing an accompanying eLearning resource that uses a Presenter-Led Investigative Journey captured on video to bring learners on a tour of a variety of businesses that are already using the pack. Seeing the pack in action creates an engaging and motivational learning path, while the presenter provides an accessible and approachable “face” for the resource.

Usability was a key consideration for this eLearning resource given the diversity of backgrounds of the target audience. The learners it is aimed at have different levels of computers literacy and also varying levels of access to computer resources. To deal with these issues, Agtel recommended that the resource be distributed in DVD format and the resulting product makes clever use of DVD menus to enable interactivity with users. Clear explanatory graphics are seamlessly embedded in the video clips to emphasise key learning points.

Enabling Self-Directed Learning is an important consideration for any eLearning resource aimed at adult learners. Users of this resource can choose which order they want to cover the material in simply by selecting the relevant section from an on-screen menu.

Another important criteria to take into account when dealing with adult learners is motivation. This resource tackles this aspect creatively by including interviews with people in the catering sector in each section who give their own personal reasons for using the pack.

For maximum knowledge retention and transference among learners, the presenter wraps up each section with a recap of the most important educational key learning points. He also uses the opportunity to prompt them to open up their own workbook and start filling in the relevant part of it.

Demand for this eLearning resource has been high with industry professionals who are very keen to engage with it and motivated to put what they’ve learnt into practice.

Agtel takes on New York again!

‘We Are Munster’ – Agtel’s first ever production completed on the RED ONE camera is in competition at the upcoming New York International Independent Film Festival in March.

Held twice a year the festival is the world’s biggest independent film festival. Agtel’s big screen, short film adaptation of ‘The Battle of the Boyne’ scooped the award for Best International Historical Documentary back in September and the production team are hoping ‘We Are Munster’ can take the award in it’s category this time round for Inspirational Short Film.

The film will be screened on Saturday March 21st at 3:55pm at the legendary City Cinema’s in Village East, Manhattan. Maverick director Abel Ferrara is the festival president for the eight day film extravaganza.

Launch of “The 6 Steps”

Government Chief Whip, Minister Pat Carey TD officially launched the educational awareness-raising DVD “The 6 Steps” at an event in Dublin recently.

The Second Level Support Service (SLSS) working with Trócaire commissioned Agtel to produce this DVD with the twin aims of (a) promoting cross-cultural understanding at a global and local level and (b) illustrating each of the steps in the process for delivering an Action Project. These Action Projects are a core part of the Civic, Social and Political Education (CSPE) curriculum in Ireland and are designed to engage students in the process of becoming citizens by investigation into a local, national or international issue.

The Agtel approach focussed on key global development issues such as Child Labour and used this as a powerful way of showing students how to complete Action Projects successfully. Filmed in an engaging observational documentary style, the DVD captures the excitement and energy of the Action Projects as they happen. By filming in 4 schools around Ireland over the course of three months, the production follows the process of developing and delivering an Action Project, illustrating by way of interview and case study. This material is complemented by archive footage from Nicaragua and other developing countries. The DVD features two versions of the content – one film is aimed at the students themselves and the other version of the film is aimed at teachers. The films can be watched straight through and in addition it is also possible to quickly go to any of the individual steps featured as a “quick reference” tool.

There were numerous challenges to overcome in the production of this DVD – mainly related to the complexity of the subject matter and the logistics of the long term filming process. These were overcome by close collaboration and dedication among all those taking part – in particular the students and teachers who feature prominently throughout the production.

This creative and engaging DVD has been distributed to schools throughout Ireland and is already having a significant impact on the target audience of CSPE Students and Teachers. It is motivating the students to be active citizens and to carry out their Action Projects successfully. By clearly sign-posting the steps that form an Action Project it has given students an opportunity to develop analytical and practical skills that will in turn build their capacity for perception, engagement and participation in global society. One of the most significant outcomes of the DVD has been giving students the tools and motivation to understand the background of some of the students in their own classes who have roots in developing countries. This active discussion of cross-cultural themes in a structured context will have a long-term positive impact on the students involved.

European Commission Web Launch Event

Agtel has developed a web learning tool designed to introduce ‘Europe’ to senior students online. We were very excited that the site was launched by Margot Wallstrom (Vice President of the European Commission in charge of Institutional Relations and Communication) on February 29th at St. Andrews College in Blackrock.

We demonstrated the site – www.europack.agtel.ie – for the launch event and Margot engaged students on European issues important to them. For more information on the EC Representation in Ireland log onto www.euireland.ie