My UPD8

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Frequently asked questions

Why do I need to sign up for UPD8?
The basic information that we collect when you sign up, about your school or organisation and the areas of science you teach or are interested in help us manage and develop Science UPD8 appropriately. Signing up for Science UPD8 is quick, easy. Click on Join UPD8.
Why do I need to login to access activities?
Logging in helps us to see the popularity of different activities and parts of the website, and together with feedback helps us improve our service. Simply enter your email address and password to login.
I'm intrigued by the name UPD8; what are its origins?
UPD8 stands for update, in youth text messaging language. UPD8 aims to provide up short and easy to use classroom activities based on up to the minute science in the news and popular culture – keeping you and your pupils up to date...
I'm new to UPD8 – can you tell me why teachers use UPD8?
Feedback from teachers indicates that their pupils find the topicality of UPD8 activities - especially those based on popular culture – motivating. And they get pupils talking about science, helping to develop important discussion and argumentation skills about the nature of science. Teachers find the activities inspiring, easy to use and helpful to keep up to date with breaking science.
Which pupils are UPD8 activities designed for?
The activities are designed to complement the curriculum and the science strategy at KS3 (11-14 years), and teachers working with pupils right across the ability and 'interest in science' range have used them successfully. We know that some activities have also been used at KS4 (14 – 16 years) and with nine and ten year olds. There has been plenty of interest from teachers wanting more activities specifically for their primary pupils and from January 2005 we are developing a pilot to test this out with support from DfES. If you would like to know more or get involved, please contact upd8@ase.org.uk
I'm a busy teacher – how can I use UPD8 activities with minimal effort?
Once you have signed up with UPD8, you'll receive regular email alerts – usually once a week during term time – giving you brief details of new activities (as well as Happenings events and TV programmes) and links to download them directly from the UPD8 website. Brief teachers' notes, providing links to the curriculum, learning objectives, background information and details on how to run the activity, accompany each activity. The colourful activity sheets are best displayed through a data projector – particularly the first sheet as a stimulus; and the pupil worksheets can then be printed off and photocopied.
Its not always so easy to fit UPD8 activities into what I'm teaching at any particular time – how can I find the activities I'm interested in again when I am ready to use them?
You can easily find activities through 'Finder'. They are categorised by Topics, 11 – 14 curriculum area, Science Enquiry, Difficult and Dull and Hot Topics. The newest activities and most popular ones, as rated by teachers, are clearly marked.
What is the copyright position with UPD8?
Copyright rests jointly with the Association for Science Education (ASE) and the Centre for Science Education, Sheffield Hallam University (CSE). Teachers and others who have signed up may download and use UPD8 materials freely within their school, but any other usage, or any other organisation wishing to use the materials, should consult with the joint 'owners' of the material (ASE and CSE), through mariannecutler@ase.org.uk
I like UPD8 but have some ideas for improvements – how can I share them?
We are always looking for feedback so we can improve the service. You can email Tony Sherborne or Marianne Cutler through tony@upd8.org.uk and mariannecutler@ase.org.uk respectively or review any UPD8 activities through the website. We particularly like to see how teachers use activities in different ways.
I'm interested in creating some of my own UPD8 style activities – is there any help at hand?
We're delighted that some teachers want to have a go and are running ourUPD8 Live! course with this in mind through the Science Learning Centres. For further details please see the UPD8 Live! section of the website.
Help! I have logged into UPD8 and have tried to download an activity but when I try I have been asked to login again.
In order for UPD8 to remember that you have logged in it must store a key on your computer to identify you. If your privacy settings in your web browser are set to high then UPD8 can not store the key and will not remember that you have already logged in. To correct the problem in Internet Explorer select Internet Options from the tools menu, select the Privacy tab and then move the slider down to medium. Please note that UPD8 does not store any personal data on your computer.
Love the web site but the text is hard to read, is then any chance of making it bigger?
The UPD8 website has been designed to conform to the latest website accessibility standards. One of the benefits of this is that it is possible to increase the size of the text within the site without disrupting how the site functions. To increase the text size in internet explorer go to the view menu and select a text size from the text size sub-menu.
How does UPD8 support teachers and their 14-16 year old students across the UK?
Most science curricula now have a focus broadly around 'how science works' and our 14-16 activities support this. As well as linking our activities to units of awarding bodies such as AQA and Edexcel, we will shortly be adding to links WJEC and CCEA specifications.
I have not received my activation email. How do I login?
Activation emails are used to verify email addresses. You should receive your activation email shortly after you signup. If there is a delay check that the email has not been placed in you spam, bulk or junk folders. If you are still having problems try logging into UPD8 and you will be given the option to resend the activation email.
Why do I have problems downloading activities using Internet Explorer?
First check that you're logged on. Then, are you using Windows 98? Some users have reported problems. You might try using a different browser instead, such as Firefox: www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/ If you're using Windows 2000 or Windows XP and you still can't download, please email us describing your problem, on the 'contact' page
Why is my UPD8 Newsletter is coming through as plain text, being marked as spam, or going missing?
In keeping with the rich format of the UPD8 site, the newsletter makes use of HTML formatting and graphics. Because of this, some email filters will erroneously mark it as spam, and either strip out the graphical content, or not deliver the message at all. In order to receive the UPD8 Newsletter, you should ask your Internet Service Provider, system administrator or IT department to add upd8.org.uk to your email "white-list", which should guarantee it is delivered correctly.
How will UPD8 support the KS3 science programme of study which comes into effect from Sept 2008 for 11-14 year olds?
At the moment our activities for 11-14 year olds are indexed accordingly to the current QCA units and Ideas about Science. We are currently developing our activities to support the exciting opportunities for teaching and learning which are coming in Sept 2008. Look out for these developments from Spring 2008.
I see there are some new icons - Topicals, Teaching ideas and SciQ sequences.......what are these all about?
Topicals - these are our weekly science-in-the-news activities, complete with pdf sheets and teachers notes. Teaching ideas - here you will find recommended teaching resources from other websites, and ideas for contemporary science lesson plans, but no activity sheets (pdf files). A SciQ sequence is a package of activities to 'cover' a KS4 Programme of Study 'How Science Works' statement, all wrapped up in one easy-to-use pdf file.
I 'm using Firefox and I can't download an activity. Why?
First make sure you're logged on. Try to download the activity before you open it. 'Right click' on the activity name under the acrobat logo, and you should see the option 'Save target as'. then save to your computer. Next try 'clearing the cache'. Click on tools -> clear private data. Then make sure your cache checkbox is checked before clicking clear private data now
How do I change my email address?
There is no facility on the site for you to do this at present, so please email upd8@ase.org.uk to request the change.
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