Information For Parents and Teachers

Ein Byd is part of a collection of Welsh language websites for children aged 7-11. Other resources for key stage 2 include:


Ein Byd promotes understanding of six different aspects of human geography using videos and audio clips. Pupils can then use this content to create their own films and posters.

Studies
In the six focus studies, young people in six different countries present short films that discuss the effects of the following themes on their everyday lives:

Transport Western Isles, Scotland
Rubbish and Recycling Northern Ireland
Food England
Settlement Wales
Tourism Mallorca, Spain
Borders Poland

In each study there are 9 - 12 short video clips embedded in an animated landscape. A friendly face suggests which video to watch next.

These studies also contain videos that look at these geographical themes in the wider world.

Video Tool
Use the Video Tool to create short films using video clips taken from the six studies. You can create a film that reflects what you have learned from watching the focus studies, tell a story or to make a video about your own experiences. There are a variety of video clips to choose from which have been classified according to theme. It is possible to add your own captions and select a soundtrack for your film.

Poster Creator
The Poster Creator lets you create printable posters or magazine pages. You can select from a range of photographs taken from the videos in the studies and it is possible to use the drawing tools to add text and draw your own pictures. Use the poster creator to create work reflects what you have learned by watching the focus studies or to create a project about your area.

Saving Work
You can save work created using the Video Tool and Poster Creator. The work will only be saved on the computer where you are working at the time and it will only be possible to load that piece of work on that particular machine in the future. If you save several large pieces of work on the same computer a dialogue box could appear asking you if they want to allocate more computer memory. You will have to agree to this before being able to save any more work.

You can delete a specific project or all the projects on your computer by going to the profile management page for the video tool or the profile management page for the poster creator.

Audio and Visual Help
Click on the Cymorth Clyweledol (Audio Visual help) button to:
• resize on-screen text and change text and background colours
• hear on-screen text being read out
• make captions available for most video and audio content.

You can't click on these preferences while you are reading the Information for Parents and Teachers.

You can also navigate most content using the keyboard.

Transport

This study of transport on small islands concentrates on the Western Isles of Scotland.

Young people from the islands of Skye, Barra and the Uist chain look at transport problems on small, remote islands as we see them travel by road, sea and air.

Three other videos explore wider issues of transport on the Galapagos Islands, Ulva and Tristan da Cuhna.

The study encourages pupils to consider:

• the kinds of transport the Hebrides and other small islands have in common
• the different kinds of transport used all over the world
• the problems associated with transport on small islands
• how transport affects the lives of the people on the islands
• the effect transport has on their lives
• the transport problems where they live.

Recycling

This is a study of rubbish and recycling in Northern Ireland.

Young local people look at the issues involved with getting rid of rubbish and explain the importance of teaching people to reduce, re-use and recycle.

Other videos look at recycling in Cuba, what happens to all the nappies that are thrown away every year and how we can re-use food waste in the garden.

The study encourages pupils to consider:

• what happens to all the rubbish they throw away
• the problems that the disposing of rubbish causes
• what happens to the stuff we recycle
• the importance of reducing, re-using and recycling
• the practical steps they could take to reduce the amount of rubbish they throw away
• where their local recycling facility is and what happens there.

Tourism

This study of tourism concentrates on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca.

Join young local people who give us a taste of life on Mallorca and consider how mass tourism has affected their island.

Other videos look at adventure holidays, the traditional seaside holiday and special events that attract many people.

The study encourages pupils to consider:

• how tourism affects life in Mallorca
• the advantages and disadvantages of tourism
• the different things that attract tourists to an area
• places threatened by the effects of tourism
• the kind of places they visit on their holidays
• the special things in their area.

Food

This is a study of food based in the city of Birmingham.

Young people show us around their city and discuss locally grown food, how far our food travels and the benefits of buying Fairtrade products.

Other videos look at the history of chocolate, the food that's eaten on special occasions and the weird foods that are eaten all over the world.

The study encourages pupils to consider:

• where the food we eat comes from
• what food is produced in their area and where it is sold
• how our eating habits have changed
• the foods we eat on special occasions
• how the Fair Trade scheme helps food producers
• the cultural diversity of the food now commonly available.

Borders

This study of borders looks at the towns of Cieszyn and Zabrze in Poland.

Learn about political borders between countries, borders between communities and natural borders. Young local people describe how borders can change over time and explain how and why people cross them.

Other videos look at the border between the United States and Mexico, the divided island of Cyprus and the Basque Country.

The study encourages pupils to consider:

• the borders and history of Poland
• how joining the European Union has made it easier to travel to other countries
• the different kinds of borders that exist
• how borders can change over time
• how borders help us understand who we are
• the borders in their local area.

Settlement

This study looks at homes and settlements in Wales.

Young people discuss the different kinds of places where they live including a seaside village, a housing estate and an eco-community. They explain the history of these settlements and how they have changed over the years.

Other videos look at the sparsely populated country of Mongolia, the favelas of Brazil and the crowded city of Hong Kong.

The study encourages pupils to consider:

• how settlements in Wales can be very different to each other
• why settlements change over time
• ways of life that are under threat
• the type of settlement that they live in
• the different types of settlements all over the world.

Video Tool

This is an easy to use video package that enables users to create their own short video films.

Users can choose and sequence video clips taken from the six focus studies, write their own captions and choose a music soundtrack. This is a flexible tool that allows users to create a film reflecting what they have learned from watching the focus studies, to tell a story or to make a video about their own experiences.

• Users can choose from a variety of short, medium and long video clips that have been classified according to the themes of the focus studies. Clips can be previewed by dragging them into the video window. To include them the sequence, they can be dragged on to the video timeline.

• Titles and captions can be added by clicking on the caption box to create titles and captions and dragging them to the video timeline to place them on the relevant video clip.

• Music that plays over the entire film can be chosen by clicking on the choose audio track panel at the bottom of the screen.

• Users can save their work on the computer they are working on at the time by clicking on the save icon. They will only be able to reload and watch their film on that machine.

• You can delete a specific project or all the projects on your computer by going to the profile management page.

• By clicking on the friendly face button users can watch a step by step guide on how to use the video tool.

Poster Creator

This is a tool that enables users to create posters and webzine pages.

Users can choose photographs taken from the focus study videos; add their own text and drawing their own pictures. This is a flexible tool that allows users to create work reflecting what they have learned from watching the focus studies or work about their own area.

The panel on the left gives access to the tools that enable users to:

• add photographs from a large clip gallery, move them around the screen and change their size
• draw pictures using a range of drawing tools like a pen, brush and crayon
• add text to the page
• print their work.

The ink pot icon indicates the amount of resources remaining.

Users can save their work on the computer they're working on at the time by clicking on the save icon. It will only be possible to load this work on this computer in future.

You can delete a specific project or all the projects on your computer by going to the profile management page.

Users needing help can click on the friendly face button to watch a step by step guide on how to use the Poster Creator.