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 Press Release ArchivePress Releases 2002
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19-11-2002 Birchfield has successfully won a grant to develop a Welsh history CD-ROM which will written and spoken in both English and Welsh. This exciting project is the first bilingual project Birchfield has developed and it looks to be a huge success. The project, funded by ACCAC (Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales), will be aimed at children between the ages of five and eleven. The CD will encompass a rich mixture of Welsh history and will cover some of the most important and influential figures such as Owain Glyndwr and Henry Tudor. The content will be written by the well-respected and highly regarded retired teacher and lecturer Jennifer Davies and the CD is set to be completed next summer.
11-10-2002 Birchfield has joined forces with the likes of Microsoft, ComputerAid International and World Links to help the one and a half million school children across Rwanda. Over half the children in post genocide-Rwanda are not even enrolled at a school and those that do go receive very basic schooling. There is very little money for books and resources and the vast majority of children have never seen a computer. The Rwanda Alliance for Primary Education Computerization hopes to expand access to schools and to develop basic computer literacy. They hope to equip 1,170 schools with computers over the next two years as well as supply interactive education content in the form of Birchfield's multimedia CD-ROMs. Birchfield has pledged to contribute licences for their entire suite of Ace Monkey software at a retail value of around $2,500,000.
15-07-2002 Birchfield Interactive have been invited to take part in the Welsh leg of the Tomorrow's World Roadshow. Taking place from 17th - 20th July at Cardiff's National Indoor Athletics Arena, the roadshow will bring together some of the country's most innovative technology companies and will be visited by thousands of local school children. Trevor Bayliss will be on hand throughout the week to advise any would be inventors and Tomorrow's World will be broadcast live from the roadshow on Wednesday evening. Look out for Birchfield in the 'Invention Zone' where we will be inviting children and teachers to try their hand at some exciting 3D games using a touch screen interactive whiteboard.
10-07-2002 Today's Education Guardian features "The Work of Rivers" (part of the KS4 Geography series) as 'CD-ROM of the week'. The article reads as follows: "This CD-ROM is very specific: it supports the teaching of rivers for GCSE Geography. The real strength of using this CD-ROM as opposed to other resources such as books is that it offers truly interactive questions that are marked instantly. It is comprehensive in its content and has few obvious weaknesses. It offers information that is simple to understand but detailed and also fun. Activities are all top quality. Any geography teacher that uses this title will find it offers something to the lesson that other media cannot and that students really see value added to their learning."
09-07-2002 Birchfield have had software evaluated by TEEM (Teachers Evaluating Educational Media) for the first time, with excellent results. The full review can be seen on www.teem.org.uk Review summary: "This title is in a word "excellent" for teaching Rivers to GCSE (or equivalent) students. It offers information that is simple to understand, but detailed in a way that makes it fun to learn. The activities that are offered are all of a top quality and save the teacher a lot of preparation time when assessing the performance of the child. Any Geography teacher that uses this title will find that it offers something to the lesson that other media cannot and that students really see value added to their learning. It is easy to use and well set out." TEEM is the main point of contact for teachers looking for advice on curriculum software.
05-06-2002 Keith Phipps, Teacher of The Year for Creative Use of ICT and Head of Geography at King Edwards Camp Hill School for Boys, has praised Birchfield's software after ordering 3 CD-ROMs for use with his class. He now looks set to join the Birchfield team as an educational consultant. Keith wrote to Birchfield to say that he is "genuinely enthusiastic" about our software and believes that it "represents a genuine leap forward in our efforts to provide effective learning and teaching through ICT." We invited Keith to come and meet the developers who worked on the project and it now looks likely that he will work as a consultant in the development of future Birchfield products.
31-05-2002 Birchfield has teamed up with the Kids' Clubs Network (whose vice president is Cherie Booth Q.C.) on a three year exclusive basis, giving the company access to a potential 10,000 outlets to the home market. The Kids' Clubs Network is the national organisation for out of school childcare. The organisation offers advice and support to out of school clubs, parents, children, childcare providers, Government, Local Authorities, employers and Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships. The Government's National Childcare Strategy has already doubled the number of out of schools kids' clubs from 3,500 in 1997 to 7000 today, by 2004 the number is expected to have risen to 12,000 and Kids' Club Network believes that there is a need for around 20,000 by 2010. Birchfield products will be modified slightly for home use before September when they will be sold via the Kids Clubs Network for the first time through a catalogue scheme. Kids Clubs will receive commission in the form of cash or computer equipment. Birchfield and the Kids Clubs Network look forward to a relationship that should prove to be extremely beneficial to both organisations. Chris Griffiths, CEO commented: "This is an ideal arrangement which will allow us to bring our software to the home market and help a fantastic organisation like the Kids Clubs Network at the same time. The demand for out of school childcare is growing and Birchfield's catalogue scheme will provide extra revenue and computer equipment for centres throughout the UK."
14-05-2002 Business Dynamics, the charity that aims to bring business to life for students and whose patrons include HRH The Duke of York, has enlisted Birchfield Interactive's help. Business Dynamics' pilot E-Business Scheme saw Birchfield's Chris Griffiths give seminars and practical sessions on ICT and business in Vaynor and Penderyn High School. The scheme was a rip-roaring success and both the teachers and students found the sessions both interesting and motivating. Chris Griffiths, Birchfield's Chief Exec, took groups of GCSE students, some who had very little ICT experience and talked about PowerPoint presentations, websites, business plans and E-business. Some of students comments included: "It improved my confidence with IT", "The sessions have changed my attitude to ICT Business as an option for a career" and "I now feel confident that I can succeed in IT". The overall conclusion that the day was extremely beneficial with 93% of the students saying the sessions were "Excellent or good". Business Dynamics commented: "Thank you Birchfield Interactive Plc for your vision and giving your support and help to our future generation".
20-04-2002 Birchfield's hopes of exporting its innovative software are quickly becoming a reality. Three foreign distributors have now been signed up since January of this year when an export plan was first conceived. Cylon Interactive, a software distributor from Singapore, spotted
the potential of Birchfield's products at the BETT 2002 exhibition
held in London in January. Cylon Interactive became Birchfield's first
overseas distribution partner and to date the relationship has been
very successful. Cylon's Managing Director thinks that this success
is down to the high quality of the products: "The Interactive
Biology and Geography series give a fresh approach to teaching the
respective subjects. The explanation, graphics and video are all clear
and sharp. The music option is a cool addition that helps arouse the
student's interest." Birchfield products are sold in Australia through Digital Education
Services. The relationship was initiated at the Milia show in Cannes
this February and feedback so far has been extremely positive: "It
is exciting that all responses have been positive in the short time
your products have been exposed to educators for assessment. The combination
of valuable, accessible content and presentation are being identified
as the significant factors. Several Australian state Education Departments
are currently looking to include Birchfield titles on their recommended
list to all schools." After searching for a suitable agent in The Republic of Ireland, Birchfield
selected Diskovery to act as a distributor in the region: "I wish
to re-iterate the very positive response that I've had from initial
sales of Birchfield products. As the products are very content rich
and not overly focussed on a particular curriculum, they are entirely
suitable for the Irish market." In April and May 2002 Birchfield exhibited at two international trade fairs in Zurich and Lisbon, generating a total of 142 leads from over 30 countries. With such positive responses, Birchfield seems well on the way to becoming a truly global company.
09-04-2002 Following yesterday's announcement, it has now been confirmed that Birchfield Interactive Plc are placed 40th in the Deloitte and Touche European Fast 500 rankings. This announcement is a continuation of Birchfield's phenomenal success in the competition. Birchfield Interactive are officially the fastest growing technology company in Wales, 3rd in the South West and Wales region and 23rd in the UK. Birchfield's average growth rate over the last three years was 1008%, earning them a more than respectable placing in the top 500 list of European companies. Chris Griffiths (CEO) commented: "Our national ranking in the UK Fast 50 was a fantastic achievement in itself. I am delighted that we have been able to go on to feature prominently in the European rankings and feel that this is an indication of Birchfield's potential in the educational software market on a global level."
08-04-2002 It was announced today that Birchfield Interactive Plc placed 23rd in the Deloitte and Touche Fast 50 rankings for the UK. This announcement is a continuation of Birchfield's phenomenal success in the competition. It has previously been announced that Birchfield Interactive are officially the fastest growing technology company in Wales and 3rd in the South West and Wales region. The programme, entering its fourth year, showcases companies from the technology sector in the UK and Ireland that have achieved high turnover growth over a period from 1998 to 2000. The awards are co-sponsored by techMARK, the London Stock Exchange's market for innovative technology companies. Birchfield's average growth rate over the last three years was 1008%, enough to place them comfortably within the top 25. CEO Chris Griffiths commented: "This is a massive achievement for a small Welsh company, particularly as we have grown organically, with no outside investment."
13-03-2002 Birchfield's Drug Education Pack has been nominated for 'Best IT Resource' in the prestigious Education Resources Awards. The Drug Education Pack, containing two CD-ROMs, was developed in conjunction with TACADE (Teachers Advisory Council on Alcohol and Drug Education) and represents a modern approach to drug education in schools. The Pupil CD contains a wealth of information about drugs and related issues presented in an engaging and totally interactive format. The program features real life case studies, first aid demonstrations and a quiz which allows pupils to create their own music video. Video scenarios encourage students to think about peer pressure and how to resist it. The Teacher CD details the best methods of providing effective drug education in schools. Drug education is often taught by non-specialist teachers, making this a vital resource. The Drug Education Pack has already been praised by the DfES, who found the CDs to be: "Very informative and comprehensive in their approach to the various issues surrounding drug education for both teachers and young people; enjoyable, stimulating and very practical." Other nominees in the Best ICT Resource category include Granada Learning, Sherston Software, Time Education and Espresso. The Education Resources Awards, which are to be held in Birmingham later this month, are now in their 4th year. The awards are designed to highlight the best educational products and services, as well as to recognise top educational establishments and teaching staff.
01-03-2002 Birchfield Interactive Plc were the only company to be presented with two awards at yesterday's ICT02 events. The company received awards for "Fastest Growth Using ICT" and "Best Use of ICT in Education/Training." The awards ceremony at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport was the culmination of a day of events celebrating the use of ICT in Welsh businesses and public bodies. Chris Griffiths (CEO) expressed his feelings after winning last night's ICT02 awards: "We are delighted that our hard work has been recognised. We are lucky in that we have a very talented team of developers and are able to produce every aspect of our software in house. That is why our products contain so many innovative features and are so visually appealing compared to many other titles on the market. "This is an exciting time to be a growing company in Wales and we are very proud to be able to represent our country as forerunners in the field of educational ICT."
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