Level Up (Launceston, Term 1, 2018)
Level Up is our introductory programming course for students aged 9-12.
In this course, students design their own platform game (think Super Mario Brothers), including coming up with the world, characters and enemies that will populate their game. They then create all of their own art assets using pens, pencils and crayons, which we scan in. As the program continues, we bring the videogame to life by learning some programming and creating a playable game. By the end of the course, each student will have taken a game from concept through to completion.
This term, Level Up is taking place on Thursday afternoons from 4pm to 6pm. The course begins on Thursday the 1st of March and concludes on Thursday the 5th of April. We charge $150 for this course, which covers all 6 weeks, and is inclusive of GST and processing fees. Class sizes are capped at 16 for our primary school programs.
Tickets
Additional Information
Key Information
What?
Level Up! Build Your Own Video Game @ The Battery Shed
Who?
Children aged 9-12 (Boys & Girls Welcome!)
When?
Every Thursday, 4pm to 6pm, from the 1st of March to the 5th of April
Where?
The Battery Shed, Queen Victoria Museum, 2 Invermay Road, Inveresk, TAS, 7248
How much?
$150 for all six workshops. (This price is inclusive of GST and all processing fees.)
What do I bring?
Just your son or daughter! All necessary equipment and software licenses will be provided at the venue. If you would also like to bring a drink and a snack, that's fine as well!
About The Venue
These workshops will be taking place at the Battery Shed, which is a building on the Queen Victoria Museum site at 2 Invermay Road, Inveresk. The Battery Shed is the home of the Innovation Circle, a community group that runs a whole range of events that encourage young people to learn about computer programming, electronics and advanced manufacturing.
To learn more about the Innovation Circle at the Battery Shed, visit our website.
Visit the Innovation Circle Website
For more detailed directions to help you find the Battery Shed, check out the location page on the Innovation Circle site.
Get Detailed Directions to the Battery Shed
About The Designer
Meet James
James is a Tasmanian entrepreneur who found his start as a teacher at the Human Interface Technology Laboratory (HITLab) in Launceston, Tasmania. James worked at the HITLab for five years. During that time, he taught courses in virtual reality, augmented reality, entrepreneurship and video game design. In his teaching career, James worked extensively with international lecturers, including the founder of the original HITLab in Seattle, Professor Thomas Furness. James also helped facilitate many guest lectures from international speakers, including staff from Microsoft, Valve Software and Gas Powered Games, as well as numerous independent video game developers.
James left the HITLab in 2012 to start Bitlink, a Tasmanian technology company that focuses on building workshops and teaching materials that help young people learn about computer programming, electronics, 3D printing and other tech-related topics. In addition to running Bitlink, James is also a director of Startup Tasmania and one of the founders of the Innovation Circle at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery.
You can learn more about James on the Bitlink website.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I pay week by week, or can I pay with cash?
Unfortunately, we don't have a good mechanism for accepting week by week payments or accepting cash. As such, it is our strong preference that all payments are made in advance and through Tito.
What are my transport/parking options getting to the event?
The best place to park is the large council carpark near the Museum in Inveresk. The Battery Shed is only a short walk from there.
Does my child need to bring a computer, iPad or other technology to the event?
Nope! All technology will be provided! We'll have laptops and software licenses ready to go.
What is Bitlink?
You might come across the name Bitlink during your registration process. Bitlink is a Tasmanian company that is focused on developing workshops and teaching materials that help primary and high school students learn about topics like computer programming, electronics, game design and 3D printing in a fun and accessible way. Bitlink is helping out with this workshop by providing some administrative support (accepting payments and managing payroll) as well as providing all of the necessary equipment (laptops, etc.) for the workshops.
What is the Innovation Circle?
The Innovation Circle is a community group that operates out of the Battery Shed at the Queen Victoria Museum site. The Innovation Circle works to create opportunities for young people to learn about computer programming, electronics and advanced manufacturing, as well as working with the museum to deliver projects that have some value to that organisation. The Innovation Circle are helping out with this event by providing the Battery Shed as a venue.
How do the sponsored seats work?
We're still figuring out how to best handle sponsored seats, but for now, here's how the process works. Anybody can sponsor a seat by purchasing a sponsored seat ticket on the Tito page. Behind the scenes, we have worked with local schools and our friends at the Queen Victoria Museum to come up with a list of children to receive sponsored seats when they become available. Each term, Bitlink sponsors one seat in each of the programs we are running in that term. If other sponsored seats become available, those are then allocated to children who wouldn't otherwise be able to attend these sessions in the order they were added to the list. If the sponsored seats continue to be popular, we'll look into a more formal process for allocating them and adding children to the recipients list.
Can I choose who my sponsored seat is allocated to?
This might be something we explore in the future, but for now, sponsored seat allocation is done on a first in-first served basis. That said, if you would like to sponsor a seat for a particular person that you already know, you can do that by purchasing an ordinary ticket in their name. There's no need to use the sponsored ticket option at all in that case.
One or more of my children won't be able to participate this time around. Will there be more events like this in the future?
Yes! We run a rotating set of these events each term. If you're interested in keeping up to date with the programs we're running, head over to our website to sign up for our mailing list.
Where can I contact the organiser with any questions?
Get in touch with us via contact@bitlink.com.au. We'll get back to you as soon as we can!