Dublin Castle, Johnny Cash and a small stuffed tiger called Stripes were among the subjects featured on screen yesterday in a premiere of "digital photo stories" directed and produced by schoolchildren from the Liberties in Dublin.
The premiere, at The Digital Hub, was the culmination of a year of work by more than 320 students and 44 teachers in 12 schools.
The Digital Hub is a Government-backed enterprise area created to promote educational and retail technology enterprises.
The students had to create a multimedia story with photos, music, written captions and recorded narration. More than 90 projects were produced and four were selected for public screening at the premiere.
Eleven-year-old Eimear Mowlds's story of a tiger stuck inside on a rainy day was one of the projects selected for the show. The project's director was a little shy about her creative debut. "Making it was very good fun, a great experience, but I was embarrassed when they put my picture up on the big screen - I didn't know where to look," she said.
Clifford Brown, who directed the project and assisted teachers in the classroom, said learning in a new media can benefit students who struggle with traditional academic subjects and teaching methods.
"It's a great way for students to engage with subject matter that could otherwise be dull," he said. "Some of the teachers used it for Irish, Spanish, and even reading recovery in special needs classes."
This was the fifth year of collaboration between The Digital Hub and Liberties schools. Past projects have included animation and robotics.
Mr Brown said this year's selection of productions was embraced by the students aged from four to 18.
"Kids are natives to the digital world," he said. "They've got no fear of it because they live with mobile phones, internet communities and e-mail.
"That all plays a role in education and it must not be underestimated."
Following the premiere, all of the projects were opened to the public at The Digital Hub. More than 300 people are expected to view the exhibits.