London,
22
March
2016
|
23:00
Europe/London

School kids given chance to light up iconic Wembley arch

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SCHOOL KIDS GIVEN CHANCE TO LIGHT UP ICONIC WEMBLEY ARCH WITH INNOVATIVE ONLINE CODING TOOL FROM EE

#LightTheArch

  • EE launches Light the Arch - a new web app designed to help 7-11 year olds learn about the basic principles of coding
  • The web application is supported by Apps For Good and allows children (and adults!) to design a light show on Wembley’s arch resulting in a sharable video
  • The educational online tool is based on the technology used to light the stadium’s arch at major events and a lucky few will be able to see their design  translated into a real-life display at the England match on 29th March
  • Visit http://www.ee.co.uk/light-the-arch to have a go

Thursday 24th March 2016: EE, the UK’s largest mobile network operator, has launched Light the Arch, a new web application endorsed by education technology charity Apps for Good. The web app allows children to design a light show on Wembley’s arch as part of EE’s lead partnership with the stadium and helps those who take part learn about the basic principles of coding.

The educational online tool aimed at 7-11 year olds – but available to all – is based on the technology used to light the arch at major stadium events.  It is available for use in the classroom or at home and everyone who creates a design online will receive a video of their light show to share with family and friends.

To encourage kids to use the application at launch, a selection of the design submissions will be chosen at random and programmed to appear live on the arch when the final whistle blows on the England vs Netherlands match at the stadium on Tuesday 29th March.  Further opportunities will be announced later in the year for more users to have their light show appear live on the arch.

Apps for Good – who are supporting the new online tool and ensuring it gets into the hands of educators across the UK – are an education technology charity working to transform education to help young entrepreneurs thrive in a tech driven future.  The Light the Arch initiative supports EE’s wider commitment to battle digital exclusion and get more young people into technology and coding. EE has pledged to get at least 100,000 people using the web app before the end of the year.

The online tool offers a choice of 60 colours and eight configurable base patterns to play with such as clap, sweep, twinkle and rainbow, giving kids an almost infinite number of possibilities for their light show. For each design, users will have the option to change the length & speed of each pattern and choose their moment to light up the arch including ‘Goal Scored’, ‘Red Card’ and ‘Welcome to Wembley’.  It is simple to use and the perfect activity for parents and teachers to do with kids to encourage an interest in coding.

Apps for Good co-CEO Debbie Forster said: “Light the Arch is a brilliant coding tool for this age group of children. The web app is not only fun but also a fantastic learning tool, and it not only introduces children to coding but allows children to be able to see their coding knowledge translate to a real life scenario, and what better experience than lighting the famous Wembley arch.”

Max Taylor, Managing Director, Digital, Communications & Innovation at EE, said:  “EE’s partnership with Wembley has just entered its third year and this feels like a fantastic opportunity to give something back. Recent research has shown that the UK will be unable to fill up to 250,000 digital jobs between 2015 and 2020, because of the digital skills gap, so tools like Light the Arch are more important than ever to help get kids interested in technology and coding.  We hope people of all ages will have some fun with this.”

To create a light show online visit www.ee.co.uk/light-the-arch. All designs submitted before midnight on Sunday 27th March will have a chance to be selected to appear at the England vs Netherlands game* at Wembley Stadium connected by EE.

For more information, please contact the EE press team on:

ee@nelsonbostock.com

0845 373 7070

 

About EE

EE, part of the BT Group, is the largest and most advanced mobile communications company in Britain, delivering mobile and fixed communications services to consumers and businesses. EE has approximately 14,000 employees and 550 retail stores, and serves more than 31 million connections across its mobile, fixed and wholesale networks.

EE runs the UK's biggest and fastest mobile network, it pioneered the UK's first superfast 4G mobile service in October 2012 and is the first European operator to surpass 14million 4G customers. EE's 4G coverage today reaches more than 95% of the UK population, with double speed 4G reaching 80%. EE’s 2G coverage reaches 99% of the population while 3G reaches 98%.

In the last few years, EE has received extensive independent recognition, including being ranked the UK's best overall network by RootMetrics®; Best Network at the 2014 and 2015 Mobile News Awards; Best Network for Business and Best Consumer Network at the 2014 & 2015 Mobile Industry Awards; Best Network at the 2014 & 2015 Mobile Choice Consumer Awards, and Best Network at the What Mobile Awards 2014; Fastest Network at the 2014 and 2016 uSwitch Mobile Awards; Best Mobile Network at the 2014 Recombu Awards, and Winners of Best Connected Gadget at the Mobile Choice Consumer Awards 2015.

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