Operation Smoke Storm

  • Operation Smoke Storm
  • Operation Smoke Storm
  • Operation Smoke Storm
  • Operation Smoke Storm
  • Operation Smoke Storm
  • Operation Smoke Storm
  • Operation Smoke Storm
  • Operation Smoke Storm

Worldwide, 1 person dies every 6.5 seconds due to smoking and other tobacco use. Every day in the UK, over 900 school children (aged under 16) try smoking for the first time.

Operation Smoke Storm is a brand new style of learning resource for schools which targets this problem by creating a lifesaving shift in teens’ attitudes towards smoking and the tobacco industry. It was designed to create classroom discussion about unscrupulous tobacco industry practices that target young people. It focuses on tobacco marketing strategies from the perspective of a tobacco industry executive and marketing company, as well as a health campaigner, both seen through the eyes of a teenager and reported direct to camera in the form of a social media blog. Operation Smoke Storm comprises of 5 principal resource components:

  • 3 separate 50 minute sessions which can be delivered consecutively over 3 PSHE sessions or during an entire curriculum free day (relevant curriculum links are provided)
  • 1 Family Component — a take home booklet
  • 1 Booster Component — a follow up interactive session usually delivered one year after the original three sessions have been presented

In the sessions, the teacher streams a pre-loaded online multimedia presentation and displays this on an overhead projector screen at the front of the class. The teacher can navigate through the presentation both backwards and forwards, playing video clips and pausing to facilitate activities and discussions. Clear teacher instructions and booklets for students are provided. It was so successful, both a trial DVD version and extension Booster sessions were added.

For this project, I was part of a larger team. My responsibilities included;

  • Development of an adaptive web-based AS3.0 Flash application
  • Technical Direction
  • Content planning and delivery
  • Video compression
  • Audio cleanup (mobile phone interference removal)
  • Project Management (assisting the Lead Project Manager)
60
Video files
25
Audio files
10
Flash interactive games

A recent London trial showed that Operation Smoke Storm improved student attitudes and misconceptions held about smoking by as much as 39% and increased awareness of key smoking issues by 77%. This project was a finalist in the 2012 BETT (British Educational Training and Technology) Awards for Secondary Digital Content.

British Educational Training and Technology Awards

Date: 12th March 2011

Client: ThriveTribe

Category: Code, Video