Clifton College Leads the Way with New Approach to Science Experiments

UK (SANEPR.com) June 19, 2008 -- Clifton College has teamed up with leading online science video sharing website science.TV to give a year 10 class a unique opportunity to pilot a totally new and innovative style of science activity.

The lucky class was given the opportunity when science.TV founder Matt Thurling, from Bristol, came up with the idea to integrate science education into the online science TV channel, and approached Clifton College.

The class, who are the first group of school children in the country to try out this new and exciting form of activity, were given the task to come up with a theory to test, and then present the results through a video, which would then be shared with the world.

The group decided to test the effect that playing video games has on their hand to eye co-ordination. Many children now spend more time engaging with interactive technology - including games and social media sites - and the effects on their development are complex and remain largely unknown.

The children devised the experiment with the help of their teacher, Dr Ingram, and then worked with the team from science.TV to make a short film about the research.

This style of experiment, that is hoped will become part of the National Curriculum, also gave the children the opportunity to get an insight into the world of video, which now plays such an important part in their lives, being one of the most influential and popular forms of social media.

Dr Ingram, who teaches Biology at Clifton College commented, “It is fantastic to be involved with such an innovative project, as it takes on a fresh angle. This really gives the children an opportunity to experience the complete science experiment process.

“If you present a polished and proven piece of science, there’s nothing to get excited about, but this new approach involves the children in the process of discovery, and it’s a totally different story.”

Matt Thurling, founder of science.TV has worked with the school to design the scheme so that it fits into the “How Science Works” strand of the National Curriculum, and is hopeful that it will soon be adopted by schools all around the UK, as it offers so many benefits to science students.

“The challenge facing tomorrow’s scientists will be as much about communication as about the science itself, and this is a great way for the children to develop their communication skills and learn about one of the world’s most popular forms of communication”, said Matt. “This process was interesting on a number of levels. The children were doing a genuine piece of research about something they’re interested in and I think they learned a huge amount about how science works - from hypothesis setting, through testing and analysis all the way to publishing their findings.”

The video that the class have produced can now been viewed by both scientists and school children around the world through the global audience of science.TV - giving the children a unique opportunity to share their work and findings with people around the world.

To view the film, go to http://www.science.tv/cliftoncollege

For more information or to interview science.TV founder Matt Thurling, call +44 117 307 9118 or email mt@science.tv

To download the screenshots (preview attached), click this link http://www.science.tv/upload/clifton.zip (these are 72dpi - suitable for small print use and online)

To download high-resolution images of Matt Thurling, founder of science.TV, click this link http://www.science.tv/upload/matt_thurling.zip

• A broadcast version of the film is available on request

Notes to editor:

science.TV is a video sharing community dedicated to science communication. The site offers 2,000 short video clips and the tools to upload, share, navigate and filter to fit a broad range of scientific interests and ability levels.

science.TV is based in the Pervasive Media Studio at the Watershed in Bristol.

Please include a link to http://www.science.tv in online versions, if you think it will be of use to your readers.

Clifton College is a co-educational 3-18 independent school in Bristol. It has a strong tradition in science teaching and has educated two nobel prize winners and about a dozen fellows of the Royal Society.
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Contact:
Matt Thurling
science.TV
Bristol, England
+44 117 307 9118
mt@science.tv
http://www.science.tv