Released on: June 18, 2008, 11:42 pm

Press Release Author: Matt Thurling

Industry: Education

Press Release Summary: Clifton College has teamed up with leading online science
video sharing website science. The group decided to test the effect that playing
video games has on their hand to eye co-ordination.


Press Release Body:

Bristol, England, 18 June 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.
Press release distributed by PressReleasePoint(http://www.pressreleasepoint.com/)

Contact:
Matt Thurling
science.TV
Bristol, England
+44 117 307 9118
mt@science.tv
http://www.science.tv

Web Site: http://www.science.tv

Contact Details: Matt Thurling
science.TV
Bristol, England
+44 117 307 9118
mt@science.tv
http://www.science.tv