Copyright

Matt Thurling

Summary

science.TV is a video-sharing community which opens up science to all, which encourages young people to think for themselves and to get involved. It’s about exchanging ideas and engaging in what science is really about - exploration and discovery.

Description

The problem

Ollie has been put in the bottom set in science at school, but at home he’s really into mucking around with old analog synthesisers with his Dad. Ella always wanted to be a vet but she is finding it hard to keep up with her biology assignments. She knows she needs science qualifications but she’s not enjoying science at school.

The solution

science.TV is a community of interest built around science videos on the web, which enables anyone to watch, upload, share and discuss science videos. It’s a vast and valuable resource which covers areas of science way beyond the restrictions of school curricula.

So…

Ollie makes a film about restoring an old Moog synth; Ella films the first six months of the life of a foal. Both put their films on science.TV. They get great feedback from a huge range of people - from hobbyists to science professionals - and they both feel (quite rightly) that they have not only learned a lot, but have actually contributed something to a body of knowledge.

How it might be used

I overhear that you can charge your iPod using a lemon, a coin and a nail. I get home, Google those words and find a video on science.TV. I try it, it works. I start wondering if I could power my stereo if I had enough lemons. I structure my research according to the scientific method, film my experiments and publish them on science.TV. People comment on my film, and someone points me to a documentary about a Taiwanese chemist who runs his whole house on citric acid. I watch it and refine my experiment.

I also love watching programmes about space. I search on science.TV and find lots of interesting clips. I create a channel of my favourites and share it with my friends on science.TV, who then add some films I’ve not seen.

Each day I return to my homepage on science.TV and see a ‘mini-feed’ about the stuff that interests me: comments about my lemon films; new additions to my space channels; friend requests from people all over the world.

Contact

Matt Thurling

www.science.tv

mt@science.tv
0117 307 9118