Party!

Come and celebrate with us at the ASE annual conference this new year in Nottingham! Friday 8th January will mark the official launch of the SciberBrain site and we would love to meet you for wine and conversation in the exhibition marquee from 5pm. Come and say hello!

British Science Festival 2009

SciberBrain took the techniques we learned at our recent CPD workshop and put them into practice with five groups of real live school children at this year's festival in Surrey! Our new friends from the world of philosophy, John Turner and Steven Brammell delved into the inner workings of the minds of teenagers using SciberBrain resources to get them thinking. Over a hundred pupils from schools across the county astounded their teachers with thoughtful questions and insightful observations. It really was a joy to behold!

Class discussion CPD workshop

During the summer, the creators of SciberBrain formed an alliance with Metathink (an independent provider of philosophical dialogue workshops) to come up with a new CPD workshop exploring concepts, values and beliefs in science. Our first free 2 day workshop was attended by 15 science teachers and outreach workers at the Science Learning Centre in London (25th & 26th August). Participants were extremely appreciative and feedback comments were amazing with 100% saying they enjoyed the course and would definitely recommend it to a friend! I think we can safely say we will be expanding in this area over the coming year :)

Message for the Ringmer test pilots....

Hope you are having fun trialling the latest SciberBrain activities for us, here are the links for the vaccinations webquest, good luck!

1. NHS
2. BBC Bitesize
3. ABPI
4. Beep
5. video link video link video link

Come back here next week if you want to see my photos from today.

Thanks for your help

Jane

SciberBrain makes it BIG

The British Interactive Group (BIG) is a not-for-profit organisation for all people involved in interactive science communicaton activities and hands-on education projects in the UK.

I was very please to find that BIG thought the SciberBrain project was worth announcing in their e-news issue for July!

We also featured as a recommended resource in The Guardian's special 'science scores' supplement (23rd June) along side other big resource providers like the ASE and the Science Museum!

It seems that John Vidal of the Guardian also has his eye on SciberBrain from what he says on his blog. His comments have been featured on a whole bunch of other sites. I hope he will be happy with our results!

Psssst! Free CPD, tell your teacher friends!

SciberBrain is providing 16 grants to cover the cost of a 2 day CPD course with a twist. The course is called Philosphy for Children and is Oxford Brookes accredited.

We would like to encourage more teachers to tackle controversial issues in science by giving them some practical skills they can use with their classes. This philosophy course has been taylored towards discussing science topics at secondary level and will also involve a new practical element.

Participants will be invited to practice their new skills at schools sessions during the British Science Festival in Guildford, Surrey alongside a facilitator.

Course dates: 25th - 26th August + a 90 minute practical session on either 7th, 8th, 9th or 10 September.

Location: Somewhere in Surrey (probably Weybridge or Guildford)

If you would like to know more, please email me!

Read all about it!

News of SciberBrain is spreading fast. Following our article in The Biochemist we have had a modest flurry of media interest in the SciberBrain project.

Here is an extract from our press release which featured in The Sciblorg and Biochemist e-volution in May.

The Biochemical Society today announced it has received £113,317 from the Monsanto Fund, a private foundation and the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company, to continue funding the production of new resources for secondary school science.

The Society's education team have drawn on their extensive links with leading scientists and teachers in the development of SciberBrain resources. The website www.sciberbrain.org will feature free activities, games and animated slideshows that can be used online or in the classroom to inspire young people about developments in modern bioscience. Topics such as stem cell research, vaccinations and genetically modified organisms will be explored.

Also, keep your eyes peeled for a SciberBrain feature in the Guardian supplement on science education, out on 23rd June!