Abstract:

In an age of Twitter, Facebook and 10-second attention spans, how do we as education institutions compete, especially when New Media is at the end of a mouse-click and one’s science museum is at the other end of the country? As the adage goes, if you can’t beat ‘em.... Here we will look at SCS’s current thrust into new media like Facebook and Youtube, to meet the users where they haunt. If they won’t come to the Science Centre, the Science Centre will go to them. Our current New Media thrusts are as follows:

1) A Science Centre Observatory (SCOB) Facebook page that is updated by and responded to by staff, on topics like astronomy iphone apps, weather & astronomy updates, and astronomy worksheets and colouring cards. B) A T&C Facebook page that uploads student activities onto a social platform.
2) A Youtube outreach project where a science mascot (in this case, a ninja sensei) introduces to students the Way of the Science
3) A teacher outreach programme where science teachers are taught how to set up Facebook groups / pages to interact with their students when they are online on Facebook.

Link to Theme:
The philosophy underlying these movements is that people are not lazy in learning about science, but that current curricula and outreach methods are merely not as stimulating as more entertaining media. If we are to stand by our belief that science is the most fascinating thing in the world, then we must re-express science in a new format, in a medium that is accessible to the minds of the new generation.

Here we will see how these outreach methods provide:
1) a science museum with alternative outreach methods using free, pre-existing media/infrastructure
2) curriculum integration by bringing science teachers on board the platforms
3) updated methods of scientific communication for today’s youth and by extension, their families.

Keywords:

Facebook, Youtube.