The University of Leicester’s relocated Media Zoo will continue to help staff and academics get to grips with emerging technologies

On Friday 16 April 2010, the Beyond Distance Research Alliance at the University of Leicester will hold the official opening ceremony for their new physical Media Zoo.

The opening programme will begin at 1.00pm with the ceremony, which will be attended by the Vice Chancellor Professor Sir Bob Burgess, taking place between 1.30pm-2.00pm. The ribbon will be cut by Sir Peter Soulsby MP.

The Media Zoo provides a ‘safe’ environment for University staff to learn about and experiment with the ‘technological wildlife’ available for learning and teaching in Higher Education. This wildlife is not limited just to species of software, but includes new hardware and new styles of teaching.

At the opening, there will be an opportunity for visitors to handle and see the potential of new devices (such as the Sony Touch PRS 600 eBook Reader, Amazon’s Kindle, iPhones and the Flip camera), record a podcast in the studio, and take a tour around the 3D virtual world of Second Life.

Simon Kear, Keeper of the Media Zoo, commented:

“In its new and larger premises, complete with full disabled facilities, the Media Zoo will continue to be a nationally recognised forum for educators and trainers to observe and experiment with emerging technologies.”

Professor John Fothergill, Head of Engineering at the University and an enthusiastic user of podcasting in his teaching, commented:

“The Media Zoo is a bright idea. It is an area where even those most timid of emerging technologies can observe and experiment in an environment that is non-threatening.”