Engaging with Communications - broadening outreach and supporting the curriculum

从远古时代起，人类就利用现代技术来获取、记录和传输信息。在21世纪的世纪，我们对电信技术的依赖从未如此之大。无论是使用移动的与家人和朋友保持联系，浏览网页还是观看数字电视，电信都在推动社会发展。如果没有科学家和工程师，他们利用技术将信息传输得更远、更快，今天被认为是理所当然的事情就不可能实现。发展速度是惊人的。200年前，信息是通过机械装置以光学方式传输的。100年前，同样的信息可以通过电报更快地传递，而电话刚刚发明。50年前，无线电无线传输信息的能力已经确立，电话取代电报成为主要的通信系统，计算机刚刚出现。30年前，互联网只存在于少数研究和大学实验室。20年前，电话变成了移动的，今天，它是发展最快的电信技术，世界上超过三分之一的人口拥有和使用移动的电话。我们打算提高公众对电信如何改变社会这一令人兴奋的故事的认识。在这里，我们想解释技术是如何工作的，今天的研究是如何推动明天的技术，并讨论技术对社会的影响。首先，我们会扩展与曼彻斯特科学及工业博物馆的合作，在该博物馆的通讯展览馆内，引进一套名为“mi-Guide”的新访客资讯系统。该系统允许博物馆参观者接收有关展品的更多信息，这些信息通过电信技术传送到手持计算机。我们的系统现在将走出画廊，进入课堂，以帮助支持国家重点课程科目。将与学校和教育中心合作开发新的mi-Guide多媒体内容。然后，教师将能够计划课程，为主题带来更多的兴趣，兴奋和参与，并提供在博物馆获取信息的机会。如果课程在参观美术馆之前，那么手持版的mi-Guide将自动引导教师和小组参观美术馆，指出在课程中使用的感兴趣的展品，并提供一个设备来记录参观的各个方面，以便返回学校使用。第二，我们将举办一系列的家庭电信日和讲座。家庭日提供了一个小型的手工艺品展览和示范，使游客能够与电信技术互动，了解其工作原理，并欣赏其如何随着时间的推移而发展。讲座旨在吸引一般感兴趣的听众，并让听众参加演示。讲座将与相关的“热门话题”相联系，庆祝相关的周年纪念日，并展示研究如何对电信的未来至关重要。最后，将为学校举办一系列活动，从小型项目和辩论日到互动学习会议。我们的电信文物和演示将被用来解释基本的科学和工程和辩论日将允许学生讨论电信的一个重要方面及其对他们生活的影响，例如围绕信息安全的问题。总的来说，该项目提供了广泛的参与活动，这些活动建立在我们行之有效的记录基础上，并将我们的工作扩展到提供具体项目，直接支持学校的国家课程，并为提高公众的认识提供机会。

From earliest times, mankind has exploited the technology of the day to acquire, record and transmit information. Now in the 21st century our reliance on telecommunications technology has never been greater. Whether it is keeping in touch with family and friends using a mobile, browsing the Web or watching digital television, telecommunications drives society. Much of what is taken for granted today would not be possible without the scientists and engineers who exploited technology to transmit information ever further and ever faster. The rate of development has been tremendous. Two hundred years ago information was transmitted optically using mechanical devices. One hundred years ago those same messages could be transmitted much more quickly using the electrical telegraph and the telephone had just been invented. Fifty years ago the ability to transmit messages without wires using radio was well established, the telephone had overtaken the telegraph as the dominate communications system and computers were just emerging. Thirty years ago the Internet existed only in a few research and university laboratories. Twenty years ago the telephone went mobile and today it is the fastest growing telecommunications technology with well over one third of the world's population owning and using a mobile phone.We intend to raise public awareness of the exciting story of how telecommunications has transformed society. Here we want to explain how the technology works, how today's research is driving tomorrow's technology and to debate the impact of technology on society. We will do this as follows.First, we will extend the work we have already done with the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester where a new visitor information system, called mi-Guide, has been introduced to their Communications Gallery. This system allows Museum visitors to receive additional information about exhibits, delivered to a hand-held computer using telecommunications technology. Our system will now move out of the Gallery and into the classroom to help support key national curriculum subjects. New mi-Guide multimedia content will be developed in association with schools and educational centres. Teachers will then be able to plan lessons that bring added levels of interest, excitement and engagement to the subject and provide access to information at the Museum. If the lesson precedes a visit to the Gallery then the hand-held version of mi-Guide will automatically guide the teacher and group around the Gallery, pointing out exhibits of interest that were used during the lesson and provide a facility to record aspects of the visit for use on return to school.Second, we will run a series of Family Telecommunications Days and Lectures. The family days provide a mini-exhibition of artefacts and demonstrations that allow visitors to interact with telecommunications technology to learn how it works and to appreciate how it has developed over time. The lectures are designed to appeal to a general interest audience and involve members of the audience taking part in demonstrations. Lectures will be linked to relevant 'hot topics', celebrate relevant anniversaries and show how research is key to the future of telecommunications.Finally, there will be a series of events for schools that range from small scale projects and debate days to interactive learning sessions. Our telecommunications artefacts and demonstrations will be used to explain the underlying science and engineering and debate days will allow students to discuss an important aspect of telecommunications and its impact on their lives, for example the issues surrounding information security. In total, this project offers a broad range of engagement activities that build upon our proven track record and extend our work to provide specific projects and directly support the national curriculum in schools and provide opportunities for increased awareness amongst the general public.