Samsung digital partnership with British Museum extended

Samsung and the British Museum have announced they are renewing their partnership to introduce schoolchildren to new and imaginative ways of learning.

The two organisations will be collaborating for another five years following the success of the Samsung Digital Discovery Centre (SDDC), which is currently located in the heart of the museum.

It is focused on using Samsung technology to impart knowledge about the various collections and artefacts surrounding them, and reaches out to around 5,000 pupils every year - 20 per cent of the kids who are taught at the museum.

As well as touchscreen tablets, smartphones and wireless digital cameras, groups of schoolchildren visiting the SDDC have also viewed the history of the world through augmented reality devices and 3D animation. 

According to Richard Woff, head of schools and young audiences at the British Museum, the range of mobile technology featured at the centre has helped the partnership to develop an understanding of what works well when dealing with kids.

"For example, we know that revealing tablets in a session always produces gasps of excitement and requests to take the devices home at the end of the day," he added.

Now, the masterminds behind the operation are working on their longest and most detailed programme since the centre was launched in 2009, and are hoping to use more advanced applications such as 3D printing and touch tables.

The centre is part of Samsung's drive to close the digital skills gap that is widespread across the UK, which has included support for various IT-based initiatives and its own digital training resources.

Many experts believe that digital literacy is just as essential as being able to read and write, with Mark Surman, executive director of the Mozilla Foundation, recently claiming that this "fourth literacy" must become mainstream.

Mr Woff said the technology used at the SDDC also has many benefits for the teachers and those running the show, as the videos, photos and voice recordings that are captured on the mobile devices "are instantly uploaded to our cloud storage, making it quick and easy for us to send this work back to schools for further study".