06 January 2006

Old industry launches new resource

Britain's oldest industry takes a technological lead next week, when the Quarry Products Association (QPA) launches a new interactive online education resource.

The Virtual Quarry website has been developed by the QPA with the support of the Mineral Industry Sustainable Technology programme and a variety of other partners. The open access site provides both an interactive fun experience for children and a substantial resource for teachers. It will be unveiled at the BETT educational technology show at Olympia, London on Wednesday 11 January to an audience of some 27,000 teachers.

For youngsters, the highlight is a tour of a virtual quarry by a team of walking, talking animated characters, who explain where the materials for our buildings and roads come from. The user is treated to a variety of fun and educational activities such as piloting a rock delivery truck and activating a quarry blast.

After the tour, youngsters can transform an old quarry into a nature reserve and take a closer look at rocks and fossils. There is also a Rock Cinema, information on wide-ranging events around the UK and links to a variety of fun places to visit.

The Virtual Quarry will also have much to offer teachers, providing access to a substantial learning resource covering key stages 1 to 4 of the National Curriculum. The site includes more than 20 complete teaching units developed against the schemes of work recommended by the Department for Education and Skills. Each has been written by a qualified teacher and tested by other teachers.

Although the emphasis is on science and geography, the units also draw on the relevance of quarrying to the citizenship and sustainable development areas of the curriculum. A comprehensive set of supporting resources is available, including an image library and guidance on organising visits to real quarries.

With a nationwide network of active and restored sites suitable for tours and fieldwork, QPA members can offer a number of opportunities for out-of-the-classroom learning.

QPA director of communications Elizabeth Clements comments: "We are very excited by the enormous potential this project has to raise awareness and appreciation of the industry. This technology is an ideal way to bring the quarry environment to life in interactive fashion. If it's fun for children, then it also opens the door to learning opportunities, and we are confident that teachers will value the curriculum-linked materials that have been developed around the Virtual Quarry."

The Virtual Quarry will be live from Wednesday 11 January 2006 at www.virtualquarry.co.uk

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. The Virtual Quarry has been developed by the Quarry Products Association, with the support of its members and other partners, including English Nature, Waste & Resources Action Programme, University of Leeds, Camborne School of Mines, Earth Sciences Teachers' Association, Earth Sciences Education Unit, and the National Stone Centre. The project has been substantially supported by the Mineral Industry Research Organisation, which distributes funds from a government tax on aggregates through its Mineral Industry Sustainable Technology Programme, aiming to raise public awareness of the contribution the industry makes to society and its commitment to high standards of environmental performance.

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