At the CeBIT exposition, Initiative Mittelstand granted the Innovation Prize IT 2012 award to Swiss Nano-Cube, a web platform, in the e-learning category.
Among 2500 projects, this innovative web platform was rated the top project. The Swiss Nano-Cube is an interactive knowledge and education platform specifically designed to impart knowledge about micro and nanotechnology and can be applied in grammar and vocational schools.
The Innovation Society, along with Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (SFIVET), industry partners and a number of Swiss Federal Offices, launched the project in 2009. The primary objective of the platform is to promote interest among today’s generation for natural scientific and technological topics. Through this way, practice-related knowledge on nanotechnology can be provided for apprentices. However, despite being an important technology with enormous application opportunities, teaching material on aspects of nanotechnology is limited. The new web platform overcomes this issue and generates significant benefits for education and formation.
The layout of essential components and gateway are particularly designed for youth and young professionals and is supplemented by learning arrangements like Nanorama Loft, which is an interactive game. In a virtual loft, players have to identify a variety of nano products that are used in everyday life and must answer a set of questions. Another interactive game called NanoTeachBox includes learning and teaching materials, presentations, videos, and other related information for school lessons.
Learning and teaching for nanosilver, nano chemistry and occupational health is provided and can be used for school lessons. Additionally, Swiss Nano-Cube provides background details on various facets of nanotechnology, ranging from fundamental effects in the nano world over technological, social and economic problems to practice-related data for work. The Swiss Nano-Cube provides “TeachNano” training courses for teachers from time to time. The materials can be downloaded for free.
The Best-of-2012 award represents a key achievement for the Swiss Nano-Cube project. The award will spur further advancements in innovative communication tools.
Additionally, the Innovation Society has developed a nanotechnology experiment kit for called SimplyNano 1 for secondary school students. This kit includes experiments from nanotechnology and can be merged with the "virtual" e-learning-platform to address the intended audience. Through digital media, teaching can be done in an innovative way to generate interest in science and technology topics.
The Innovation Prize IT 2012 award is supported by IBM Germany and Commissioner of the German Federal Government for Information Technology