Explore the wild wired world

Leicester University is to create a "zoo" on campus to try to help staff understand and use more technology in their teaching. The university hopes that displaying a collection of technological wildlife will encourage staff to add new learning technologies to their teaching repertoires.

Gilly Salmon, professor of learning technologies, says the exhibits of "safe and familiar" technologies as well as "species new to captivity" will allow staff to "explore the relationship between technological creatures and their online educational world".

Staff will no doubt flock to the breeding area to see how newfangled technologies such as iPods can be applied in new ways, while the Exotics House will boast powerful new technologies waiting to pounce on unsuspecting academics.