Education Minister Bronwyn Pike said Science Week was a great time to showcase Victoria’s innovative approach to science teaching.

“Education is the Government’s number one priority and we believe a great education is one that gives students the ability to experience a broad range of learning opportunities,” Ms Pike said.

“Using interactive technology, we are able to give students an exciting opportunity to discover something about deep sea creatures in one of the most unique science lessons available.”

Hundreds of schools across Victoria registered for the live science lesson.

Dr Mark Norman, a world renowned squid expert from Museum Victoria, will become a virtual teacher in about 200 classrooms, giving students the ultimate lesson in marine science.

Today’s exploration, which beams Dr Norman to students from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development’s virtual classroom, will be made possible through the video conferencing system Elluminate Live.

“I’m going to take students on a dive down through the layers of the ocean and as it gets darker, show them how weird things become and then we’ll get to the giant squid,” Dr Norman said.

“I’ll show a lot of the creatures that kids rarely see, like the deep sea angler fish – the one in Finding Nemo – that has got a mouthful of teeth and a glowing lure on the top of its head.”

Student interest in marine science has been keen since Dr Norman’s dissection of the 245kg squid (estimated to have been about 12 metres long when intact) was streamed live on the Museum Victoria website on June 26.