A multimodal semiotic approach is applied in this chapter to three examples to illustrate how the use of digital technology in museums and galleries can re-mediated the visitor experience (Jewitt, 2009; Kress, 2009). The examples are selected to expand upon the themes raised in Chapter X. They each explore different technologies, contexts and purposes and to illustrate the successful use of digital technology in exhibitions, galleries, or interventions: 1. You Tube and Flickr: The Weather Project by Olafur Eliasson at the Tate Modern Museum; 2. Interactive artefacts, virtual tours and Websites
The article discusses the significance of student's participation in a wireless, handheld field trip in the U.S. It is a program that comprises of a mix of podcasts, student multimedia creation, Web research and interviewing, designed by the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The innovation is vital to students' learning because it will allow them to interact with museum exhibits in a guided yet exploratory way and to increase both the amount of time students spend at exhibits and the depth of engagement with each exhibit. It revealed that in a museum setting, the technology can be used to
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Aliece WellerJohn BickarPaul McGuiness
This article deals with a pioneering project currently being developed, namely, the Exhibition on Testing and Measurement. This interactive traveling exhibition will be presented in science museums in Israel, the United States, and other countries. It has been conceived as an innovative means of familiarizing the public with educational measurement concepts and scientific principles. The exhibition will initiate and encourage a dialogue regarding the social aspects of testing. Science centers and museums can play a vital role in helping to forge a more authentic relationship between science
There are few studies concerning museum visitors' understanding of skeleton exhibits and whether such exhibits increase their understanding of the zoology displayed. An exhibition focused on the diversity of vertebrate skeletons and arranged according to the mode of locomotion was set up in Naturalis, the National Natural History Museum of The Netherlands, in Leiden. A prototype explaining the principal components of the skeleton was designed for each type of locomotion, for example, wrigglers, flyers, walkers, crawlers, swimmers. In addition, a panel provided in front of the exhibit case for
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Sue TunnicliffeManon Laterveer-de Beer
While the opportunity to engage in scientific reasoning has been identified as an important aspect of informal science learning (National Research Council, 2009), most studies have examined this strand of science learning within the context of physics-based science exhibits. Few have examined the presence of such activity in conjunction with live animal exhibits at zoos and aquariums. A video study of 41 families at four touch-tank exhibits, where visitors can observe and interact with live marine species, revealed that families engaged in making claims, challenging claims, and confirming
This is a study of the opportunities currently provided by interactive science and technology centres for visitors’ engagement in the field of acoustics. E-mails, requesting a description of exhibits on acoustics (sound and hearing) in use, were sent to members of staff of interactive science and technology centres around the world as well as to companies that design and sell exhibits. Eighty-seven descriptions of distinctive interactive exhibits were received and analysed. Results show that: there are few analogy-based exhibits concerning the more complex aspects of acoustics; narratives
This article from Daedalus explores the question (framed by an American Association of Museums AAM publication) of how museums can help to nurture an informed citizenry and address the challenges and opportunity of a global society.
The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual framework for initiatives focused on supporting learning across settings in the domains of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The conceptual framework emerges from ecological perspectives on learning that suggest a need to consider how learning develops across settings, through a range of supportive interactions and relationships (Barron, 2006; Bronfenbrenner, 1979). The framework presents initial design principles for organizing learning opportunities that connect people to practices in multiple settings. It also
In 2012, with funding from the National Science Foundation’s Advancing in Informal STEM Learning (AISL) division, a one-year study was conducted to focus specifically on evaluating participant learning outcomes and impacts from the beached bird data module. COASSTNET: Scaling Up COASSTal Citizen Science (NSF-DRL – 2224734) is an initial exploration of the effectiveness of the COASST beached bird module to sustain outcomes at individual, research and community levels, with a specific focus on the degree to which participants understand various scales of data, from the individual bird
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
University of Washington College of the EnvironmentCynthia CharJulia ParrishJulie FriesnerJane Dolliver
The effect of humor on retention of information was examined. The planetarium at COSI, Ohio's Center of Science & Industry in Columbus, was the source of the study. General public museum visitors were the subjects. A total of 495 adult subjects, ages 18 and older, were involved. Subjects were presented with one of two versions of a 15-minute taped general astronomy show. The two versions were identical except that one had humorous inserts. The humor in the humorous version was related to and integrated with the educational material and was presented at a fast pace. Humor was placed every 90
The school field trip constitutes an important demographic market for museums. Field trips enlist the energies of teachers and students, schools and museums, and ought to be used to the best of their potential. There is evidence from the literature and from practitioners that museums often struggle to understand the needs of teachers, who make the key decisions in field trip planning and implementation. Museum personnel ponder how to design their programs to serve educational and pedagogical needs most effectively, and how to market the value of their institutions to teachers. This paper