Topic proposal for Literature Review INST 6310

Engaging K-12 Learning Communities, Web-based technology and learning in Art Museums

Everything from brochure-based websites to highly developed virtual learning spaces are being used by art museums to make their collections accessible to a larger audience and specifically to the K-12 learning community. There are many different models and projects based on virtual museum experiences that have proven effective and others that are not substantive in knowledge delivery. There are three programs that will be reviewed in this paper. The Learning Lab established at Stanford University uses E-folios to provide opportunities for learners to capture, organize and reuse the knowledge they gain through informal and formal interaction with museum collections and exhibitions. The New Media Consortium and their multimedia-authoring software Pachyderm has been used for a number of years by museums to create online learning experiences that complement exhibitions. Virtual museums such as those available on Second Life offer alternative museum experiences including art happenings, lectures, tours, guides and docents. Can they serve the K-12 learning community by providing valuable learning experiences? What might be accomplished by museums using web technology with the learning community? What is the existing practice and what are the possibilities? What are the methods or user studies that are available to evaluate the use and application? What do they tell us about the effectiveness of online delivery of educational program and the design of web content for the user? How do these methods prove useful in reaching the K-12 learning community and extending the use of museum collections as a resource for learning?

Urban, R. et al., A Second Life for Your Museum: 3D Multi-User Virtual Environments and Museums. In J. Trant and D. Bearman (eds). Museums and the Web 2007: Proceedings. Toronto: Archives & Museum Informatics, published March 31, 2007. Retreived from http://www.archimuse.com/mw2007/papers/urban/urban.html

Crowley, K., Leinhardt, G., & Change, C. (2000). Emerging research communities and the World Wide Web: analysis of a Web-based resource for the field of museum learning. Computers & Education, 36, 1-14. doi:10.1016/S0360-1315(00)00047-6

Samis, P. S., Johnson, L. F., Smith, R. S. (2007) Pachyderm: From Multimedia to Visual Stories. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 19 (1), 3-25. doi: 10.1007/BF03033417

Walsh, P. (1997) The Web and the Unassailable Voice. Archives and Museum Informatics, 11(2), 77-85. doi: 10.1023/A:1009086030363

Kravchyna, V., Hastings, S.K. (2002) Informational Value of Museum Web Sites. First Monday, 7(2). Retrieved from http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue7_2/kravcyna/index.html

Taylor, B. L. (2003) Enhancing the value of museum Web sites: Lessons from the practical engagement front. Journal of library administration. 39(2-30, 107-122. Retrieved from http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=15540078

Soren, B.J. & Canadian Heritage Information Network (2005) Best practices in creating quality online experiences for museum users. Museum Management and Curatorship, 20(2) 131-148. doi: 10.1016/j.musmancur.2005.03.001

Zimmermann, Harald H./Schramm, Volker (eds., 1998): Knowledge Management und Kommunikationssysteme. Workflow Management, Multimedia, Knowledge Transfer. Proceedings des 6. Internationalen Symposiums für Informationswissenschaft (ISI '98) Prag, 3.-7. November 1998. (Schriften zur Informationswissenschaft 34). Konstanz: UKV. S. 185-200.