Online Resources for Museum Education

Returning from AAM, web 2.0 was the hot topic. Museums are using web 2.0 to increase their outreach, start new conversations, and engage their audience in new ways. AAM even added a blog for their Annual Meeting this year. Check it out here. From video to Facebook applications, museums are using social networking to facilitate new approaches to their collections and exhibitions. Museums are even making more of their resources available online. Are they giving away the experience or building another layer of interaction for the visitor? As we take a look at some of these new ideas in class, think about applications in the Yager Museum.

Share Your Event Feedback!

Following up on our discussion with the Baseball Hall of Fame's Manager of Museum Programs, Amanda Pinney, on Thursday, please post your event wrap up points to Amanda's post. Some of you have already posted, so I'm just reminding everybody else. These are points to improve on for next year or just your general ideas and feedback. Also, take a look at the American Association of Museums website and the program sessions being offered at the Annual Conference in Denver.

So far, the following sessions are of interest to some of your classmates:

• Sunday, 2:15-5 Curators, Objects, and Interpretation: New Approaches to reach the visitor
• Tuesday, 10-11:45 Eye on Design: Inspiration from outside the museum

Resources to Explore

The Smithsonian has a number of great resources listed at the following link.

http://museumstudies.si.edu/Network1H.html

Event Discussion Questions

Amanda Pinney, Manager of Museum Programs at the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum, has provided the following questions for class discussion on Thursday.

What was the purpose of the event? Was the purpose clear? Did the event serve it's purpose?

What were your event goals? Were these goals met?

Who was your target audience? Did they attend? If so, why? If not, why? Did you attract other audiences? If so, who and why?

How did you prepare for the event? Is there anything you should have done differently?

How did you publicize the event? Is there anything you should have done differently?

How did you implement the event? Is there anything you should have done differently?

How did you evaluate the event? Is there anything you should have done differently?

Overall, was the event successful? If so, why? If not, why?

Should you hold another event similar to this in the future? Why or why not?

Schenectady Museum

Hi Everyone,

Your field trip to the Schenectady Museum is just a few weeks away. Here are some things you can do before you arrive:

1. Check out our website - http://www.SchenectadyMuseum.org
2. Think about questions you may have for a mid size museum that is transitioning itself from a little bit of everything into the Science Center of Tech Valley. We do dream big here.
3. Think about questions you may have for me, my background is in history/archaeology and Museum Education. Now I'm working for a more science/technology oriented museum.
4. If there is anything in advance you want to ask me, feel free to email me at Frank@SchenectadyMuseum.org

See you in a feww weeks!

ilene

A Success!

There is no question that our event, Connecting with the Earth: Traditions in Action, was a success. You all should be happy with your efforts, and I hope you had fun too. We also have the evidence in hand to support your impact. We received 32 surveys, which I have aggregated. We will review this information on Thursday in our wrap up session. I hope you can all e-mail me your pictures before Thursday, so we can also review them. Again, great job! Willard Yager would be proud (and even his descendant had a great time).

Sincerely,

Andrew

Get the Word Out!

Posted on behalf of Donna:

The orange and green posters are ready for distribution. Peggy has already been by to take her copies, and the remaining posters are on Denise's desk in the office for Amanda, Jessie, and Anna to take and post. I will be out of the office on Thursday, but Nancy will be here if you need anything. Otherwise, all arrangements (including tent in case it does rain) are confirmed. We'll have a few students in early on Saturday to put the feet down on the floor in the indoor spaces and draw chalk feet on cement (the vinyl doesn't stick there). We'll be ready in the museum on Friday afternoon with tables and chairs (I'm not sure what you need in terms of blankets), and we'll put a few beaded objects in cases for the surrounding area. I'll be in all day on Friday if you need anything else--we're ready here in the museum for Saturday!

Event Planning

Action Plan-

• Class meets at 9:30am in front of Yager Museum
• Hawk Circle will arrive at 9:30am
• Set up on Frisbee Field and in the Yager Museum
• Set up poles on field and down stair case
• 11am breakfast available in Yager Museum
• On the hour- class will switch locations (Peggy and Anna start in Yager and Amanda and Jessica start on Frisbee Field)
• 12pm lunch availabe on Frisbee Field
• Ongoing- hand out and collect evaluations
• 4pm start cleaning up

To Do-

• Supplies: Painters tape, pens, blankets for beading activity, tables and chairs, digital camera, cleaning supplies, anything else
• Feature beaded collections objects in the Museum
• Put footprints in front of Yager Museum and line stair case with poles
• Signage (need to develop brochure to hand out- post card) and on front door
• Finalize evaluation and print out- 150 copies
• Dress code

Museum Education in the 21st Century

Museum Edcuation in the classroom:

• Enhance curriculum
• Make available objects and interpretive materials that can bring classroom teaching to life (connecting to the past, etc)
• Offer opportunities for children to learn about their local communities and assist schools in their responsibility to deliver Citizenship
• Set up innovative and exciting activites for children in subjects to help develop skills like communication and bring out creativity

THE PROBLEM: Museums and Schools sometimes work together. Museums are not seen as an integral to schools. True for the Yager Museum. Any ideas on solutions?

We need to answer the questions:
How do we work with schools, teachers, and children (establish a our baseline)? And more importantly, what do we need to do better?

One could be marketing:
Keys to museum education marketing success:
1) Develop and maintain credibility.
2) Build on successes.
3) Know the competition.
4) Find a market niche.

Be sure to define the Five P's of Marketing: Product, Positioning, Place, Price, and Promotion.
Product- what you have to offer
Positioning- what makes you different?
Place- How you fit the needs of the educator
Price- Good price for what you have to offer
Promotion- Awareness of your product

Political Cartoons Exhibit Project

As we discussed in class, the John Harmon Cassel political cartoon exhibit will be a feature for 2009. Here is a summary of some of the ideas that may be included in the exhibit. We discussed the cartoons being incorporated with vignettes, helping better illustrated and put into context such issues depicted as banking crises, crime, or political issues. The exhibit will try to use contemporary issues to connect the past to the present. The exhibit may also include an element featuring a child's perspective to help attract and relate to younger audiences. This could involve toys, entertainment, food, or other areas. The overall goal is to have an interplay between exhibition, education, and interaction.

Each of you will focus your museum education project on this exhibit. Included here is a summary of possible ideas from class discussion:

• Blog to set up material and activities for pre and post visits
• Connect programs and activities with art, history, and political science students
• Education packet for students
• Oral history program
• Activity worksheet
• College students and political activism forum/program series
• Family history presentation program
• Economic idea (Depression)
• Visual context (develop programs/activities using period photos or even comic books)
• Hobo program
• Scavenger hunt (tie in to 1930s movies)
• Interactives (flour sack clothing, etc)

Add your own ideas. Remember, select one and touch base with me. Your process paper will focus on this idea.

Fun Is Good!

Bringing "Fun Is Good" into the Yager Museum:

• Museum environment- keep relaxed and open
• Encourage sharing ideas and creativity
• Get attention, strengthen brand and visibility with weird and wacky ideas
• Be whimsical about the approach
• Incorporate an aspect of fun in everything you do
• Ask questions about the process and how to make things more accessible
• Make fun of what we do
• Make what we do so uncool, it is cool (example of Museum Club t-shirt)

Try new ideas that are not traditional. What are ideas for the Yager Museum? Maybe a social mixer in the Museum on Valentine's Day? Or a study break program or event during Final Exams? How about 24 hours of programs in the Museum focused on a special cause or to kick off the school year? Share your ideas here!