Development of the Virtual Museum
This week we will cover the beginning. What led to the development of the Virtual Museum? In the early 1990s museums had interactive virtual programs that were engaged through video chat otherwise known as Interactive Virtual Learning (you can read more about that here defining interactive virtual learning). The programs were developed by museum curators usually for primary school-age children and were at the time considered distance learning. The same types of learning and events still happen today using live streaming and webcams and can be brought to many classrooms simultaneously.
As early as 1993 there was a graphical web browser by the name of Mosaic that promoted electronic collections including a guide to artifacts from the Vatican Library (The Editor's of Encyclopaedia Brittanica, 2017). In the late 1990s museums started to put their collections online and created learning guides that accompanied them. What we now have today is an array of online museums and tools to use them, including virtual reality headsets as well as augmented reality. Virtual museums can actually encompass a blend of many different types of immersive, educational technology. However, most of the museums are easily accessible with a computer.
One of the oldest online virtual museums is the History of Science Museum in Oxford, England. It houses over 20,000 objects that relate to science. If you have a moment please follow this link to an original penicillin culture and specimen History of Science Museum. There are detailed pictures and an explanation of how penicillin impacted World War II by saving many lives.
Thank you for taking the time to stop by and learn about an instructional technology that is continuing to change the landscape of learning.
-Mandy
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Brittanica. (2017, March 27). Virtual
Museum. Retrieved from Encyclopaedia Brittanica:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/virtual-museum
Mandy
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your newest addition to your blog . Virtual museums keep younger children engaged in learning about our history. It also sparks interest in attending a phsyical museum. I enjoy both and will investigate a virtual museum and find one in my area that has a similar topic like World War II or dinasours.
Tammy
Tammy, I really like dinosaurs, If you do too then you definitely need to explore the Smithsonian Natural History Museum https://naturalhistory.si.edu/explore-at-home
DeleteI think you will enjoy it.
-Mandy
I had no idea that virtual museums dated that far back. I followed your link to to the History of Science Museum. I looked around and found a portrait of the moon that is 5 feet in diameter that was made in 1795! I like museums and I enjoy reading your blog because it teaches me about virtual museum history and gives me links to go take my mind of the next project lurking over my shoulder...
ReplyDeleteAndy D.
Andy, that museum is a rabbit hole. I spent a couple hours on the site the other evening. I would like to one day see it in person. There is definitely a lot of history there.
Delete-Mandy
Mandy,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy reading your blog about virtual museums. I think this is an increasingly important technology that is used to enhance education. I am glad this technology already existed and was being used (though maybe not as widely as it should have dating back to the 90s) I think this year has proven that we need to continue to capitalize on these technologies to enhance education in the classroom. Another aspect I like about this topic is how it can bring education to some people in places that may never have a chance to visit something like the ocean. Like in the article you shared it talked about bringing an ocean expert to Indiana. I grew up in Indiana and I can tell you, a number of families in my school could not afford to go on a trip and see an ocean and would have to learn about it through pictures. The fact that virtual museums can help bring to life places that some kids could never dream of going or learning about is a great thing in my opinion. Great post.
Anthony, thank you for sharing your memories of Indiana. I like that it does not matter where you live, one still has the opportunity to expand their mindset and learn. When I was in the military I met so many people who had never left their little corner of the world (me included lol). I think this type of educational technology can be used to an extent in any school district in America, regardless of funding.
Delete-Mandy
Mandy,
ReplyDeleteGreat thoughts and information this week. It is truly staggering when you think about the vast amount of history alone that is collected and curated in museums, large or small, across the world. Further, it is exciting to think about how all of it could be accessible to the average person sitting at home in front of the computer. My kids give me a hard time because I enjoy watching the history channel, which I can understand during an 8-hour binge of “Forged in Fire”, but I digress. My response to them is often about how much more interesting history is than fiction because it really happened. This technology has some seriously impactful potential from a learning perspective. Thanks for your post Mandy, looking forward to your next.
-Donny
Donny, I can identify. The History Channel is one of my favorites as well. I am also a big fan of documentaries which my children do not appreciate as of yet :) real history is more interesting. I find often that anything put into a movie or book was based from history. Thank you for visiting the blog.
Delete-Mandy
Mandy,
ReplyDeleteI did not know that virtual museums are a thing! I love museums, I have visited Washington DC numerous of times and always made time to visit all their museums. I would think using virtual museums from an instructional designer would be a good resource for designing instruction especially now since most “field trips” for K-12 students are not going to happen for the near future.
v
v/r
Andy E.
Andy, your comment inspired me on my recent blog post. Every year many children come to our Nation's capital to see our history and so much more. I hope you check the post out, it incorporates learning activities as well as the virtual museum learning experience.
Delete-Mandy
Mandy,
ReplyDeleteAnother wonderful post this week. I had no idea that museums were putting collections online in the 90s. I don’t think I even knew what the internet was until around 1998 and even then I did not have any real access until probably 2004 or 2005. I did check out the virtual exhibit on penicillin, and read some interesting stuff, especially about the last photo of the vial containing penicillin from urine. I explored some dinosaur exhibits with my daughter this weekend and it went fairly well although the attention span of a four year old is short. I immediately recognized the value in looking at it online and having other activities such as puzzles for reinforcement. Better than driving her out to a museum, paying for entrance and having her get bored in 10 minutes. Thanks again!
Mike W.