Virtual Museums
When I was a child I dreamt of traveling the world. I wanted to see everything, museums, landmarks, countries anything I had learned about in books and from my teachers. The reality was that I never left the North West until I was 18 so I had not seen too much until then. I mean unless you count the Tillamook cheese factory (if you have not been, I highly recommend it). Today a person does not have to leave the house to learn and see the world to an extent.
There is an array of technology tools right at our fingertips. These tools can be used in and out of the classroom. They can be used by instructors and students as well as parents and their children. There are many varieties of virtual museums that can be learning tools. For today's post, we will be focusing on the Louvre. The first time I went to the Louvre I was very excited to see Mona Lisa. Literally, everyone was. There was a huge crowd of people around her. The Louvre now has the entirety of its collection online.
A Closer Look is an interactive multimedia module that shows you in the greatest of detail the art you want to see. It is part of the Louvre online Virtual Museum. Once you choose what you want to see you have the opportunity to observe, understand, and compare. These are links that take you to information to include a tour of the art you have chosen. You get to hear the history and at times the reason the art was created. It is amazing but you don't have to take my word for it you can visit the site as well.
Here is a link to the educational video about Mona Lisa Most famous woman in the world
The entire site is nicely set up. If you would like to see other works of art here is the link to the museum Louvre Museum
Please join me again for my next post about how you can leverage virtual science museums into your instructional design.
Mandy I love using virtual tours to explore some of the great museums that are out there. It is a great educational tool. It seems very important now since a large portion of students are stuck at home. I love that you can zoom in and look at different artwork or displays and really see the fine details. I look forward to your next blog.
ReplyDeleteTammy, I could not agree more. Many of our children are in school virtually and virtual museums have a lot to offer . It is a different tool to keep learners engaged. Thank you for your feedback.
DeleteMandy,
ReplyDeleteI can relate to your desire to travel and see what the world has to offer. I grew up in Reno, Nevada and never traveled more than two hours from my home town up until I was 18. In fact I had never even been on a plane. Than I joined the military and of course now I have been to more places in the world than I can even recall. I too have made it to Paris and have seen the Moana Lisa. I have also been online to see pictures and used interactive software to look at these wonders. The technology is great and it makes them look spectacular. But I will say that when you have seen them in that fashion, seeing them in real life can be disappointing. I am all for technology opening the world up to everyone and making us all feel like we are part of a small community. I just wonder are we using to much technology to filter and clean up something that should be apricated in its raw state?
Michael, you offer a valid point. There are times when seeing something in real life is disappointing. Have you ever felt rushed at a museum because there are so many people there? I have. The benefit of seeing a museum virtually is that you have the time to enjoy the history and the details. Granted, it is not the same as being physically there but it may inspire some to make a point of visiting that museum in the future. Thank you for your feedback.
DeleteTrue, it is nice to not be rushed or standing outside in a long line for hours to see something for five minutes. I am a fan of online viewing, just wanted to know what your thoughts where on comparing what you see online versus in person.
DeleteIn all honesty the person that I am now does prefer to physically see museums. The younger me who did not grow up with much would have been very happy if museums were online. The fact that virtual museums can bring that experience to everyone rich and poor really amazes me.
Delete
ReplyDeleteMandy,
I really enjoyed reading your blog entry and to be quite honest, I had no idea that this technology even existed. To say that I am anti-cultured would be an understatement. I am like you in the fact that I did not travel very much as a child, but once I joined the military the sky was the limit. There were so many places, I did not even know existed (some good and…yes, some bad).
The ceiling is high for this technology when it comes to education. Interactive media within the field of education seems to be very intuitive. The ability to have a technology that is intuitive is especially good for the age of smartphones, tablets, and computers. Interactive media in learning can provide versatility in teaching. Interactive media in learning is another tool for the teacher to use to break up the same old teaching style. This is an excellent way for the teacher to make things more interactive and interesting for the students. I do wonder about teachers and students being overwhelmed a bit with this kind of technology. How much training and time will have to be dedicated to just be able to use the technology? The cognitive load of interactive media in education could be too much.
I do think there are many pros and cons to Interactive media in the education field. This is yet another opportunity to allow blended learning to thrive in our future education platform. The more quickly we can get to a blended environment, the easier it will become for our future generation. I look forward to the discussions on this forum about this exciting technology. Have a great day!
-Kevin
Kevin, thank you for your feedback. I think that children growing up now have mastered many digital competencies that some adults have issues with (yes, I am talking about me lol). I agree though that there are pros with the cons. Can you imagine learning about dinosaurs and then being able to go online to the National Museum of Natural History and see a Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton? If I had that opportunity when I was younger it would have been amazing.
DeleteMandy,
ReplyDeleteWhile I am not an art enthusiast, I must say that the information you provide is inspiring me. I might just have to give it a look. Thank you for that. Regarding your words, until I read your post, I just assumed that google images was the best way to see things that you don't have the ability to physically visit, but I am sure now that it just isn't the same. My mother had a dream of visiting the Louvre that she was able to realize a few years before her passing. Upon her return and during our weekly phone call, she explained to me just how impressive the great works inside its walls were. She described to me, down to the brush stroke, several paintings that I had never heard of. What her words did do was inspire me to take a greater appreciation for things, to actually notice them. I think that virtual museums are an excellent way to do that, especially with the super-high resolution detail that you describe in your post. Another thing that surprised me about her visit was just how small in size the Mona Lisa actually is, she said that it was no larger than a small poster one would have on their office wall, but she said that the size only added to the experience and her appreciation for DaVinci's work. I look forward to your future posts and I'd like to thank you for your words.
Donny, thank you for your thoughts. I am sorry about your mother but I am happy that she was able to make that trip. There are many things I think of doing and never end up doing them. The timing is always off but taking the time to make ourselves happy is well worth it. Your story made me realize that. Thank you for sharing it.
DeleteHi Mandy,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your nice and easy-going introduction on the Louvre. Virtual museum is a great resource for K-12 students. As you mentioned, virtual museum tour provides an excellent opportunity for students to learn culture, arts, science and so on without vising the place. Often, virtual museum is combined with AR and VR technologies. I happened to find an article about virtual museum in education in the following link, in case you are interested in knowing how research is conducted with virtual museum :)
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjK8uaz1dzrAhUQAp0JHcQbA8QQFjAAegQIBRAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mdpi.com%2F2071-1050%2F12%2F7%2F2698%2Fpdf&usg=AOvVaw1f0siOEoLe20dHrN-Rzq0I
Moon-Heum, thank you for your feedback. I read the paper and I completely agree that virtual museums are not being utilized as much as they could be in education. I see how embedding virtual reality (goggles,etc) could be a cost that many schools will not pay for. Luckily many of the virtual museums are free online and do not necessarily require accessories, so I do think it would be useful to use them in some subject oriented instruction. Thank you for the paper, it was interesting to see which museums were evaluated and the type of educational value they provided.
DeleteMandy,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information on virtual museums it seems amazing to me that with a click of a button one can travel the world with these virtual museums. I think this is a great tool for teachers to utilize to educate students on the importance of where art has it's place in history from a classroom or any other type of setting without having to physically go to them. I remember growing up in New York and I remember always going on field trips to museums to learn about art and culture and now we can basically do it from any type of setting which is a great alternative if one does not have the means to physically go to them.
Alex, it is pretty amazing. There are many different museums that have virtual programs including our National Museums. These are amazing tools to educate. I remember learning about Egyptian history when I was around 12 and it would have been amazing to be able to view Tutankhamun's tomb and all the artifacts that were discovered.
Delete-Mandy
Mandy,
ReplyDeleteI am interested in where this blog can go! I love learning about history, and seeing the past. With COVID-19 ruining everything, I miss going to museums. My Son is living in Texas for the first time and I taught him about the Alamo (Remember it!) and want to take him to it once things calm down some more. Side note, When My wife and I went there last summer they had a virtual screen that should the current view of San Antonio if you were standing on top of the Alamo and could turn the view in a 360. To make it even better, you could change the view to what the heroes saw the day that the battle happened on that fateful day. It shows you key points, like where Travis was killed in both time settings. It really gave you a feel for what really happened. I am excited to see what you find out there to share!
Andy D.
Andy, I have not been to the Alamo since I was a kid and it was pretty amazing then. I cannot imagine being able to see views of what the battlefield looked like. I will definitely have to get my family out there. I was always amazed at how young Travis was when all of that happened.
Delete-Mandy
Mandy,
ReplyDeleteFirst let me say your blog is as visually stunning as many of the works in the Louvre. I did not go see the Mona Lisa but I did go check out “La Marquise De Pompadour.” It was a fascinating experience to be able to view the work in such detail and visiting the Louvre did inspire my intellectual curiosity so I had to go find out more about her. Truly fascinating. I look forward to having more time to explore the Louvre and look forward to seeing where your blog points me next!
Mike
Thank you Mike, I appreciate your feedback. I thought about changing it up every week but I just might keep this layout :)
Delete-Mandy