Are Virtual Museums actually Museums?
Museums as we know them are buildings that house items. How is it that a virtual museum is a museum if there is no building associated with it? Virtual museums have built on the museum concept by creating interactivity and programs in a virtual setting. They are meant to augment the experience through learning content. Some are independent of a brick and mortar museum, but many virtual museums can be physically visited and are tied directly to museums, as we have seen through this blog.
Currently, we are all still in the middle of a pandemic, and the virtual museum as an educational tool holds a great deal of value. Whether it is a tool being utilized by educators or parents who want to ensure their children are exposed to something besides asynchronous work packets and ZOOM meeting classrooms. The experiences created by virtual museums continue to grow and can be augmented by virtual reality and other educational technologies. Even after the pandemic, there will still be value in this tool.
The benefits of virtual museums are numerous. The ease of being able to be in the comfort of your home, behind your computer. Or in a physical classroom, millions of miles away from what it is you are learning about. Having the opportunity to take the time to really read and learn about exhibits rather than being rushed. About four years ago, my family and I had the opportunity to see the Sistine Chapel in the middle of August. It was sweltering and the middle of the tourist season. When we entered, people were sitting on the ground, standing. It was very crowded. Since it is a holy place, we were not allowed to speak.
It was beautiful but felt rushed, and the rest of the trip was the same. Dashing around, trying to see everything in the Vatican City within a four-hour span. There are benefits to being present inside a museum or place of history, but rarely can we take all of the beauty and education at once. I have really enjoyed learning how to employ virtual museums as another tool in designing interactive, immersive instruction and how we can use it as educators.
-Mandy
Mandy
ReplyDeleteThanks for this great blog. I really enjoyed all of your posts. I visited the Air and Space Museum and the Natural History Museum in Washington D.C. It was great but I remember how crowded it was and how you had to keep moving on because there were so many people. I really wanted to take my time to appreciate the displays. Using virtual museum tours I can go back and look at those displays again and get more detail. Nothing beats visiting a real museum but sometimes the stress of getting there, getting through and back home makes it not worth the effort.
Tammy
Thank you Tammy, I have enjoyed the research and writing that went behind this blog.
Delete-Mandy
Mandy,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the awesome Blog, it is definitely my favorite (other then mine, LOL) I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting it and seeing all the fun and educational virtual museums you spoke on. I still look in on the animals at the national zoo...DAILY. This blog was a a lot of fun to visit and educational as well. Great job Mandy!
Andy D.
Andy, I enjoyed yours as well. I have all these fun apps now I just have to get up and go find stuff lol. :)
Delete-Mandy
Mandy,
ReplyDeleteYour blog opened my eyes of virtual museums (I had no idea they existed). The idea of virtual museums is great for educators and learners to explore history and artifacts of the past. I believe history is not stressed enough within K-12 education and virtual museums can recharge the effort learning from our past to benefit the future.
v/r
Andy E.
Andy, I do agree that in K-12 there has been a sugarcoating of sorts when it comes to how history is taught. I think virtual museums can absolutely augment instruction and we will continue to see them in use. Thank you for your continued support.
Delete-Mandy
Mandy,
ReplyDeleteGreat post, thanks. I would have to argue that a museum is less a building that houses items, but rather the collection of the items themselves. The artifacts would still be interesting and informative without the building, but the building would just be another building without the artifacts. For this reason, I must say that, virtual or not, they still qualify as museums providing that the collection of curated items provide visitors with interest, information, and appreciation. Further, I believe technology provides visitors with advantages that may not be available in brick and mortar settings such as time to thoroughly explore and in-depth research findings. Thanks for your post Mandy.
-Donny
Donny, I totally agree. In fact you inspired the post this week because of a comment you made on a previous post about being slightly overwhelmed with all of the stuff that is in museums. I have felt that way as well. We certainly do not need buildings to work in or even learn in these days, virtual museums are an example of that.
Delete-Mandy
Mandy,
ReplyDeleteI have seen some virtual worlds being created that are just stunning. I do believe that there are some environments that can be created using live feeds of the actual location. Technology today allows for so much that you can easily bring the Sistine chapel right into your living room. However, there is something to be said about actually being there that cannot be replicated by technology. I wish I had the opportunity to follow your blog this past semester after reading some of the topics you have discussed. Anyway, great blog and topics overall!
Mandy,
ReplyDeleteAs you and I have discussed virtual museums in the past. They are great, it allows you to see items that may be out of reach . For museums that are near by I have noticed that some exhibits are too crowded to really appreciate, but by using these virtual museums you can truly learn about the history of the art. I believe that as technology gets better, there will be more that is added to the experience. More will blend the use of AR and Simulations to their museum experience to catch up the the bigger museums. I am sure we will continue to explore the endless opportunities this has to offer.
Walt