Discovering the museum ‘in character’
The Pioneer Cottage Buderim has commenced work on a school excursion program for year 5. The cottage is a house museum, built and lived in by the Burnett family from the 1880s until the 1960s. The program we are developing is looking at pioneer life through the eyes of different members of the family from grandparents through to a five year old. To kick off the planning, each volunteer was allocated a character – a...
iTeachers and students need iMuseums
Great article on page 3 of the Brisbane Courier Mail, Saturday 6th June, about 21st century students having different needs. They quote Prof Nairn, Exective director of the Australian Secondary Principals Association. ‘If students don’t learn the way we teach, we have got to teach the way they learn.’ It seems iTeachers are tech savvy, drawing on students skills and curiosity. He says, ‘It’s about how do...
iPads at Museums: ‘History in Place’ for Year 9
I am incredibly inspired by the History in Place Project (HIP). HIP provides a template for creating activities for students with iPads at museums to create movies about their experience. Jo Clyne from History Teachers Association of Victoria’s (HTAV), delivered a paper in conjunction with Culture Victoria, at the Museums Australia conference in May. So when the year nine history teachers from Southport High approached...
The Museum Game
This blog continues the series on Digital Games and Learning. Today’s blog looks at a great use of iPads at the Australian National Museum. The Museum game is a very clever use of I-pads in a museum. The game was designed by the National Museum, Canberra. It is a brilliant example of using some of the best features of digital gaming, and creating an absorbing learning game. There is not even a whiff of broccoli about this...
Impressing the Principal – with gaming?
This blog continues the series of Digital Games and Learning – looking at Age of Empires. I squirmed. The leather chair was cold against my skin. The principal’s manner was friendly enough. The interview seemed to be going well, but I wondered, does he know? I glanced over at my son. He was relaxed but leaning forward in his chair. The principal was leaning forward too, fully engaged in Christopher’s telling of...