From Now On
The Educational Technology Journal

 

 

Vol 5 . . . No 5 . . . January/February, 1996

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Examples of Adult Virtual Museums

To be considered a "virtual museum," a site should be much more than a promotional gimmick designed to sell items from the museum gift shop or to tempt physical visitors into the halls of the "real" museum. It should offer artifacts, text and information which supports serious investigation. It should honor the electronic visitor as a real visitor.

Unfortunately, many of the sites which advertise as virtual museums offer little more than marketing and schedules of exhibits in their buildings.

Some segments of the traditional museum community fail to appreciate the dynamic possibilities for virtual museum versions of their real-time, real-space museums to prepare nearby students for real-time visits and to engage others who might never, otherwise, visit in any way.

Many students who live far from the marble buildings would love to visit a virtual version of a museum as opposed to a textbook or encyclopedia "speaking" to the same subject. The medium has its limitations, yet there is much potential if we would entertain open-minded exploration.

The museums listed below are a small sample which offer a real learning opportunity independent of a "physical" visit.

As you visit, keep an eye on the balance between information and display. To what extent do these virtual museums devote more attention to theme, interpretation and meaning than the virtual galleries?

• Field Museum - Substantial and dramatic information on Dinosaurs & Masks
  http://www.bvis.uic.edu/museum/index.html
• Franklin Institute - Long renowned for its wonderful "hands on" science exhibits, the Franklin Institute is leading the pack of virtual museums with multimedia and superb online resources. Virtual exhibits on Ben Franklin, the heart and other science-related topics.
  http://sln.fi.edu/
• High Museum - Excellent collection of paintings and photographs.
  http://isotropic.com/highmuse/highhome.html
• Paleolithic painted cave at Vallon - Pont-d'Arc. Startling and dramatic images from the recently discovered cave. Brilliant photographs. Excellent text. If it were not for this "virtual museum" we would not be able to visit at all because the caves are "off limits" to protect the fragile paintings.
  http://www.culture.fr/culture/gvpda-en.htm
• Paleontology (California Museum of)
  Excellent introduction to the field supported with extensive virtual collection. http://ucmp1.berkeley.edu/exhibits.html
• Treasures of the Czars - The museum provides outstanding visuals and information.
  http://www.times.st-pete.fl.us/Treasures/TC.Lobby.html
• WebMuseum - An extensive collection with hundreds of excellent paintings along with quite interesting biographical and interpretive sketches.
  http://sunsite.unc.edu/louvre/

Mega-Lists of Virtual Museums

• Museum Computer Network List The Museum Computer Network maintains a hotlist of over 500 museums on the Web..
  http://world.std.com/~mcn

Examples of School Virtual Museums

Schools virtual museums are so new that it is difficult to find mature, fully developed examples. The sudden increase of school Web sites from dozens to thousands has happened within the last 24 month time period, according to statistics from Steven Collins at Web 66.

The museums listed below show clear evidence of the student as "worker" in the sense meant by the Coalition of Essential Schools. They also provide a major focus upon ideas and questions.

• Kinkaid's Backyard - The Story of a Houston Biome A Texas site where high school students tell the story of their "backyard" environment. Each student relates a category (birds, trees, the bayou, etc.) to the bigger picture - the ecosystem. A fine example of students "constructing" meaning.
  http://web-hou.iapc.net/~combs/backyard/default.html
• Ellis Island Elementary students in this Bellingham School, many of whom are first generation Americans, explore the topics of emigration, immigration, and national origin by sharing family stories, artifacts and research about others who have ventured far afield to find a new home.
  OUR IMMIGRATION WING - chronicles the stories students have written about their families' immigration to the United States.
  THE ELLIS ISLAND WING - offers photographs and interesting information about Ellis Island in New York City.
  THE NATIVE AMERICAN WING - offers information and artifacts from a member of the Lummi Nation who attends Alderwood Elementary School.
  THE MULTI-CULTURAL CALENDAR - shares student reports about holidays in different countries.
  http://wwwald.bham.wednet.edu/museum/museum.htm
• Fairhaven Turn of the Century Museum This site provides a glimpse of local history in the 1890s and 1900s.
  http://wwwfms.bham.wednet.edu
• Oldies & Goodies: The School Museum List and Site. This site provides a global listing of all known school virtual museum sites. The list is brief as the WWW phenomenon is young and virtual museums are just catching on in schools.
  http://fno.org/museum/list.html

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What's the Difference? --- Examples of Virtual Galleries --- Examples of Virtual Museums --- The Roles of Students in Each

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