Smithsonian Mobile LearningHow do you address new media in formal and

informal learning environments?

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

National Postal Museum

Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies

The Mobile Learning Institute at the National

Postal MuseumTeacher Leaders

Program

What does “learning” in a museum mean?

• What are 21st Century Skills?

• Are these skills being taught in the classroom?

• Do museums bear responsibility for teaching new media skills?

What is New Media?

“New media is a term meant to encompass the emergence of digital, computerized, or networked information and communication technologies in the later part of the 20th century.”

- Wikipedia

What are 21st Century Skills?

21st Century Skill: Communication

21st Century Skill: Collaboration

21st Century Skill: Creativity

21st Century Skill: Critical Thinking

What do these skills look like in a museum?

• Students learning from objects

• Using digital museum collections to research questions

• Planning and shooting videos

Click to watch the video

To change learning, we need to change our

teaching philosophy.

A Change in Philosophy:Shifting Teaching Styles

What is a Teacher Leader?

“I believe a teacher leader is a learner and a risk taker. They must be open to new ideas and be willing to share with their colleagues. A teacher leader needs to be a collaborator and lead by example. I think it is important for a teacher leader to always search for ‘new and improved’ ways to communicate the curriculum to their faculty and their students.”

- Jill, NPM Teacher Leader 2010-2011

Goal of Teacher Leaders Program

To make connections between classroom content, museum collections, and new media tools:

• Increase new media teaching skills

• Change attitudes about learning in and from museums

• Inspire active learning

Classroom

Content

Museum

Collection

New Media

Museum

CollectionObject-based

Museum Learning

New MediaNew Media

Social Network

New Media

New Media Mobile Devices

We Make Teachers the Students:

Mobile Journalism Activity

Mission: Choose an object in the collection and link it to a current controversial topic. What are your research questions? How will you gather data?

Collect public opinion about your topic in Union Station. Record observations through twitter, gather public opinion with text polling, and record your research with videos.

Classroom Content

Museum

Collection

New Media

Mobile Journalism

Museum Partners…help us think outside

the box

Classroom Content

Museum Collectio

n

New Media

National Postal Museum

Teachers

Pearson Foundation

Unique Products

Workshop Products

Teachers visit NPM

Create New Media

lesson plans

Student Field trip to

museum

Student-generated products

Products posted on website

1. Teacher-generated Lesson Plans

2. Student-generated products from Lesson Plans

Future Directions based on Lessons Learned

Challenges:

• Schools have new media restrictions• Schools lack current technology• Teachers are busy; full school-year-long project is too

much!• Teachers are most comfortable with their own

technology platform• Teachers are not used to teaching with objects or new

media• Teachers are not used to letting their students be

experts in the classroom• User-generated content is controversial for schools and

museums• Teachers and parents concerned with privacy

Benefits:

• School Administrators are looking for positive new media products

• Teachers have changed their opinion about working with new media and objects

• Teacher-identified classroom connections promote ownership over experience

• Students love working with new media and being experts

• Educators love learning from each other• Social networks are educational!

Planning for Future: Summer 2011

• Partnering with different SI museums for interesting collection connections

• Workshops are based on content and new media themes

• Teachers use their own technology• Large emphasis on problem solving• Utilize local experts for unique workshop

experience

Planning for Future: School Year 2011-2012

• Weekend workshops with Experts Track• Tinkering workshops open for all• Teachers build field trips• Student & teacher products incorporated into

museum• Continued partnership with other SI units• Building relationship with SI Affiliates for long

distance workshops

The Mobile Learning

Institute at the National Postal

Museum