Comments on: Collection Catalogue 2.0 & What is a Museum (Now) Anyway? http://smarthistory.org/blog/289/collection-catalogue-20-what-is-a-museum-now-anyway/ Our Thoughts on Teaching & Technology Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:52:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Chad Cuddihy http://smarthistory.org/blog/289/collection-catalogue-20-what-is-a-museum-now-anyway/comment-page-1/#comment-39900 Chad Cuddihy Thu, 05 Mar 2009 20:38:00 +0000 http://1503381908#comment-39900 I am not an educator, but in my business I have run into the same situation-where is the art? The WebMuseum, Artchive, individual museums, books-it'a all over the place. Some education oriented businesses have taken a different route. Library Video Company for instance, which caters to elementary and high school students, has a program with over 1000 high def images which they distribute via servers and which teachers can access and construct their own lesson plans. Any appreciator of art will love this project. You don't have to be in education. I am not an educator, but in my business I have run into the same situation-where is the art? The WebMuseum, Artchive, individual museums, books-it’a all over the place. Some education oriented businesses have taken a different route. Library Video Company for instance, which caters to elementary and high school students, has a program with over 1000 high def images which they distribute via servers and which teachers can access and construct their own lesson plans.

Any appreciator of art will love this project. You don’t have to be in education.

]]> By: Jp McMahon http://smarthistory.org/blog/289/collection-catalogue-20-what-is-a-museum-now-anyway/comment-page-1/#comment-39850 Jp McMahon Tue, 03 Mar 2009 13:08:35 +0000 http://1503381908#comment-39850 I recently starting using smart history in my lectures and tutorials and have found the tool extremely useful. It adds an interactive and interesting dimension to the student's experience. It also I think really does change the lecture's role from one of transmitting information to transforming the experience of the student. It shows students not only the objects of art history, but how to find them, their ever changing contexts, and how to negotiate the internet (probably the most important job of the art historian today). Art history must start embracing the developments on the web and integrate them into their degree program. I mean, is their a module anywhere about using the net to find art history images? Not in Ireland anyway. This type of activity needs to be integrated into the first year program of the undergraduate. I discussed similar ideas in a paper I gave in the National Gallery in Dublin, Ireland last year in relation to the impact of Artstor. Neither tool makes the museum redundant, but it does show how art history has always been about a negotiation of presence (the objects) and absence (the contexts). These sites help us build a more informed picture than we could receive by merely standing in front of the object. Also, it changes the way we teach, learn, and research. Of course, the object will always be there, or thereabouts, but this does not take away from the amazing work that smart history has done. I look forward to future developments. Jp McMahon Art History UCC, Ireland I recently starting using smart history in my lectures and tutorials and have found the tool extremely useful. It adds an interactive and interesting dimension to the student’s experience. It also I think really does change the lecture’s role from one of transmitting information to transforming the experience of the student. It shows students not only the objects of art history, but how to find them, their ever changing contexts, and how to negotiate the internet (probably the most important job of the art historian today). Art history must start embracing the developments on the web and integrate them into their degree program. I mean, is their a module anywhere about using the net to find art history images? Not in Ireland anyway. This type of activity needs to be integrated into the first year program of the undergraduate.

I discussed similar ideas in a paper I gave in the National Gallery in Dublin, Ireland last year in relation to the impact of Artstor. Neither tool makes the museum redundant, but it does show how art history has always been about a negotiation of presence (the objects) and absence (the contexts). These sites help us build a more informed picture than we could receive by merely standing in front of the object. Also, it changes the way we teach, learn, and research. Of course, the object will always be there, or thereabouts, but this does not take away from the amazing work that smart history has done. I look forward to future developments.

Jp McMahon
Art History
UCC, Ireland

]]> By: Beth http://smarthistory.org/blog/289/collection-catalogue-20-what-is-a-museum-now-anyway/comment-page-1/#comment-39551 Beth Wed, 18 Feb 2009 11:53:47 +0000 http://1503381908#comment-39551 Thanks for your comment Will! The workshops with AMNH sound interesting. Let us know what you learn! Thanks for your comment Will! The workshops with AMNH sound interesting. Let us know what you learn!

]]> By: Will Crow http://smarthistory.org/blog/289/collection-catalogue-20-what-is-a-museum-now-anyway/comment-page-1/#comment-39399 Will Crow Sat, 14 Feb 2009 14:04:10 +0000 http://1503381908#comment-39399 Hi Beth, Steven and all-- Thank you for all of your work and insights in this blog and Smarthistory--these are fascinating, and ever-expanding, issues that museums need to consider. As I oversee programs for teachers at the Met, I can especially connect with your concern that educators are sifting through many museum websites for educational content and images, which can be both stimulating and exhausting. We've been offering online/onsite (blended) teacher programs at the Met since '07, and this summer we plan to collaborate with the American Museum of Natural History to introduce teachers to both the Met's collections and AMNH using the lens of art, science and inquiry. Our hope is that these types of interactive workshops (asynchronous and synchronous), narrowcast to specific types of visitors, will help us better understand how we can collaborate with other institutions. I'd be curious to learn how other cultural institutions are using interactive Web platforms for active teaching and learning not only in their collections, but across museum collections. Thanks again for this blog! Hi Beth, Steven and all–

Thank you for all of your work and insights in this blog and Smarthistory–these are fascinating, and ever-expanding, issues that museums need to consider. As I oversee programs for teachers at the Met, I can especially connect with your concern that educators are sifting through many museum websites for educational content and images, which can be both stimulating and exhausting. We’ve been offering online/onsite (blended) teacher programs at the Met since ’07, and this summer we plan to collaborate with the American Museum of Natural History to introduce teachers to both the Met’s collections and AMNH using the lens of art, science and inquiry. Our hope is that these types of interactive workshops (asynchronous and synchronous), narrowcast to specific types of visitors, will help us better understand how we can collaborate with other institutions. I’d be curious to learn how other cultural institutions are using interactive Web platforms for active teaching and learning not only in their collections, but across museum collections. Thanks again for this blog!

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