In the final part of my notes from the Our Digital Future event, my notes from Mark Stevenson’s session on planning digital projects for learning outcomes are below the cut. (incidentally, I did attend the other sessions listed on the programme but didn’t make very substantial notes – do get in touch if you’d like to discuss them though!)
Planning digital projects for learning outcomes: Mark Stevenson, Flow Associates
- Flow is a two-year-old company which promotes learning. Helps with strategy and delivery. e.g. National Collections online feasibility study; digital strategy for MLA sector; also worked with BFI and English Heritage.
- Our organisations’ assets:
- Collections
- Brand
- Collaborative relationships
- Knowledge
- Technical infrastructure
- MLAs (Museums, Libraries, Archives) have some expertise in mediated learning. Need to support real-world learning, not simply putting collections online for the sake of it. More funding is available for projects supporting learning!
- Where to put collections? Three choices:
- Your own site (“it’s my party”)
- A ‘walled garden’ aimed at target audience e.g. Magic Studio, used by teachers (“it’s their party”)
- ‘feral’ e.g. on an open, external website e.g. National Maritime Museum on Flickr (“where’s the party?”)
- How can learners interact with collections?
- ‘Discovery’ model. Traditional library, hands-off approach – let people come and look.
- ‘Didactic’ model. Traditional museum/broadcaster approach – package together bits of collections, e.g. exhibitions, lectures.
- ‘Don’t worry, we’ve made it easy!’ e.g. kids’ zones
- ‘Dialogic’ model – interactive, conversational – where the web comes in useful.
- conversations about collections
- asking and answering questions
- research inspired
- interpretation, putting things in new contexts, making creative responses
- shared authority
- Cheap way to be dialogic: give teachers tools to use this approach offline (e.g. printable sheets)
- Expensive way: set up facilities for online interactivity, e.g. website for making stories using artifacts, e.g. National Museums Online Learning Project 2006-9 – WebQuests for children – http://www.vam.ac.uk/about_va/online_learning/index.html
- Cheap but scary way: make content available/have a presence on Facebook, flickr, Blogger, Bebo, myspace etc.
- One of the biggest challenges is getting web staff and learning/teaching staff together! Pool expertise and do it early. Focus on users – look at different learning groups. Explore new ways to interact with resources.
