Building digital distribution systems for school-based users of museum content New initiatives in Australia and Canada Darren Peacock, University of South Australia, Australia Stuart Tait, The Le@rning Federation, Australia Corey Timpson, Canadian Heritage Information Network, Canada

Darren Peacock, University of South Australia, Australia

Stuart Tait, The Le@rning Federation, Australia

Corey Timpson, Canadian Heritage Information Network, Canada

Overview 1. Key concepts and issues Disruptive technologies Digital distribution systems Business models Why schools matter 2. Two Case Studies: From Australia and Canada 3. Lessons and implications for museums

1. Key concepts and issues

Disruptive technologies

Digital distribution systems

Business models

Why schools matter

2. Two Case Studies: From Australia and Canada

3. Lessons and implications for museums

Why schools matter: School-aged population as percentage of total 17%

School aged population as percentage of total plus their teachers… 18% 18%

School aged population as percentage of total plus their teachers, parents and carers…. 35%

Proportion of online content accessed from Australian cultural institutions in schools - 2005 2%

Photo by caribb (flickr) Photo courtesy of caribb (flickr)

The Le@rning Federation Australian governments and New Zealand government funded initiative to: Procure digital curriculum resources for schools Develop common standards and specifications Support the local multimedia industry and cultural and public organisations Distribute resources to states and territories for school access Managed by Curriculum Corporation 2001 – 2009 and beyond

Australian governments and New Zealand government funded initiative to:

Procure digital curriculum resources for schools

Develop common standards and specifications

Support the local multimedia industry and cultural and public organisations

Distribute resources to states and territories for school access

Managed by Curriculum Corporation

2001 – 2009 and beyond

Diverse supply Wholesale QA services and distribution : technical metadata intellectual property educational soundness Delivery

Wholesale QA services and distribution :

technical

metadata

intellectual property

educational soundness

Collections sector collaborations National Film and Sound Archive of Australia National Library of Australia National Archive of Australia South Australian Art Gallery South Australian History Trust CSIRO entomology CSIRO publishing John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library National Trust of Western Australia State Library of Queensland Picture Australia Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers Te Papa National Museum of New Zealand Australian Film Commission Film Australia National Gallery of Australia Australian Children’s Television Foundation Powerhouse museum Museum Victoria Australian Museum Australian War Memorial National Museum of Australia Scitech North Territory Library Express media

National Film and Sound Archive of Australia

National Library of Australia

National Archive of Australia

South Australian Art Gallery

South Australian History Trust

CSIRO entomology

CSIRO publishing

John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library

National Trust of Western Australia

State Library of Queensland

Picture Australia

Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers

Te Papa National Museum of New Zealand

Australian Film Commission

Film Australia

National Gallery of Australia

Australian Children’s Television Foundation

Powerhouse museum

Museum Victoria

Australian Museum

Australian War Memorial

National Museum of Australia

Scitech

North Territory Library

Express media

Key questions How do we make digital content relevant to teaching and learning? How to make digital content supply from museums more sustainable? Can web 2.0 tools enhance the educational value of digital content? How do web 2.0 tools impact on pedagogy? Does teaching and learning improve with digital content and new tools?

How do we make digital content relevant to teaching and learning?

How to make digital content supply from museums more sustainable?

Can web 2.0 tools enhance the educational value of digital content?

How do web 2.0 tools impact on pedagogy?

Does teaching and learning improve with digital content and new tools?

English teachers topics Advertising Ballads in Year 9 Heroic endeavours and relationships Hitting the refresh button How do we use language to persuade? The Me Generation Ned Kelly Ordinary people can be extraordinary Poets paint words The power of protest Public speaking Representation of women in magazines last century Representations of gender construction in contemporary media Writing prompts

Advertising

Ballads in Year 9

Heroic endeavours and relationships

Hitting the refresh button

How do we use language to persuade?

The Me Generation

Ned Kelly

Ordinary people can be extraordinary

Poets paint words

The power of protest

Public speaking

Representation of women in magazines last century

Representations of gender construction in contemporary media

Writing prompts

Museum & Education digital content pilot collaboration between museums and schools education sector Museum Victoria, National Museum of Australia, Powerhouse Museum The Le@rning Federation, managed by Curriculum Corporation Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, South Australian Department of Education and Children’s Services education reference group trial schools in South Australia and Victoria

collaboration between museums and schools education sector

Museum Victoria, National Museum of Australia, Powerhouse Museum

The Le@rning Federation, managed by Curriculum Corporation

Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, South Australian Department of Education and Children’s Services

education reference group

trial schools in South Australia and Victoria

Metadata feeds Shared QA responsibility technical metadata intellectual property educational soundness Collaborative workspace

Shared QA responsibility

technical

metadata

intellectual property

educational soundness

Collections sector collaborations jj

jj

Initial findings Museums Streamline digitisation process Information management Consider the audience perspective Quantity vs quality? Discussion over standards Change management – education is not an after thought What is curriculum relevance?

Museums

Streamline digitisation process

Information management

Consider the audience perspective

Quantity vs quality?

Discussion over standards

Change management – education is not an after thought

What is curriculum relevance?

Initial findings Education perspective Students highly engaged Boys like to chat Girls liked the wiki and comments Multi screens are not an issue Like to upload there own content

Education perspective

Students highly engaged

Boys like to chat

Girls liked the wiki and comments

Multi screens are not an issue

Like to upload there own content

Initial findings Education perspective Teachers need support Professional development Sample learning paths and collaborative activities Disaggregation is important Good teachers create good lessons Bad teachers ………….

Education perspective

Teachers need support

Professional development

Sample learning paths and collaborative activities

Disaggregation is important

Good teachers create good lessons Bad teachers ………….

Power in consistency metadata – information about the item keywords – controlled language using ScOT – relationships and clusters of items spatial – geographic information temporal - dates educational value – relevance to teaching and learning formats – flexible, consistent and accessible

metadata – information about the item

keywords – controlled language using ScOT – relationships and clusters of items

spatial – geographic information

temporal - dates

educational value – relevance to teaching and learning

formats – flexible, consistent and accessible

Report on the pilot available in June www.thelearningfederation.edu.au Scootle to include new collaboration tools by May 2009

available in June

www.thelearningfederation.edu.au

Scootle to include new collaboration tools by May 2009

Virtual Museum of Canada Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN) SEO Dept. of Canadian Heritage, Government of Canada Network of 1300 museums CHIN’s Professional Exchange Reference Resources Standards Tip Sheets Online Courses Communities of Practice Interviews with experts (pod/vodcasts) VMC Investment Program A call for investment – competitive process that preserves, digitizes, disseminates, exposes, and builds capacity Virtual Museum of Canada (VMC) 400+ virtual exhibits 600000+ digital artefacts online guide to 2600 museums & events 150+ interactive games 280+ learning resources 12 million + visits annually

Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN)

SEO Dept. of Canadian Heritage, Government of Canada

Network of 1300 museums

CHIN’s Professional Exchange

Reference Resources

Standards

Tip Sheets

Online Courses

Communities of Practice

Interviews with experts (pod/vodcasts)

VMC Investment Program

A call for investment – competitive process that preserves, digitizes, disseminates, exposes, and builds capacity

Virtual Museum of Canada (VMC)

400+ virtual exhibits

600000+ digital artefacts

online guide to 2600 museums & events

150+ interactive games

280+ learning resources

12 million + visits annually

Context Feedback analysis found that a significant number of visitors were from educational institutions with specific learning-based needs. - teachers searching for content and structured lessons - students completing homework Evolving user behaviors and user expectations dictated that the next generation of VMC (or VMC products) would have to actively involve the user. The VMC’s current learning centre (called the VMC Teachers’ Centre) is very passive and involves no user participation. In support of CHIN’s mandate, we could further promote the use of Canada’s digital heritage content through a more active and direct discourse with students and teachers.

Feedback analysis found that a significant number of visitors were from educational institutions with specific learning-based needs.

- teachers searching for content and structured lessons

- students completing homework

Evolving user behaviors and user expectations dictated that the next generation of VMC (or VMC products) would have to actively involve the user.

The VMC’s current learning centre (called the VMC Teachers’ Centre) is very passive and involves no user participation.

In support of CHIN’s mandate, we could further promote the use of Canada’s digital heritage content through a more active and direct discourse with students and teachers.

Pre-Agora 1998 – Learning With Museums educational museum content lesson plans 2005 – Massive Change in Action learning resources virtual vs physical 2006 – Museum Created Learning Objects virtual exhibits learning objectives http://www.massivechangeinaction.virtualmuseum.ca

1998 – Learning With Museums

educational museum content

lesson plans

2005 – Massive Change in Action

learning resources

virtual vs physical

2006 – Museum Created Learning Objects

virtual exhibits

learning objectives

The Agora Research Project Fundamentals of the Agora concept testing advisory boards, concept, paper, usability, technical, focus group, acceptance, in-class constructivism Learning by doing Collaboration & participation learning objects Stand alone entities that can be coupled and decoupled in multiple ways to create various learning scenarios (+ objectives) standards GCED metadata, SCORM GOC language W3C accessibility http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/edu Teachers’ Centre

Fundamentals of the Agora concept

testing

advisory boards, concept, paper, usability, technical, focus group, acceptance, in-class

constructivism

Learning by doing

Collaboration & participation

learning objects

Stand alone entities that can be coupled and decoupled in multiple ways to create various learning scenarios (+ objectives)

standards

GCED metadata, SCORM

GOC language

W3C accessibility

Learning Objects We developed the “Learning Object Input Tool” - keep content modular - enforce standards (metadata, file formats/sizes/dimensions, content structure) - facilitate maintenance - promote usability - scalability Content Structure Metadata at each level ► Learning Object Collections ► Learning Objects ► Media Files ► Learning Objectives

We developed the “Learning Object Input Tool”

- keep content modular

- enforce standards (metadata, file formats/sizes/dimensions, content structure)

- facilitate maintenance

- promote usability

- scalability

Content Structure

Metadata at each level

► Learning Object Collections

► Learning Objects

► Media Files

► Learning Objectives

Content Aggregator The heart of Agora is the museum contributed content. As such, the most important and challenging function to design and develop was the content aggregator. retrieval of bookmarked content upload of user generated content ordering and reordering of content preview of compositions editing publication to class, public or kept private http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/edu Teachers’ Centre

The heart of Agora is the museum contributed content. As such, the most important and challenging function to design and develop was the content aggregator.

retrieval of bookmarked content

upload of user generated content

ordering and reordering of content

preview of compositions

editing

publication to class, public or kept private

VMC Teachers’ Centre – Functionality Teachers’ Centre does not require login and account creation in order to access and view content. All participative functionalities reside within the Studio (classroom). Functions of the Studio (Classroom) Bookmarking Blogs Classroom Wiki Messaging System Classroom Creation Tool Content Personalization

Teachers’ Centre does not require login and account creation in order to access and view content.

All participative functionalities reside within the Studio (classroom).

Functions of the Studio (Classroom)

Bookmarking

Blogs

Classroom Wiki

Messaging System

Classroom Creation Tool

Content Personalization

VMC Teachers’ Centre – Issues Copyright and IP Museum references & copyright Visual treatments Privacy Restrictions on information collection (minors) Registration scenario User Created Content Moderation policy Nomenclature Very Different audiences = Phased Approach = more and more and more testing more and more building !

Copyright and IP

Museum references & copyright

Visual treatments

Privacy

Restrictions on information collection (minors)

Registration scenario

User Created Content

Moderation

policy

Nomenclature

Very Different audiences

= Phased Approach

= more and more and more testing more and more building

VMC Teachers’ Centre – Current State of Affairs We completed 1 year of in-class testing demos at conferences workshops webinars heuristic evaluations Data was compiled and vetted and a priority list established. May 2009 is the launch of the new Virtual Museum of Canada which will include the VMC Teachers’ Centre. Agora branding has been dropped while usability issues have been addressed. Creating Learning Objects is now a criteria of the VMC Investment Program. CHIN is ready for the planning phase of the next generation of the VMC Teachers’ Centre building upon all that we have learned through the Agora research project.

We completed 1 year of

in-class testing

demos at conferences

workshops

webinars

heuristic evaluations

Data was compiled and vetted and a priority list established.

May 2009 is the launch of the new Virtual Museum of Canada which will include the VMC Teachers’ Centre.

Agora branding has been dropped while usability issues have been addressed.

Creating Learning Objects is now a criteria of the VMC Investment Program.

CHIN is ready for the planning phase of the next generation of the VMC Teachers’ Centre building upon all that we have learned through the Agora research project.

Conclusion Integrated and efficient digital supply chains for museum schools content are viable; The needs of educational users of museum content are highly diverse; Effective teaching and learning requires the capacity of teachers and students to create and engage with the content; Agreed standards for content design and interoperability are critical; Cross sectoral partnerships are necessary to stimulate change.

Integrated and efficient digital supply chains for museum schools content are viable;

The needs of educational users of museum content are highly diverse;

Effective teaching and learning requires the capacity of teachers and students to create and engage with the content;

Agreed standards for content design and interoperability are critical;

Cross sectoral partnerships are necessary to stimulate change.

Contacts [email_address] 800.520.2446 www.virtualmuseum.ca www.chin.gc.ca [email_address] www.thelearningfederation.edu.au [email_address]

[email_address]

800.520.2446

www.virtualmuseum.ca

www.chin.gc.ca

[email_address]

www.thelearningfederation.edu.au

[email_address]