An Evaluation of MyArtSpace: a Mobile Learning Service for School Museum Trips Mike Sharples LSRI, University of Nottingham Peter Lonsdale LSRI, University of Nottingham Julia Meek Lifecycle Paul Rudman Department of Computing, Oxford Brookes University Giasemi Vavoula Department of Museum Studies, University of Leicester

School Museum Visits Should guide students towards development and contrasting of their own ideas (Guisasola et al. , 2005) But how to guide students while allowing them to engage with authentic artefacts and discover their own responses to the exhibits? Should connect with learning in the classroom (Guisasola et al. , 2005) But how to recall and continue the rich experience of the museum visit back in the classroom?

Should guide students towards development and contrasting of their own ideas (Guisasola et al. , 2005)

But how to guide students while allowing them to engage with authentic artefacts and discover their own responses to the exhibits?

Should connect with learning in the classroom (Guisasola et al. , 2005)

But how to recall and continue the rich experience of the museum visit back in the classroom?

MyArtSpace Service on mobile phones for enquiry-led museum learning Learning through structured enquiry, exploration, connection Students create their own interpretation of a museum visit which they explore back in the classroom

Service on mobile phones for enquiry-led museum learning

Learning through structured enquiry, exploration, connection

Students create their own interpretation of a museum visit which they explore back in the classroom

MyArtSpace Combines physical space (museum, classroom) virtual space (online store and gallery) personal space (mobile phones) Museum test sites Urbis (Manchester) The D-Day Museum (Portsmouth) The Study Gallery of Modern Art (Poole) About 3000 children during 2006

Combines

physical space (museum, classroom)

virtual space (online store and gallery)

personal space (mobile phones)

Museum test sites

Urbis (Manchester)

The D-Day Museum (Portsmouth)

The Study Gallery of Modern Art (Poole)

About 3000 children during 2006

How it works In class before the visit, the teacher sets an inquiry topic At the museum, children are loaned multimedia phones Exhibits in the museum have 2-letter codes printed by them Children can use the phone to Type the code to ‘collect’ an object and see a presentation about it Record sounds Take photos Make notes See who else has ‘collected’ the object All the information collected or created is sent automatically to a personal website showing a list of the items The website provides a record of the child’s interpretation of the visit In class after the visit, the children share the collected and recorded items and make them into presentations

In class before the visit, the teacher sets an inquiry topic

At the museum, children are loaned multimedia phones

Exhibits in the museum have 2-letter codes printed by them

Children can use the phone to

Type the code to ‘collect’ an object and see a presentation about it

Record sounds

Take photos

Make notes

See who else has ‘collected’ the object

All the information collected or created is sent automatically to a personal website showing a list of the items

The website provides a record of the child’s interpretation of the visit

In class after the visit, the children share the collected and recorded items and make them into presentations

Lifecycle evaluation Micro level: Usability issues technology usability individual and group activities Meso level: Educational Issues learning experience as a whole classroom-museum-home continuity critical incidents: learning breakthroughs and breakdowns Macro level: Organisational Issues effect on the educational practice for school museum visits emergence of new practices take-up and sustainability

Micro level: Usability issues

technology usability

individual and group activities

Meso level: Educational Issues

learning experience as a whole

classroom-museum-home continuity

critical incidents: learning breakthroughs and breakdowns

Macro level: Organisational Issues

effect on the educational practice for school museum visits

emergence of new practices

take-up and sustainability

Evaluation At each level Step 1 – what was supposed to happen pre-interviews with stakeholders (teachers, students, museum educators), documents provided to support the visits Step 2 – what actually happened observer logs post-focus groups analysis of video diaries Step 3 – differences between 1 & 2 reflective interviews with stakeholders critical incident analysis

Step 1 – what was supposed to happen

pre-interviews with stakeholders (teachers, students, museum educators),

documents provided to support the visits

Step 2 – what actually happened

observer logs

post-focus groups

analysis of video diaries

Step 3 – differences between 1 & 2

reflective interviews with stakeholders

critical incident analysis

Summary of results The technology worked Photos, information on exhibits, notes, automatic sending to website Minor usability problems Students liked the ‘cool’ technology Students enjoyed the experience more than their previous museum visit The students indicated that the phones made the visit more interactive Teachers were pleased that students engaged with the inquiry learning task

The technology worked

Photos, information on exhibits, notes, automatic sending to website

Minor usability problems

Students liked the ‘cool’ technology

Students enjoyed the experience more than their previous museum visit

The students indicated that the phones made the visit more interactive

Teachers were pleased that students engaged with the inquiry learning task

Usability Issues Appropriate form factor Device is a mobile phone, not a typical handheld museum guide Collecting and creating items was an easy and natural process Mobile phone connection Text annotations Integration of website with commercial software, e.g. PowerPoint

Appropriate form factor

Device is a mobile phone, not a typical handheld museum guide

Collecting and creating items was an easy and natural process

Mobile phone connection

Text annotations

Integration of website with commercial software, e.g. PowerPoint

Educational Issues Supports curriculum topics in literacy and media studies Encourages meaningful and enjoyable pre- and post-visit lessons Encourages children to make active choices in what is normally a passive experience Teacher preparation Need for teacher to understand the experience and run an appropriate pre-visit lesson Where to impose constraints Structure and restrict the collecting activity, or learn from organising the material back in the classroom Support for collaborative learning “ X has also collected” wasn’t successful

Supports curriculum topics in literacy and media studies

Encourages meaningful and enjoyable pre- and post-visit lessons

Encourages children to make active choices in what is normally a passive experience

Teacher preparation

Need for teacher to understand the experience and run an appropriate pre-visit lesson

Where to impose constraints

Structure and restrict the collecting activity, or learn from organising the material back in the classroom

Support for collaborative learning

“ X has also collected” wasn’t successful

Organistional issues Museum appeal attracting secondary schools to the museum Student engagement Students spent longer on a MAS visit (90 mins compared to 20 mins) Museum accessibility Ability to engage with museum content after the visit Problems of museum staff engagement Burden on museum staff Business model Maintenance of phones Data charges Competition with other museum media

Museum appeal

attracting secondary schools to the museum

Student engagement

Students spent longer on a MAS visit (90 mins compared to 20 mins)

Museum accessibility

Ability to engage with museum content after the visit

Problems of museum staff engagement

Burden on museum staff

Business model

Maintenance of phones

Data charges

Competition with other museum media

Future Multimedia company The SEA has developed a commercial service, OOKL Deployed at Kew Gardens, London

Multimedia company The SEA has developed a commercial service, OOKL

Deployed at Kew Gardens, London

Partners Department of Culture, Media and Sport The SEA – software development University of Birmingham University of Nottingham Urbis,Manchester Study Gallery, Poole D-Day Museum, Portsmouth

Department of Culture, Media and Sport

The SEA – software development

University of Birmingham

University of Nottingham

Urbis,Manchester

Study Gallery, Poole

D-Day Museum, Portsmouth