Future of Museums

In March, our mobile outreach program is participating in the LA County Science Fair. In their exhibit area for hands-on participating, they've planned a "Mini-Maker Fair."

A novel printing method yields photos that respond to different angles of light the same way a three-dimensional object does.

Libraries providing need community services - will museums step up to these new challenges in the same way?

Qatar Museum Authority's vision of the future and digital engagement strategy

Endorsed by Met?  Strategy? Or by User?

Hilarious. And I'm going to wager that it's user-generated!

Trello

How is technology isolating people and what role can museums plan in authentic human relations?

A very complete and relevant article

A really great online tool for honing management skills.

Is there a trend reversal going on? From focus on Education back to Collections?

Understanding that a museum visit is more about people than it is about objects.

How does this virtual Aquarium on wheels work? You connect to the truck's wifi connection on your touch-enabled smart phone. Then you can login as a male or female diver and swim around the tank full of sharks, turtles, penguins, sardines and jellyfish, all displayed on the side of the truck. When you encounter one of the creatures, you and the creature react and you win a "badge." At the end of the interaction, you can post an image of the badges you won on Facebook.

A British blog contemplating where museums will be in 2030

Newport News, Virginia's framework for 2030--museums are merely described, but in the context of city planning.

What is a digital badge, exactly? The MacArthur foundation says it's "a validated indicator of accomplishment, skill, quality or interest," Students will be able to customize learning goals within the larger curricular framework, integrate continuing peer and faculty feedback about their progress toward achieving those goals, and tailor the way badges and the metadata within them are displayed to the outside world. Students won't just earn badges-they'll build them, in an act of continuous learning.

We actually were intrigued by the badges concept for the LF project and considered applying for the grant through the Digital Media & Learning Competition. But we felt we had our hands full with the project at this time - perhaps in the future?

Nina Simon's reflections on her first year as a museum director-insightful for anyone in management.