Elevator Pitch

Cultural and educational institutions are in crises. Funding for general development, teachers and instructors, and technology has been getting continuously more difficult to obtain. Because of this, many types of innovative thinking and programming, languish, and are forced to remain on the back burners of learning. Technology-based society moves forward while education remains rooted in the past. As Seymour Papert wrote, if a doctor and educator from one hundred years ago were transported to a modern clinic and classroom, the doctor would be lost because of technological developments, while the teacher would feel right at home.

There are many different ways to address these problems. The approach that I propose is to use basic and ubiquitous technologies to create innovative partnerships. These collaborations will help promote the sharing of resources that can promote learning and build communities.

There is a relationship between the mission of museums and schools and both share many common educational goals. But there are two aspects of this relationship that are often under utilized- the content of museums and the ready-made audience of learners in schools. By sharing resources and creating innovative collaborations, museums and schools can create content and curriculum that is both dynamic and compelling.

The second component of my proposal is to use a basic and ubiquitous technology in the implementation of these partnerships. Although in theory all (or at least many) schools have computers in labs or classrooms, in practice, the computers are often old and ill maintained. Also, there is a large gap in many teachers knowledge in the integration of computers and digital technology into learning environments. Using a basic and ubiquitous technology, such as mobile phones (which have a greater then 85% penetration rate in the global community) will allow teachers to provide an entry point onto the digital highway. These technologies provide all learners with readily available, inexpensive and easy to use tools. Learners will be able to focus on creating dynamic and meaningful content that can be easily shared share for both education and community building.

I am currently evaluating responses to a survey that I sent to a group of museum professionals and educators around the globe about their experiences working in collaborative projects. Their comments will provide me with data that will help me to better understand the practical aspects of collaborations.  By understanding the process and necessary skill sets, I will be able to create a model for creating successful collaborations that I can use for my own projects as well as share with other museum and education professionals