This article from the online journal First Monday is definitely worth studying. The authors, Robert Varisco and Mitchell Cates, present a careful analysis of art museum educational resources based on a series of research studies. Their report will be of interest both to art and history instructors, who may make use of the resources for instruction, and to a more general audience, who will be interested in the authors' exemplary analytic methodology. ____JH
(Thanks to Distance-Educator.com's Daily News for notification about this resource.)
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"Abstract. Art museums in the United States share a common mission to educate many people — from families to teachers to researchers. But how do these museums use the World Wide Web to extend their educational mission? More specifically, what kinds of educational materials do U.S. art museums offer to online visitors, and how broadly available are such resources across the Web? This study set out to answer these questions and to tie the findings to the contextual model of museum learning. Conclusions are drawn about how museums from the sample fit within a technology adoption curve."
"Conclusions.... While this study helped us see broadly the kinds of educational content currently available on U.S. art museum Web sites, the findings are mixed. On the one hand, museums are presenting numerous online images, explanatory text and printable materials to spread understanding of collections and exhibits. On the other hand, tools for social collaboration, video– and audio–based resources, and online instruction are scarce or non–existent. This scarcity may be due to staffing issues, funding issues, or where we are in the development of the Web."
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