Open Forum

Our museum just received a private gift to purchase 30 iPads for student and visitor use.  In our Education Center, we intend to use these devices to engage in research for problem-based learning activities.  Besides that, I am interested to know what sort of apps folks use to integrate iPads or other similar devices into the museum education experience.  Any help would be greatly appreciated!

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Peter Miele
Chief Operating Officer and Director of Education
Seminary Ridge Museum
Gettysburg PA
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Hello Peter,

I saw your post on the AAM message board about apps for museum use.  The type of visitor app that is most common is an integrated audio/mobile tour experience.  This could take many forms from a simple user interface to play audio or text only media to something that integrates text, audio, images, video, interactive games, augmented and virtual reality, image recognition, etc.  

In my 20+ years working with mobile technology and mobile tours, I would strongly give this word of advice.  Always find what type of story/experience you want your visitors to have first and then find the technological solution.  If you chase the technology first and then find an interpretive angle second, the experience will often be lack luster and have a short shelf life at the institution.

With the iPads you can also keep things really simple and use them to show videos, maps, images, etc to your student guests to go along with a docent tour experience.

If you would be open to it, I am happy to brain storm with you.  I represent ListenUp Audio and we create mobile tour experiences for visitors and historic/cultural sites.  We provide audio/multimedia productions and work with a number of established app platforms or can create a bespoke app if that is better suited for your need.

Jared Crellin
ListenUp Audio
jared@listenupaudio.com

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Jared Crellin
Account Director
ListenUp Audio
Atlanta GA
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-20-2019 10:51 AM
From: Peter Miele
Subject: Apps for Museum Education

Our museum just received a private gift to purchase 30 iPads for student and visitor use.  In our Education Center, we intend to use these devices to engage in research for problem-based learning activities.  Besides that, I am interested to know what sort of apps folks use to integrate iPads or other similar devices into the museum education experience.  Any help would be greatly appreciated!

------------------------------
Peter Miele
Chief Operating Officer and Director of Education
Seminary Ridge Museum
Gettysburg PA
------------------------------

Hi Peter,  If your give guided tours, you might consider working with your tour guides/docents to see what sort of additional context they may want to offer as part of their tours. Having a video, audio, or photos at the ready on an iPad can expand the palette for docents and enrich the tour experience. Such a program works best when its integrated with docent training, and is led by champions on the front lines.

Best,
Chad

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Chad Weinard
Museum technologist + experiences + strategy
Director, WCMA Digital, Williams College Museum of Art
@caw_
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-20-2019 10:51 AM
From: Peter Miele
Subject: Apps for Museum Education

Our museum just received a private gift to purchase 30 iPads for student and visitor use.  In our Education Center, we intend to use these devices to engage in research for problem-based learning activities.  Besides that, I am interested to know what sort of apps folks use to integrate iPads or other similar devices into the museum education experience.  Any help would be greatly appreciated!

------------------------------
Peter Miele
Chief Operating Officer and Director of Education
Seminary Ridge Museum
Gettysburg PA
------------------------------

Peter, 

We use our iPads for supplemental interpretive materials, such as videos and tutorials. We also are planning to use them on the way out for visitor surveys and on the way in to sign up to be on our mailing list. 

We have a hands-on room/makerspace where we use them as cameras for visitors to upload images of the work they've created for instagram: @hands_on_hdac ​

What a wonderful gift! Congratulations! 

Rachel

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Rachel Moore
Executive Director
Helen Day Art Center
Stowe VT
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-20-2019 10:51 AM
From: Peter Miele
Subject: Apps for Museum Education

Our museum just received a private gift to purchase 30 iPads for student and visitor use.  In our Education Center, we intend to use these devices to engage in research for problem-based learning activities.  Besides that, I am interested to know what sort of apps folks use to integrate iPads or other similar devices into the museum education experience.  Any help would be greatly appreciated!

------------------------------
Peter Miele
Chief Operating Officer and Director of Education
Seminary Ridge Museum
Gettysburg PA
------------------------------

We are actually finishing a research about an educational app, if you are interested we can exchange our findings.

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Vincent ROIRAND
ST HERBLAIN
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-20-2019 10:51 AM
From: Peter Miele
Subject: Apps for Museum Education

Our museum just received a private gift to purchase 30 iPads for student and visitor use.  In our Education Center, we intend to use these devices to engage in research for problem-based learning activities.  Besides that, I am interested to know what sort of apps folks use to integrate iPads or other similar devices into the museum education experience.  Any help would be greatly appreciated!

------------------------------
Peter Miele
Chief Operating Officer and Director of Education
Seminary Ridge Museum
Gettysburg PA
------------------------------