Tag Archives: Museum

Centres of learning: books, libraries, enhanced content and learning communities

The new Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is superb: ten years work to renovate, refresh and rehang the galleries, resulting in a beautiful setting and interpretation of some of the finest artworks in the world. And a great library. My highlight yesterday … Continue reading

Posted in Authority, Book, Change, Community, Culture, Curation, e-Books, Engagement, Forum, Future, Information, Interpretation, Knowledge, Learning, Learning Technology, Meaning, Narrative, Publishing, Social Learning, Stories, Technology, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Collaboration, community and curation

I’m on the train to London for today’s workshop on ‘creating a mobile and social learning culture in your organisation’. It’s early. Earlier than i like, but on the plus side, beautiful views of the sunrise through the trees in … Continue reading

Posted in Challenge, Collaboration, Communication, Community, Conversation, Culture, Curation, Engagement, Experience, Interpretation, Learning, Learning Journey, Narrative, Reflection, Social Learning, Stories, Storytelling | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Adaptation: a social learning skill

I was at a gig last night at the Corn Exchange in Cambridge, a great venue, with it’s brick arches and high ceiling. As the name implies, whilst these days it plays host to assorted musicians, comedians and performers, it’s … Continue reading

Posted in Adaptability, Agile, Change, Choices, Collaboration, Community, Curation, Information, Interpretation, Knowledge, Learning, Meaning, Museum Education, Permanence, Social Capital, Social Learning | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Learning in museums: how collections ground us in our history.

Museums are the collective memory of society: they are the dusty attic of a nation. They are places to visit with granny on a summer holiday, a place to carry out school projects, a place to understand how things were … Continue reading

Posted in Coffee, Community, History, Interpretation, Learning, Museum Education | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The role of the curator: managing collections of learning materials and the need for a storyteller.

I’ve got a great book on the history of the Ordnance Survey. Essentially a definitive history, with some beautiful illustrations and descriptions of the early pioneering work. It pulls together various earlier histories and tells an epic story of adventure … Continue reading

Posted in Journalism, Knowledge, Learning, Social Media, Storytelling | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Learning from history: Scott’s polar expedition and the lessons from the past.

There’s a new exhibition going into the Natural History Museum in London about Scott’s ill fated attempt to reach the South Pole in 1912. For polar buffs like me, this will be a great opportunity to see some of the … Continue reading

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How do we learn from art? Observations on interpretation at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

I know it’s art, because it’s in a gallery at one of the premiere cultural institutions in the world, but to me it just looks like a pile of bricks. Continuing the American theme as i work my way around … Continue reading

Posted in Interpretation, Museum Education | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The truth and the stories that surround it. Fact and fiction in interpretation.

Interpretation is the task of taking physical evidence, documentary evidence and contextual knowledge and using it to tell a story. It’s the process by which we seek to give meaning to archaeological remains, the process by which we seek to … Continue reading

Posted in Fact, Fiction, Interpretation, Museum Education | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Exploring the past. How mobile devices are helping to bring history to life.

I’m in London for a couple of days, which has given me plenty of time for walking around, looking at the architecture. One of my favourite activities when staying away from home is to roam around in the evening, with … Continue reading

Posted in Apps, Archaeology, Education, History, Interpretation, Learning, Museum Education | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Interpreting our military history. The challenges of joining social and industrial historical stories.

I spent part of this afternoon on an aircraft carrier. Not a real one, i should point out, but rather the award winning gallery of the Fleet Air Arm Museum (http://www.fleetairarm.com/aircraft-carrier-experience.aspx). Clearly the holiday destination of every schoolboy in the … Continue reading

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