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Dear Eric, Dear colleagues,

What is innovation? The million dollar question!
I want to share with you some ideas we have on innovation, especially
technological innovation. The use of multimedia/innovative technologies,
as we see it, can be divided into three sub-groups:
a. Information and instruction signs and such- plasma screens to guide
and make way signs.
b. Scientific information, text oriented exhibitions- for example, PDA,
information kiosk, ribbon bar codes, and so on.
c. Multimedia/innovative exhibits.

As to points (a) and (b), they are not a priority for us since they are
according to needs. There is a desire constantly existing aimed at
bettering the visitor museum interface, i.e. making it more useful and
more practical.

Moreover, as for (b), it is true that we comprehend PDA, text messages
over the cellular phone as innovation. I am not entirely sure our target
visitors think so as well (them being somewhat younger, and having been
born not virtually may be but with a live web cam present...).
Furthermore, having had difficulties in the past and present with
visitors not paying notice to a designed hardcopy sign, I don't quite
believe they would read a text message instead. The attention and
concentration disorder of the youngest will hardly improve as a result.
Since the museum is a social experience we think an interaction
visitor-exhibit-explainer is always preferable to
cellular/PDA/electronic interaction.

As for (c), as a finger rule, we prefer interactive exhibits to
multimedia/innovative since the museum is a social experience rather
than a one person experience. An additional disadvantage is that the
experience is less comprehensive since you mostly use "black boxes" and
don't actually observe the process.
In addition multimedia exhibits have high costs and their life span is
short. Their maintenance is high because of equipment costs and trained
instructors needed at the exhibition hall. Nevertheless, it seems rather
easy to get sponsors for such exhibitions since this is what people
expect to see in a science museum.
On the fund raising side, it is rather easy to get money for a
multimedia exhibition, especially when you compare to your chance of
getting a sponsor for the explaining instructors at the exhibition
floor.

We are aware that as time flies by there is a growing need for more and
more assimilating approach for virtual/interactive/innovative
technologies based on computers/websites/long distance operation etc.
The advantage is that the communication language between the young
visitors is familiar and is becoming much more a dominant part of their
lives. 

C U in Toronto
Tal

_______________
Tal Berman; Ph.D.
Director of Exhibits
The Israel National Museum of Science, Technology & Space;
Daniel and Matilde Recanati Center
25 Shmaryahu Levin St.; Haifa, 31448; ISRAEL.
Tel: +972-4-861-4452 Fax: +972-4-861-4352; Cell': +972-54-6115577
Email: [log in to unmask]; Site: http://www.madatech.org.il
Skype: tal_berman



 LONGITUDE 320 48.587' N   LATITUDE 0340 59.790' E

 


-----Original Message-----
From: Informal Science Education Network
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Eric Siegel
Sent: Friday, May 23, 2008 4:22 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Innovation Questions

ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
Centers Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
institutions.
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*****

Hello, all:

At the world science center congress in Toronto, I have put together a
panel with Andrea Bandelli, Beverly Damonse, Jennifer Martin, and Nina
Simon on the topic of innovation in science centers.  As we had
originally conceived it, the panel was to be an inquiry into the value
of innovation in science centers, rather than a simple celebration of
innovation.  In part, this is a critical response to the mantra of
innovation that one hears in the corporate, commercial, and government
sectors, leading one (or at least me) to wonder about the intellectual
and cultural underpinnings that value innovation over, for example,  
tradition, durability, or the-well-understood.   In exploring this  
idea with colleagues, I have discovered that many are concerned that the
word innovation is elided with "shiny new things" or "new technologies,"
and that they are skeptical of the value of that type of innovation in
science centers.

  At the Hall, as we put together strategic plans for the coming years,
we have the opportunity and obligation to question the rationale for
devoting so much of our time and energy toward coming up with new ideas
(which I think is what innovation means, though I am open to other
definitions).  A few rationales have emerged, in no particular order:

1) To explore important and influential new technologies and ideas.
2) To remain competitive in the merit-based grant funding marketplace,
whether NSF, IMLS, or private sources, where new approaches are
explicitly or implicitly valued more highly than time-tested or
replicated ideas
3) To engage the most creative and energetic staff and partners
4) To increase the stature and impact of the Hall in our field
5) To identify new ways to serve our audiences more effectively

In our efforts to make our world science center congress presentation
more engaging, we are gathering questions from colleagues about
innovation that we might explore.

Are there other good rationales for innovation?  What are the costs of
innovation? Is innovation the best way to meet these goals?  What are
some projects that embody innovation? and what are some that explore
more deeply the "well-understood?"  What does innovation mean to our
audiences?  How do we know?

Any ideas?  We will be setting up a "voicethread" conversation shortly
for those of you who would prefer to talk to your computers...

Thanks in advance.

Eric Siegel
Director and Chief Content Officer
New York Hall of Science
47-01 111th Street
Queens, NY 11368
www.nyscience.org
718.699.0005 x 317
esiegel at nyscience dot org

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Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.

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