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We have a bit of a problem with terminology--"exhibit means both an exhibition and a component device. I agree with Chuck about the lack of comparability between a whole exhibition and a single device. There are some computer kiosks that are called "exhibits" and stand alone. They tend not to be very powerful in telling a story. I have seen some strong computer-based experiences as components within exhibitions for example the Snibbe interactives previously mentioned, or a cell phone activated art piece in The Franklin Institute's new electricity exhibit. The Franklin also has a number of multi-player games, developed by Chedd Angier Lewis, that are very engaging and informative and hold visitors attention for unusually long times.
I think such interactives have tremendous potential for enhancing exhibitions.
Minda Borun
Director of Research and Evaluation
The Franklin Institute Science Museum
-----Original Message-----
From: Informal Science Education Network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Chuck Howarth
Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2011 8:46 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Influential uses of digital technology in exhibits?
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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Seems to me that there is an apples and oranges problem here. The exhibits Marjorie Schwarzer lists - the MSI coal mine, Holocaust Museum, etc. - are complex assemblages of may components. So for example the Holocaust Museum itself includes advanced technologies as one tool for telling the story. There is no way to compare that type of exhibit to a single component such as computers or video projectors. Those are sub-components that allow us all to be better story tellers, but they are not exhibits by themselves. So maybe that is the answer to your student's question: the term "technology-based exhibit" has no real meaning. The great majority of exhibits today incorporate technology as a tool.
> During the discussion afterward, one student asked if there were any technology-based exhibits that were also considered influential. I thought of Science on a Sphere, which is popping up in several science centers, and the AMNH biodiversity hall which has a computerized ID system that has received a lot of attention. But for the most part, no, and I came up with three reasons:
>
Chuck Howarth, Vice President
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For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.
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