Journal 2 - "Museums in the Classroom"

Reissman, R (2008).Museums in the classroom. Leading & Learning with Technology. 36, 36-37.

Field trips. They can be pricey, time consuming, and stressful at times. What if it were possible to take students on field trips without the cost, the travel time, or the headache? With today’s technology you can!! In her article titled “Museums in the Classroom,” Rose Reissman shares an incredible resource available to teachers and students in today’s technological classroom. Reissman has listed some online museum resources that teachers and students can access free of charge. This could be a great alternative to the traditional museum visit.

Question 1 – Should we completely replace physical field trips with technologies like “Museums in the Classroom”?

Although technologies like these are an excellent resource available to teachers and students today, I don’t believe that we should completely do away with traditional field trips. Many museums have interactive exhibits for students now. This is something students would not be able to experience in an online museum visit. Also, there are some things that you simply can’t substitute for the real thing. For example, seeing a picture of a Rembrandt in an online art gallery is not the same as seeing the actual brushstrokes of the artist firsthand. Certain things just can’t be substituted with cyberspace.

Question 2 – How can I implement these technological in my future high school English classroom?

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C. has a great website (http://www.folger.edu/index.cfm) with all kinds of resources for any teacher interested in teaching Shakespeare. One especially awesome feature of this website is the Shakespeare Collection Highlights section (http://www.folger.edu/collslideshow.cfm?collectionid=84&pos=25&#slideshow). This allows visitors to the site to view some of the pieces of the Shakespearean collection that the Folger Shakespeare Library has. This collection includes all kinds of Shakespearean artwork and artifacts. One available image on this website is what appears to be a playbill for Titus Andronicus from 1594. This could be a great addition to any Shakespeare unit, and it can be accessed without having to fly your whole class to the nation’s capital!