Family Time in Museums: Online or Unplugged? At the movie theater we see repeated messages about no texting or talking—what about museums? While some museums ban personal devices, others embrace them. What does research tell us about personal devices as they affect learning? What turns these devices on or off: visitors’ ages, educational levels, learning styles? How are museum educators approaching this contested area? A learning specialist, a museum educator, and a museum technologist present diverse viewpoints, leading to a lively moderated discussion. This presentation was given by Emily Hope Dobkin. Moderator: Alice Parman, Independent Interpretive Planner Presenters: Paul Gabriel, Educational Consultant/Educational Therapist, Independent Emily Hope Dobkin, Youth Programs Manager, Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History Susan Edwards, Senior Writer/Editor, Web Group, J. Paul Getty Trust

1. Hi my name is Emily and I manage the experiences of youth ages 2-17 at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History.

2. Our
mission
is
to
ignite
shared
experiences
and
unexpected
connec3ons

3. We place value on personal interactions; community members bonding through art, history and local culture through active participation within our
exhibitions & programs. Sometimes that means through a co-creating music on a sound sculpture...
Or

4. Sometimes that means participating in a historical dig of Santa Cruz found within a kiddie pool full of sand & artifacts.
Or

5. Maybe being part of a collaborative land art installation that raises awareness of some of our local pollinators.

6. When we plan our programs specifically for families, we think about how they can see and do things connecting
to art, history and local culture that they cannot find anywhere else. As you can see there are no touch tables,
video monitors or audio devices. We are a low tech museum.

7. We're down to the basics (which often times means big giant bubbles)

8. However, one way we are plugging technologically at the museum is through photography.

9. Not just any snapshot...
(although this is pretty
great)

10. But snapshots featuring the future superheros of the world!

11. During our community programs,
we design photo booths, also
known as “Show & Tell
Booths” that allow our visitors to
share stories about their
experiences during their visit to
the
museum; some prompts include:
"I made ____ at the MAH”
"I met _____ at the MAH”
"I loved ______ at the MAH”
In this way, these photobooths are
completely immersive experience

13. This is an example of what visitors fill out before taking their photo for the Show & Tell booth; we take down the family’s email address so we can
email them a link to the hi-resolution photograph. In turn, we have their contact information and we can continue to inform them of upcoming family
programs. We also also encourage them to take their own photos using the hashtag “#santacruzmah”

16. After an event, we put the photos on
our Flickr page where visitors can
download the high-res version, as
well as on Facebook

17. We've found that families really enjoy taking these photos, and tend to memorialize
these experiences; many further share these photos through various social
network opportunities.
EXAMPLE: Here is a family at a workshop from last fall. The
mother (the amazing Mariah Roberts) made this her
Facebook profile. It received over 30 likes and triggered a
dialogue (read dialogue)

18. Analyzing further: we find not only a lovely SHARED
EXERPEICNE, but also an UNEXPECTED CONNECTION
Thus
Mission accomplished!