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Maker Faire 2008
More than 20,000 people at Maker Faire, hope you made it. See post below from CNET May 4, 2008 12:24 PM PDT Maker Faire more popular than ever Posted by Daniel Terdiman | 4 comments There were huge crowds at Maker Faire 2008. While no attendance figures were known yet, there were rumors that the event’s ticket pre-sales had doubled …
501 (c) (3) Non Profit Status for Museums
Most museums in the United States are organized as Non-Profits categorized as 501 (c) (3)
Constructivism Learning Theory
Modern interactive learning in science centers and children’s museums is based on Constructivist Learning Theory. Below is an excerpt from Wikepedia: “Formalization of the theory of constructivism is generally attributed to Jean Paiget, who articulated mechanisms by which knowledge is internalized by learners. He suggested that through processes of accommodation and assimilation, individuals construct new knowledge from their experiences. When …
Interactive Exhibit Philosophy
I came across an excellent article by Kthryne McGrath. Below is an excerpt: “By setting up a problem to be solved, demanding interaction, producing effects from direct actions and allowing variations of approach, cognitive development in children is enhanced. Hands-On Children’s Museums encourage contextually relevant reasoning. These museums are successful, concrete examples of interactive, participatory learning. As reflected in their …
Listing of Museum Associations
“Several associations have online or print directories of specific types of museums. The American Association of Museums has an online directory of its member museums that can be searched by name, location, or category. The American Association for State & Local History publishes a Directory of Historic House Museums. The American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta maintains an online …
How many museums are there in the United States?
The American Association of Museums, the “AAM is aware of only two attempts to count all the museums in the United States. The most recent effort estimates 17,500 museums. One of the attempts to count museums was a survey conducted for the National Conference of State Museum Associations in 1998. The survey counted 15,848 museums. This number, however, was extremely …
Look Forward Bus on ExhibitFiles
The PG&E Look Forward Bus is currently featured on the Association of Science and Technology Center’s website, ExhibitFiles, click below to check out the story and post comments Exhibit Files, Look Forward Bus
What is an interactive exhibit?
The answer isn’t so easy. Many designers, museum directors, even visitors would think of a push button as interactive. I would differ. The meaning of Inter – “occurring between“, a push button could be thought of as interactive but the communication between the participants (the “button and the visitor” is very limited with only one outcome). My definition of an …
Fab at Home Curriculum
Wow! thanks all for the interest in Fab@Home, looks like we have a hit. We are working on a curriculum for 3D modeling, we are also preparing a summer camp robotics curriculum. I would be interested in getting feedback from Science Centers: What is the age range of your summer camps?How many students at a time?Is the focus on robotics …