Week 8 Blog

What I expect digitally from a museum is more interactive expereinces that were not before possible. Unlike traditional objects in a museum, digital objects don’t degrade the more they are used. I expect digitally from a museum some kind of digital show or exhibit and also digital tools that help curate the museum experience should a patron want it. I think that digital tools and experiences should be available to patrons but not imposed on them if they want a more “authentic” or traditional museum experience.

With online education becoming more available and popular, I can say that I have completed online courses in the past. I have taken an html course on code academy and a javascript course on Lynda. What made my classes enjoyable and implored me to finish them was that everything I was learning I could use immediately in real time. A course that I might pitch might be an art history course where instead of just images and facts, one could see a 3D render of the object in discussion (assuming its not an image) and create annotations of what the work of art can tell us about its time (i.e. what scratch marks came from or what textures tell us about how an object was made).

An example of digital storytelling that I found interesting comes in the form of Lizzie Bennet’s diary which was originally published online as a youtube series. Interestingly enough, this piece of digital story telling was then published in print as a book. I find this interesting because we often see movie adaptations of books but with digital storytelling becoming a tool for self publishing, a book is no longer the only way to tell a story with low financial risk. Digital story telling is changing how we tell the stories and how they become popular or available.

4 thoughts on “Week 8 Blog”

  1. It’s so interesting to hear about different people’s expectations for museums’ digital presences. It reminded me of something I keep meaning to ask our guest speakers: “What is it, exactly, that a digital presence is supposed to do?” In some cases, the digital presence seems to be about marketing and outreach, but there’s also the possibility (as you write) of making available experiences that weren’t possible before. I suppose part of the question here is about whether museums’ online presences are an arm of the marketing & communication departments — or an extension of the museum itself.

  2. I have also take lynda and code academy courses and find that because you are able to follow along with the instructions, they are much more useful then listening to a lecture on the topic at home. I also thought it was interesting how you brought up the youtube series and how it influences the creation of a book. It is cool to see the digital becoming such a powerful and present source of media.

  3. I’m part way through the Javascript course on Lynda (curse you, midterms!) and I agree, it definitely has been super enjoyable so far! I think that’s the real strength of online courses. As you said, you can use the things you learned immediately in real time, which is what makes the courses more valuable.
    Also, I watched every single episode of the Lizzie Bennet Diaries — it’s so interesting to see how they made a whole universe out of it, and even though they were actors, how they conveyed the story via YouTube made it very memorable. Also, isn’t it being published as a novel sort of like publishing fanfiction? Since it’s an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice…

  4. I enjoyed Lizzie Bennett Diaries myself! The weird thing about YouTube as a storytelling medium is that the viewer never really knows if they’re watching a vlog or it the story is made up. I think they were upfront about it with Lizzie Bennett but I remember early on in my discovery of YouTube I watched a series called Lonelygirl15 which was presented as just a girl with a funny vlog. Pretty soon the vlogger was running from a cult who was after her DNA and crazy things like that. Finally the girl was “outed” by viewers who recognized her as an actress, which was definitely for the best because I had been having nightmares about the cult coming after me too.

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