Journal Response #2

Reissman, Rose (2009).Museums in the Classroom. Learning & Leading. 36, 36-37.

The latest assigned L&L article, “Museums in the Classroom,” emphasizes the importance of supplementing curriculum with museums, and offers online resources for teachers to better incorporate museums into their lesson plans. Author Rose Reissman lists specific sites for teachers and students to explore, which offer free online access to various artifacts and exhibits. Resourcehelp.com/qsermuseum.htm is a museum directory, where one can search for museums by location, content, and exhibit content. This site is easy to navigate and gives great results. It is possible to search broad categories, such as “science museums,” or search for specific museums by name.
For teachers who may not have much experience integrating museums into their lessons, Reissman recommends the Going to a Museum? Resources for Educators. This resource, found at curryedschool.virginia.edu/it/projects/Museums offers guidelines and tools to help teachers use museums as an effective learning tool in their classrooms. This site is full of great ideas to help students get all they can out of museum exhibits.
Reissman also lists sites that may help teachers and students broaden their understanding of museums. The site albanyinstitute.org/Education/Discovering is a glossary of museum terms, and greatmuseums.org/virtualmuseums.html is a site offering ideas for classroom exhibits, as well as help for student docents interested in designing their own cyber museum tours.

Question #1:
How might I use the resources listed in this article to enhance my future classroom?
The web resources introduced in Reissman’s article will offer me ideas and guidelines for incorporating museums and museum exhibits into my classroom, no matter what subject I am teaching. The Resourcehelp site is easy to navigate, and offers an incredibly extensive list of museums. Using this site, I feel I would be able to find a museum that would enhance almost any lesson, and/or subject. Reissman also lists sites that offer ideas and inspiration for teachers and students, and using these, I will be able to explore new ways to incorporate museums into my classroom.

Question #2:
How might this technology benefit students in my future classroom?
This technology enables students to access information and exhibits for free. This means that, if I want to supplement a lesson with a museum exhibit, I will not be limited by school funding. There will be no field trip expense, no permission slips for students to have signed, and students will have access to exhibits around the world! Cyber museums will enrich student’s lives, and offer all students the chance to become familiar with museums, even if they are from a culture or socioeconomic background that doesn’t promote frequent museum visitation. This technology means that ALL students have access to museums.