Making the Modern World Online

1
Making the Modern World Online

• ISB conference 18 March 2004
• Robert Bud
• The Science Museum

2
NMSI vision

• Multiple means of accessing stories and
  collections
• Physical exhibits
• Online
• Broadcast
• Linked websites each providing access to our
  materials and to understanding
• Linkage with partners

3
Making the Modern World

• Gallery opened in 2000. -- 4m 3000 m2
• Book Inventing the Modern World published
  simultaneously
• Online resource ISB funded

4
Project Vision

• MMW-online is an interactive online exploration
  of the evolution of science and technology and
  its impact on our daily lives from 1750 to the
  present day, based on the Science Museums
  landmark exhibition gallery Making the Modern
  World.
• The project fulfils both cultural and educational
  remits and will deploy the very latest in digital
  media technology in its production and
  distribution.

5
Project Objectives

• To create a catalyst for the exchange of ideas
  between audiences and experts
• To substantially widen the public accessibility
  of a key national cultural asset relating to
  invention, innovation and creativity
• To build an expandable digital media
  programme-making resource
• To assist in the motivation and learning of A
  level and vocational students
• To provide tertiary level teachers with a
  customisable set of support materials
• To encourage a higher, broader engagement with
  science and technology

6
Accessibility

• To substantially widen the public accessibility
  of a key national cultural asset relating to
  invention, innovation and creativity.
• Only 10 of NMSI collection on display
• Multimedia forms a medium for the stories,
  experience, and expertise of curators
• Medium for authored narratives but also optional
  access to vast information resources
• An interactive medium for engaging audiences and
  learners
• Over 300 man years of teaching experience in PSC
  can make a cultural asset an educational asset
• Inspiration, invention, and creativity form the
  common ground between all audiences

7
The Network

• Audiences
• General users
• 16 to 18 year olds
• General Studies students
• Lifelong learners
• Teachers
• Experts
• NMSI gallery and curatorial resources
• PSC teaching skills and pedagogy, ILT
• mwr project management and digital interactive
  learning

8
Project Organisation
9
Phases

• Build Stage 1 Mid January 2003
• Finalise content spec narrative listings, build
  prototypes, perform user evaluation of
  prototypes, design selection
• Build Stage 2 End June 2003
• Prepare implementation plan, construct first
  stage digital assets, assemble first stage
  modules, user evaluation
• Build Stage 3 End November 2003
• Construct second stage digital assets, assemble
  second stage modules, implement the marketing
  programme
• Completion Stage 4 End March 2004
• Execute implementation plan (Roll-out,
  sustainability), transfer operational
  responsibility to the Science Museum, marketing
  programme, complete closure of ISB funded project

10
Education through Inspiration

• To inspire students to understand the scope of
  science and technology
• To promote interest in science in post-16
  institutions
• To develop an understanding of science and
  technology among life-long learners
• To provide students with tools for critical
  evaluation

11
Our Creative Approach

• Unlike the Gallery, this product is not confined
  by geography or location
• Objects can be placed accurately into their
  historical, scientific and geographic contexts
• Move away from objects and text as the basic
  content building block
• Scene - suited to the narrative medium without
  re-inventing the intellectual content of the
  gallery
• Media assets - Deeper, richer information on
  demand and always accessible

12
Using MMW-online
13
The Offering

• 25 stories (with c. 84 rich media scenes and
  100 text and image scenes)
• 22 embedded learning modules (with 220
  activities)
• 100 icons
• 400 objects of everyday life
• 7 authored connection paths
• 5 multimedia personal accounts
• 300 biographies
• In excess of 500 hours of digital educational
  resources
• Approximate figures

14
Lessons Learned

• The discipline required to define the Content
  Specification involved the detailed elicitation
  of knowledge from the entire partnership
•  
• Members of the partnership have had to strive
  exceptionally hard to combine their respective
  expertise in an immature publishing technology
• Over 60 contributors working on its components
• When the design and other creative contributions
  are brought into the equation, it is estimated
  that some 120 staff have become involved

15
Sustainability

• Programme is built to be expandable, enabling
  addition of tools and assets
• Provides potential access to and compatibility
  with NOF resources
• Technical Future proofing Open standards (XML,
  source assets)
• Enables curators and users to create new pathways
  and stories
• Enables teachers to reconfigure tutorials
• Adding tutorials and scenes requires editorial
  and production intervention
• Sustaining relationships between mwr, PSC and
  NMSI