Journal #2

"Museums in the Classroom" by Rose Reissman

Cyber museums are a great resource for teachers. Unlike regular museums, students and teachers can visit cyber museums at anytime and anyplace. Resource central offers a great site with hundreds of museums to visit. For example, the San Diego Aerospace Museum exhibits a multitude of military and civil aircrafts. The Pilgrim Hall Museum is an excellent resource for lessons on Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims. If teachers are looking to promote good citizenship and community service, the Red Cross has a site that does just that. The National Crypto logic Museum is helpful for mathematics lessons and is perfect for students that enjoy puzzles. Using these tools, teachers can turn the classroom into a museum, including things such as banners, tickets and souvenirs. Great Museums offers a site in which students can design their own online museum. Discovering the Museum Glossary covers museum terms, if a teacher is looking to be technical. Going to the Museum? Resources for Educators can be used as a tool for “student-centered content and investigatory collaborative learning.

Question #1
How can I incorporate museums and multicultural education in the classroom?
It is extremely important to use students’ own knowledge and background in teaching. If students can relate to the information, they are more likely to be involved in their own learning experience. For this lesson, I would ask students to create a virtual museum using knowledge of their family and culture. This would allow students to be creative and celebrate their identity. I would have the students present their museums to the rest of the class.

Question #2
How could I use my classroom as a museum?
For this, I would want to utilize the individuality of my students. I would have them each create two artifacts that represent their identity. I would encourage the students to ask their family for suggestions, hoping that their artifacts would be representative of their culture. This would be a good idea for open house.


Reissman, Rose (2009 February). Museums in the Classroom. Learning and Leading in Technology, 38, Retrieved March 6, 2009, from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/200902/