Museum IVC Program Wins Innovation Award
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is a 2017 recipient of the Innovation Award — Online Technology for Education from the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA). The award was presented to the Museum on Monday, May 1 at the 2017 USDLA International Distance Learning Awards ceremony held in Indianapolis.
The Museum received the award in recognition of its new virtual wildlife programs introduced in 2016, which allow Museum educators to deliver interactive wildlife education programming to classrooms anywhere around the globe live from the Museum’s award-winning Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden — Presented by KeyBank.
Distance Learning Coordinator Lee Gambol (pictured on screen) accepted the Museum’s Innovation Award via digital conference
“Science and nature education is a cornerstone of the Museum’s mission,” says Dr. Evalyn Gates, executive director and CEO of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. “Our goal is to provide students and curious minds of all ages and backgrounds with inspiring and enriching programming. To be able to use technology to overcome challenges of distance or resources and virtually transport students from anywhere to our dynamic and immersive wildlife center is a win for teachers and it’s a win for the Museum — expanding the reach of our mission to create a deeper understanding of the natural world around us and our place within it.”
The new wildlife programs are part of a larger expansion of Museum interactive video conference (IVC) technology introduced in the 2016-2017 academic year, which allows Museum educators to leave a static studio classroom setting and take classes on virtual field trips anywhere in the Museum, including its galleries and collection and research areas. Museum educators can interview active scientific researchers, explore the depth of Museum collections and highlight specific specimens on display that would be unavailable in a studio classroom. Students watching these programs in their school can ask and answer questions live and in real-time.
“Interactive video conferencing is all about bringing students into immediate contact with experts in their fields, often directly in their research areas,” says Lee Gambol, distance learning coordinator at the Museum. “A recent survey conducted by the Museum showed that this was one of the primary reasons why teachers select specific programs from IVC content providers. New technologies allowing both studio programs and lessons taught from working labs connect kids with real scientists and emphasize the ways that science impacts their daily lives.”
The Museum has long been an innovator in interactive video education. The Museum introduced its multi-award winning interactive video conference programs in 2006 — connecting any classroom with an internet connection and a projector to special Museum studio classrooms where educators could deliver live programming covering a variety of science topics including earth and space science, health and life science, physical science and social studies. Since its introduction, Museum interactive video conference programs have been taught in all 50 states and in countries around the world — including as far away as Australia. The Museum’s new technology enhancements only deepen possible connections to be made between students and the natural world.
“The Cleveland Museum of Natural History's mission is to inspire a passion for nature & the protection of natural diversity,” says Gambol. “Our use of the newest online teaching tools allows us to start conversations about the importance of the natural world with kids and adult learners, including those who face tremendous challenges in organizing or financing trips to the Museum. Looking at the ways this institution has embraced innovative teaching technologies make me proud to be an educator here.”
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