Google+Cultural+Institute

**Welcome to Hope Moore's Technology Presentation!** TOPIC PRESENTER: HOPE MOORE

Hello ! My name is Hope Michelle Moore. Currently, I teach applied politics, and diversity classes at the University of Akron in the Department of Applied General and Technical Studies. I have just celebrated my 5th year of teaching at the University of Akron. I have just earned a doctorate in Urban studies and Public Affairs. This is my third semester in the Instructional Technology program. I am passionate about civic engagement in the political process, especially among the young. I believe technology can democratize both civic knowledge and activism in the community. I want to discover some of the challenges and solutions to providing a supportive learning environment for all students.

PRESENTATION TOPIC: GOOGLE CULTURAL INSTITUTE

Image Credit: Google.Inc.

The topic I chose for my presentation is the use of Google Cultural Institute. This site is a tool for sharing and discovering art exhibits, and museums around the globe. This site allows students to explore historical sites, take a tour of museums, and travel world sites without leaving the classroom. Students can click on the floor plan for various museums around the world, and take a virtual tour. Some of the art and exhibits include historical artifacts and documents for World War 2, and includes works of art from the [|J. Paul Getty Museum-Los Angeles]. Students can explore online exhibitions that include Nelson Mandela Foundation's Centre of Memory, and take a tour of significant events in history by accessing personal accounts of people in history, historical documents, photographs, and videos. I believe this site is especially innovative in that even temporary street art is captured, and can live as an online collection and exhibition. Currently, The Google Cultural Institute plays host to 882 collections around the world, and includes stories about the Holocaust including the Liberation and Evacuation of the Aushwitz concentration camp in World War Two.

I have very limited experience using this site in the classroom. However, on one recent occassion I accidentally discovered this site as I was searching for some pictures for urban street art or murals. For this particular class session I was demonstrating how street murals can enhance a neighborhood, and make delipidated or abandoned buildings works of art, instead of eyesores in the urban landscape. I like the many features of this site especially because it gives the user a real interactive and authentic experience. This is apparent as much of the detail in the art and exhibits are high resolution. In fact, much of the detail is preserved to the point that one can see the wear of the chair coverings, and the warping of the wood which is evidenced by one of the the Getty exhibits. This site's World Wonders Projects provides free downloadable guides and resources to teachers who deliver history and geography classes to elementary and middle school students. The World Digital Library enables students to look for content by place, time, topic, type of item and contributing institution. Currently, the site has approximately 1,460 digital items in its libray collection which include books, photographs, films, sound recordings, manuscripts and maps.Students can create and share their own gallery collections, and pictures with their peers using their social networking sites.

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= = Here are some articles that support the use of this technology for use in the classroom =

Promising Tools for Common Core

Google Basics for teaching Enhance Clasroom Uses for Google Cultural Institute

World Wonders Project This is a great resource that offers free downloadable PDFs for educators that offer ideas on how to use the various features for Google Institute for elementary, middle, and high school students.

Art Online Turns into Reality Google Institute Moves Art from the Museum to Online

= Content uses of this technology =

YouTube video that demonstrates the various uses for this tool in the classroom

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VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS Teachers can use the Google Cultural institute to take virtual tours of museums. From a teacher's perspective, it gets students of the classroom. The site and activities allows teachers to do some "out of the box" thinking, while they implement learning objectives and lesson plans that support student learning. The virtual tour allows students to discover, collaborate, and share new knowledge without trekking 30-40 students onto buses and coralling students, not to mention the expense to the school district and parents. Is an interactive virtual experience as stimulating as an in person visit to the museum? Probably not, however teachers can attain the same educational objectives, and inspire students to explore museums and works of art in their own lives.

SOCIAL STUDIES: There are many slideshows that display historic events. Teachers can use the site for inquiry, and provide critical examination by students in relation to primary source documents. This is an effective tool to explore historical places and examine the architecture and landscape of far way places, For example. a teacher can instruct students to use the Google World Wonders Project to search for heritage sites that are protected and preserved for future generations. For example, students can identify these sites, summarize the criteria for selection for a heritage site by searching http://whc.unesco.org/en/146, finally have a class discussion about whether establishing heritage sites are important, and how we can help protect historical sites.

HISTORY: Google Cultural Institute incorporates the visual dimension for people, places, and events which makes history come alive, and can supplement any textbook. Teachers can ask students to write a biographical sketch of a famous person akin to Nelson Mandela. They can use Google Cultural Institute to find biographical information, historical documents and personal accounts.This site can act as a complement to news stories, scholarly sources, and books.

The link below outlines the way a history teacher and offers an example of how a history teacher uses the site to support learning in his history class Use of Google Institute for History Assignment

ART:

The Google Art Project brings a whole world of art into your classrooms. You can explore collections from around the world with thousands of artworks photographed in extremely high resolution. The website is not just for Art class though. There are ways you can use it to bring learning to life across all subjects.

The instructor can split students into groups, ask them to look at various categories of painting, and request that students make observational notes or comparisons between different kinds of art. In this manner students can learn the difference between impressionistic versus post-impressionistic art, Students can learn to discern line, form, color, and technique by comparing and contrasting the different forms of art. Finally, the activity gives students a substantial block of time to explore the site which is especially great for anywhere, anytime learning.

HOW TO USE THE SITE media type="youtube" key="LzMXbvBsALo" width="560" height="315"

PEDAGOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS This tool is conducive to a variety of teaching strategies for subjects for which teachers want to add a degree of cognitive complexity versus rote memorization and recall. Students in a variety of contexts can learn to evaluate, analyze, and comprehend concepts. Since this tool is a digital resource it is easily accessible both at home. and at school by parents, teachers, and students. The tools allow students to find geographical points of interest, correctly identify places on a map, and allows reflective inquiry in relation to narrative accounts on the site. In this manner, students can write in online diaries about their experiences visiting the exhibits. Additionally, as for use by social studies and history teachers, the site can be used to search for primary source documents for research reports. In this manner, when students are asked to write book reports on historical events or people, they can visit an authentic archive and their writings can become more authentic, Additionally, the subject matter becomes an exercise by which the student is immersed in history, rather than simple reciting information gleaned from a textbook.

NETS-Student Standards **Research and Information Fluency**: Students apply digital tools to plan, organize and gather information, in order to be able to inquire, analyse, organize and evaluate information.

 NETS-Teacher Standards
 * Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making**: Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.


 * Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity**: Teachers model, support, promote and use their knowledge to provide and facilitate productive technological experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation both face-to-face and virtually. They also promote student reflection and collaborative construction environments.

**Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership**: Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources. They do this by reflective practices, participation in local and global learning opportunities, and exhibiting leadership within the technology infusion and incorporation process

Where to purchase or acquire: The Cultural Institute platform, which includes Google Open Gallery, is completely free to use.

Here is the link for the Google Cultural Institute: Google Cultural Institute

Here is the FAQ page for questions about use and copyright information: Frequently Asked Questions