When I was living in Washington D.C. while working on a fellowship with the National Endowment for the Arts, my favorite past time was to wander the halls of the Smithsonian museums. I would often get lost in the displays of historical artifacts and icons and think I could have lived there if food and drink were allowed. Because the Smithsonian museums are thousands of miles from Gilbert, Arizona, I have often lamented their distance and regrettably not being able to share the joy of canvassing their halls with students.
That is a regret no more. The Smithsonian has made available their displays and artifacts to everyone digitally. This digital platform is called the Smithsonian Learning Lab and has the bywords of "Create, Discover and Share."
At this site https://learninglab.si.edu/ you can discover all the Smithsonian resources with access all the time. There are photographs, paintings, letters, works, newsletters, recorded and printed interviews, audio recordings of music, printed music, collections of works and the list could goes on. You can also create customized quizzes, lessons and collections for your students. And you can share everything you create with your students, friends or others with that particular interest.
I recently made a personal collection of different recordings of the National Anthem being performed that I am sharing with students in a unit on our National Symbols. The learning lab will allow my students to "walk" the halls of the Smithsonian in a relevant and meaningful way from thousands of miles away.
Below is a screen shot of the collection I made. It was easy, so you could do it also!
So check it out and look up anything from of influence on America from the Civil war to the Beatles. The Smithsonian is sure to have something for your interest and topic.
It would be a great addition to any lesson plan!
No comments:
Post a Comment