TEC-CH Online: Day 1

Besides the fact that today is the first day of the year of the Ox (read Happy Chinese New Year), today is also the first day of a new online course at TEC-CH Online, Museums and the Social Web, taught by Jim Spadaccini. As a former full-time student (and apparently a student again), online distance learning is a completely new experience for me. 

We were given online readings, instruction videos and also an assignment to be completed by the end of the week which we need to make available online. Although the course is at loss of having a face-to-face interactions, it is great to study at one's own home at a fully personliseable pace. I found myself putting videos on pause, taking occasional breaks, having lunch, and most importantly looking up relevant material on the Internet. It feels enriching in an exploratory kind of way. 

The First Post of 2009!!

In celebrating the 101st post of the TEC-CH blog, as well as the first post of the year 2009, I decided to write an entry that involves the magical and wonderful number of 1, that signifies excellence and brand new beginnings. Here are my recent interesting finds that contain the number 1:

• 1stfans at the Brooklyn Museum: Known for its originality, the Brooklyn Museum is offering a new "socially networked" membership that connects its members via online access, where they can socialize with each other during monthly exclusive events, as well as on its Twitter Art Feed. The museum also invites artists to post on the feed at a regular basis, using Twitter as art medium. For the month of January, An Xiao is featured on the 1stfans Twitter Art Feed. A direct quote from her artist statement says, "Through tweeting Morse code, I aim to explore instant communication’s new direction by recalling its history. Rather than important issues, I will communicate daily minutiae, such as “Brushing my teeth” and “Tired. Need coffee.” Such usage of telegraph technology would have been inconceivable in its heyday. In so doing, I want to encourage 1stfans viewers to examine the evolution of instant communication and what purpose, exactly, is served by sharing such minor details of one’s life." (A big thank-you goes to Shelley for showing me the website!)

• One word: The idea is simple - the website features one new word a day, and you have 60 seconds to write about it. After submitting your piece, you can also see what others wrote about the same word. It is both an exhilarating mental exercise and an interesting take on demonstrating multiple perspectives. Its simplicity would also be highly applicable to museum activities, as the word range may be narrowed into one that is related to certain exhibition topics, the activity does not require much time to participate, and the end result is that visitors/users may see the various perceptions of a certain concept, without the interference of a curator. 

• One Laptop Per Child (OLPC): The project has generated so much buzz that probably some readers have already heard of it, but for the sake of good causes I think it deserves yet another mention here. With the creation of the so-called "XO Laptop", the OLPC project aims to provide one connected laptop every child in developing countries, consequently giving them the opportunity to learn via computer use and network access. Find out about various ways to get involved on the OLPC website. With the museum's social responsibility of enhancing learning in mind, how can we contribute to initiatives as such? When I was in Bern and in Warsaw, more than once have I seen the XO Laptop featured in exhibition displays, helping the project to become known to the world. The focuses, however, were on the intriguing designs of this low-cost laptop rather than that of its missions. Perhaps a collaboration in educational programming development is in order? If you have an idea, leave it in the comment box!

TEC-CH Online Pre-opening Offer

The University of Lugano prepares the launch of a distance-based program. TEC-CH Online (Diploma of Advanced Studies in Technology-enhanced Communication for Cultural Heritage) is based on the experience of the Master TEC-CH, now about to start its fifth year. The new program will be delivered online and addresses practitioners in the cultural heritage field who want to specialize in the use of communication technologies for cultural projects.

The program launch is preceded by a Pre-opening Offer of 6 courses, delivered in the period 28 April - 6 July:

Introduction to eLearning
Communication for Cultural Heritage
Usability for Interactive Digital Applications
Multichannel Communication Laboratory
Cyber-archaeology
Immersive Architectures for Cultural Heritage Visualisation: Inhabiting the Cultural Imaginary

Registration for the Pre-opening offer closes on 20 April.