(Please excuse cross-postings)
The Center for History and New Media <chnm.gmu.edu> is excited
to announce the release of our Object of History/Omeka software
package--a free, open-source, web publishing application for
museum educators and curators.
OOH/Omeka is based on the successful museum education site, The
Object of History: Behind the Scenes with the Curators of the
National Museum of American History <objectofhistory.org>.
Created for small museums and historical societies,
OOH/Omeka is designed to help those institutions create online
exhibits and educational websites. OOH/Omeka allows curators and
museum educators to build meaningful learning experiences
focused on key items from institutional collections, using
primary sources, expert interviews, and other assorted
materials. Most importantly, the OOH/Omeka minimizes the cost
and technical expertise needed to reach students, teachers, and
members of the interested public through the web.
The OOH/Omeka package includes all of the software and structure
that curators and museum educators need to create their own
Object Lesson sites, as well as a step-by-step guide to using
the software and crafting Object Lessons that convey content
knowledge as well as emphasize historical thinking skills.
Download the OOH/Omeka Package: <objectofhistory.org>
_________________________________________________________
Object Lessons form the core of OOH/Omeka websites. Each Object
Lesson includes sections focusing on the object itself, on the
object in historical context, and the object in museum context.
Thus, the Object Lessons are designed to present mediated
primary sources for student analysis and interactive activities
that reinforce both content knowledge and historical thinking
skills.
Features for Educators and Curators:
* The ability to easily create online exhibits using materials
from museum collections
* The opportunity to use museum objects as the keystone of
classroom activities
* A repository for lesson plans and classroom activities that
are tied to state standards of learning
* An Interactive online activity for users to create their own
virtual exhibits using materials from the Object Lessons
* Space to publish a guide to analyzing and understanding the
types of objects featured on in the Object Lessons
* A platform to host curator and educator podcasts associated
with the Object Lessons
[System Requirements: Linux operating system; Apache server
(with mod_rewrite enabled); Mysql 5.0 or greater; PHP 5.2.x or
greater; and ImageMagick.]
_________________________________________________________
The Object of History project is a partnership of the Center for
History and New Media <chnm.gmu.edu> and the Smithsonian
National Musuem of American History <americanhistory.si.edu>
with funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services
<imls.gov>.
________________________________
Sheila A. Brennan
Senior Digital History Associate
Center for History and New Media
George Mason University
703-879-8366
<mailto:sbrennan at gmu.edu> sbrennan at gmu.edu
<http://chnm.gmu.edu/> http://chnm.gmu.edu
