The San Jose Tech Museum of Innovation
"Mission Statement: The Tech Museum of Innovation is an educational resource established to engage people of all ages and backgrounds in exploring and experiencing technologies affecting their lives, and to inspire the young to become innovators in the technologies of the future" (www.thetech.org/about/mission.cfm)
Introduction:
Living in the heart of Silicon Valley, technology plays a very important role in the everyday lives of the people who populate it. Large portions of this population are children. When we think of our children, we think about the future of this world. As a group, we believe that our job as a society is to introduce technology to children in an enlightening and fascinating manner. By doing this, we can inspire children to become innovators of technology and apply this to the future of technology. The San Jose Tech Museum of Innovation is a place that dedicates itself to introducing technology in a very attractive style. The 132,000 square foot facility houses four permanent themed galleries and over 250 exhibits (www.thetech.org/about/factsheet.cfm). The museum is also home to "The Spirit of American Innovation, an exhibit about the National Medal of Technology, the nation’s highest honor for technological innovation" (www.thetech.org/about/factsheet.cfm). Inside, everyone, whether they are children or grandparents, everyone gets to participate in hands-on activities that teach and introduce them to a variety of activities ranging from the beginning steps of web-design, riding and designing an Olympic bobsled to participating in a virtual heart surgery. With all the wonders that exist in this museum, children have the opportunity to learn about technology in a variety of different forms and are able to "discover new insights into technology and the process of innovation through exploratory activities" (www.thetech.org/about/mission.cfm.). People of all ages engage in the exploration and experimentation of the technology that affects their everyday lives. Exploring the Tech Museum of Innovation and the activities it presents and offers to children, as well as others, helped us to better understand and learn of the positive ways in which technology is presented to our youth.
In this report we first discuss our rationale and focus, describing the importance of the Tech Museum of Innovation and the connection it makes with the representation of technology, particularly for children. In the second part we identify the research question that we investigated. We then illustrate how we gathered and analyzed our data. Following this, we apply a number of course concepts to specific examples in order to answer our research question. Finally, we discuss how the implications of our analysis relate to communication and technology and how our findings support or do support what we have looked at in class.
Rationale:
The Tech Museum of Innovation is an important fixture of downtown San Jose as well as a place that provides excellent ongoing opportunities for our community’s youth to learn about the technology of yesterday, today and the technology of tomorrow. The Tech Museum hosted 453,524 visitors in 2001. One-third of those visitors were children; in whole numbers that is approximately 149,663 children (personal interview, Book McAlexander). The Museum offers a wide range of activities that enable the youth of the San Jose area as well as children beyond the San Jose area to learn about important discoveries in technology and how technology plays a vital role in everyday life. We chose to research the Tech Museum of Innovation because of how it represents and introduces technology to children and youth. The Tech Museum strives to "inspire the young to become the innovators in the technologies of the future, while engaging children and people of all ages and backgrounds to explore and experience technologies that affect their lives" (The Tech Souvenir book). The Tech Museum of Innovation is a technological representation of the essence of our lives. It allows children to acknowledge and become more familiar with technology in order to become the innovators of technology in the future. Technology is depicted as a tool that is used by every profession imaginable, from choreographers to athletes and police detectives to doctors. The Tech Museum emphasizes that technology is a part of everyone’s life, through low tech and high tech exhibits, lab activities and knowledgeable volunteers. The Museum shows children and their parents how technology shapes and defines the future, hoping to spark the imagination and elicit the participation of all who come and visit. Teaching children how new and innovative technology can benefit their lives will encourage them to come up with the innovative ideas of tomorrow.
We were interested in focusing on how the Tech Museum represents technology to children because we live in the heart of the Silicon Valley where technology is a central part of the area’s culture. As early as second grade, teachers are assigning their students to look for information on the Internet in order to complete a project during class. Hence, technology is becoming a very important part of children’s lives and for this reason we were interested in how it is introduced and represented to "our future," children.
Research Question:
How does the Tech Museum of Innovation introduce and represent technology to children and youth?
Methods:
As a research team we conducted our research through the steps listed below.
Step 1: Researched the Tech Museum of Innovation website at http://www.thetech.org
Through the Tech Museum’s website we were able to view the Museum’s facts sheet at www.thetech.org/about/factsheet.cfm. The ‘Facts Sheet’ gave us valuable information on the size of the Museum, the Robert N. Noyce Center for Learning which supports K-12 education, the square foot space of the educational media and science labs, as well as the number of exhibits in the museum and other basic information. The ‘About Us’ page on the Museum’s website, located at www.thetech.org/about/, provided us with information about the history of the Museum and what the Tech Museum is today. We were also able to locate the Museum’s mission/goals, www.thetech.org/about/mission.cfm. Here we found more on the background of the Museum and the Museum’s mission statement.
Step 2: Contacted Tech Museum representatives for children’s programs and set up an informational meeting and interview.
Through email and phone messages we were able to build a partnership with two of the Museum’s Learning and School Relations Specialists, Melissa Book McAlexander, PhD., and Stephany Delancy. During the informational meeting and interview we received a private tour of the Museum and were given some background information on the permanent exhibits and insight into the rotating exhibit areas. We were also able to ask for information on exhibits, sponsors, gain access to observe and visit a school field trip and lab, and obtain passes to visit the Museum as frequently as we would like. During this meeting we also received a copy of the Museum’s learning model that describes and maps out the course that the labs and exhibits should ideally take the children or other participant through.
Step 3: Four Tech Museum site visits, including observations of children and their interactions with exhibits; reviewing and listing four exhibits and their content.
Through group and individual visits we observed and recorded information on various exhibits and the interactions children had with the exhibits. We also noted the effect that parental and teacher influence had on the children and their interaction with the technology as opposed to when they used the exhibits individually. We visited the ‘Innovation Gallery,’ ‘Life Tech Gallery,’ ‘Exploration Gallery’ and the ‘Communication Gallery.’ We selected exhibits that were found in some of the galleries to observe. Our selections were based on those that we found particularly interesting and those that were popular with the children.
Step 4: Attended, participated and observed one School field trip and lab observation.
In this step we attended, participated in, and observed a school field trip and lab on ‘Animation Sensation.’ Here we were able to observe another way that the Museum introduces and represents technology, through low tech and high tech observations and activities.
Step 5: Reviewed past research on Tech Museum by reading through THE TECH: Your Guide To A New Museum at http://www.mercurycenter.com/techmusum/.
Step 6: Compiled and reviewed data and applied course concepts.
In this step we reviewed our information and re-examined our research question and utilized the information that was applicable to our research question, leaving out that which was not applicable while also formatting a suggested research question for future Tech Museum researchers.
Step 7: Reported Findings.
Analysis:
In this section of our report we have applied course concepts to our field observations and we will also apply other outside research that we conducted through the Museum’s website to our observations.
Creating a Challenge:
The Tech Museum of Innovation attempts to create a challenge for visitors so that they can then try to find solutions. By following a learning model that they have created, the Tech Museum of Innovation uses this model as the core for all exhibits and classes that provided for visitors.
For all the exhibits that we participated in and watched children and their parents take part in, there was always a problem that had to be investigated. In an exhibit that was part of the ‘Innovation Gallery,’ visitors were able to design a roller coaster in a computer program and then they were able to virtually ride the roller coaster they designed. However, the children that we observed at these stations had to explore the computer and the different choices that they could select from. We noticed how a six-year-old fiddled around with the computer before she figured out what she was doing on it, and then she was so amazed as to the roller coaster she was creating. When she finally figured out she was done, she asked her mother what she had to do next. Her mother led her to the station where she would take a virtual ride on her roller coaster. To compare if this exhibit was as challenging for a 12-year-old, we waited around for a child of about that age to show up. When a young boy showed up, we asked him his age. He told us he was 12, so we observed him. We noticed he fiddled around with the program for a while and then began to create his roller coaster, just as the little girl did. However, he knew how to read a lot better than the girl. The boy seemed to start his design and think of a better idea and begin all over again. Not until the sixth design did he test his coaster out. He seemed to be pretty impressed and went back to create another ride. In this exhibit technology is represented as a way to solve a problem.
This exhibit was able to represent technology to these children as a challenge that had multiple solutions. These solutions were also depicted as being acceptable because the participants had the opportunity to go back to the station and create another roller coaster ride if they were not satisfied with the first one. By going back and trying to create a different roller coaster, they learn different ways to create a "better" roller coaster each time. This fits with the Tech Museum’s Learning Model illustrated below.
The Tech Museum’s Learning Model:
|
The Problem > Investigate -Identify problem and constraints -Team Brainstorm discussion -Research |
> (Re) Create Select a solution -Design/construct Test Re-design & Modify Retest |
> Reflect -Share Solutions -Reflection & Discussion |
>
Solution
|
Core Learning
Science Content (Standards
Correlated)
Applied Knowledge
Collaborative Teamwork
Innovative Problem-Solving
Documentation
Perseverance
Inspiration
Information Science Approach:
According to our book, The Internet: Effective Online Communication, the information science approach is when we use the Internet as a research tool. Inside the Tech Museum’s ‘Communication Gallery,’ there were a lot of activities that involved interaction with the Internet. For example, there was a section that focused on search engines, with an exhibit that showed visitors how to use search engines. The exhibit was designed to portray the different types of search engines that exist on the Internet and how we would benefit from each of these search engines. The exhibit led the user through picking a topic to narrowing it down to figuring our which sites were useful and which were not. In that same area there was also a wall-type board that included information on ethics both for the parents and for children while using the Internet, making clear that certain ethical principles that should be followed to use the Internet appropriately.
In the ‘Communication Gallery’ the Internet is introduced as tool that is used to help a person out. Here, children are able to use the search engines to gather information for school projects. A group of fourth graders was walking around with a sheet that they had to complete by the end of the day. The worksheet included space for a topic they chose to report on and websites that would help them gather useful information for their report. Once these children got to this exhibit they made comments like, "This is cool" and "I found the exhibit that is going to help us out with half of our worksheet." The search engine exhibit was a great resource for these fourth graders. Here, the Internet is portrayed in a helpful manner. The fourth-graders also knew that there are guidelines that needed to be followed in order to be an effective Internet user and get the information that would benefit them the most, in the least amount of time. Therefore, technology is represented as an instrument that is able to provide a lot of useful resources and benefits for children and youth as they attempt to complete their tasks.
Audience:
The Tech Museum of Innovation is an educational museum that was created to have people of different backgrounds and ages explore technology that is part of their everyday lives. The Museum also has its visitors experience technology through the exhibits. Furthermore, the Tech Museum of Innovation aims at inspiring our youth to become the innovators of the technology that will affect their future.
The Museum is aware that its visitors (or audience) are constantly showered with technology-related information. This is when the Museum attempts to construct a message that tells its visitors that technology is something we can all relate to and is part of our everyday lives. For example, technology can be used to choreograph a dance or ice-skating routine, as demonstrated through an exhibit in the ‘Life Tech Gallery.’ Here, a computer program allows a person to create different dance movements, in any order, and create a unique dance or ice skating routine. This exhibit touches on an interest that many youngsters likely think is unrelated to technology. A seven-year-old boy said, "I didn’t know that dancers could use a computer to make up moves to their dances. This is cool. I think I can make up one of the best dances than anyone else." In this case the young boy was inspired to create something "better" than someone else would be able to create. The Museum was able to inspire this little boy to create something bigger and better. He might one day use this experience to help him create a better program in the future. Here, technology is represented as a form of creativity.
Utopic:
Technology is introduced and represented to children to be a utopic resource at the Tech Museum of Innovation. We were able to observe the different ways in which technology was used to stimulate the children’s imaginations. The Museum wants children and youth to become innovators of the technology that will be part of their future. Here, the Museum provides different types of exhibits that can be related to the goals that many children might have in mind. There are exhibits that use technology in medical, artistic, athletic, criminal, and many more settings. Here, children are able to see themselves using technology to help them out in their future careers. Therefore, technology is represented to children and youth as a good thing to know and learn about because it will be a part of their lives. Technology is also portrayed as an experiment that can be retested. By retesting an experiment there can be new creations that will work better than the ones before. This is also when the children are inspired to become leaders in the invention of new technology forms.
Implications:
One implication of our analysis is that technology can be communicated in the same way and both a six-year-old and a twelve-year-old will be able to come up with a solution. It may not be the exact same solution, but it is an answer that each individual, as well as society, will benefit from. At the Tech Museum of Innovation, technology is depicted as a resourceful tool that we will all benefit from in many ways.
The Tech Museum also introduces new innovations and presents technology to children and youth in an interactive environment. We were able to discover many things about Internet communication and how it is incorporated in the Tech Museum. The exhibits are set up in an interactive fashion, which helps teach children and their parents about technology. When looking at the way the exhibits are constructed, it’s obvious that the majority of exhibits are purposely interactive to help children and parents to learn hands on. For example, in the ‘Innovation Gallery’ children can enter the digital room with a bar code and move from station to station to create their own audio, visual, and video, and then edit the entire digital experience in one ticket. This method of learning is where children feel like they are playing a game rather than participating in more conventional ways of learning. Children grasp the learning objectives unintentionally by visiting each exhibit. Although the Tech Museum’s learning model is intentional, the children learn in a way that is not obvious to them.
This brings us to ask ourselves, what type of research is conducted by the Tech Museum of Innovation in order to create new exhibits, as time passes, so that children and youth do not loose interest in learning about technology and its different forms? This would be a possible research question that can be taken into consideration if we focus on the new exhibits that are placed inside the Museum and how often they are put up for exhibition.
However, there are consequences that come with representing technology in only a positive light. Children need to understand that there are always going to be consequences and not just positive outcomes when using the Internet, a special kind of software or a computer to create a project. If children are programmed to think that technology will only benefit them, they are not being told the entire story. Children need to understand that conducting research solely on the Internet will not be enough or completely efficient. It needs to be reinforced that books and the library will always be a good source when looking for information. Iinterviewing people, as we did for this study, provides another important source of information not available on a website. Children need to know that not all the information on the Internet is credible or reliable. It is also important that children know that communicating with people only through the Internet, a TV, or through software, is not always the best option. Children might lose the sense of importance that face-to-face communication creates. Children might also begin to believe that emailing their mother or father while they are away to college will be sufficient. As a result, children might begin to believe that it is not important to call or visit their parents since they wrote to them and told them everything that they needed to over an email. The consequences that may occur, if children are taught that technology is always good and never bad, are many. These are just a few.
Conclusion:
Looking at technology through the eyes of the Tech Museum of Innovation, we have discovered that children are able to explore technology and relate it to their everyday life activities. Children are also being challenged when they go through the exhibits and learning through the challenges they face when trying to come up with a solution to create a web page to finding out information on castles through the search engines. This is why we believe that technology is represented to them as a tool that can be used in many ways that will benefit them in endless ways. Children are able to look at their future and see themselves using a computer in a positive and very helpful manner. The Museum provides positive insight for the youth that live in, near, and visit the Silicon Valley. Having conducted this type of research gave us a greater understanding of the key role that we, as a society, play in educating our children and youth through technology. By introducing technology to children and youth in an innovating style, they are able to bring the best out of technology and use it as an endless resource. This is also why we believe that the Tech Museum of Innovation has a powerful impact on children when they present technology to them in a very enlightening and positive manner. Children are willing to embrace the technology if they are interested. If we force any child to learn anything we will see resistance.
Adams, Tyrone and Clark, Norma The Internet: Effective Online Communication, Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace, 2001
Book McAlexander melissam@thetech.org "Visitors Numbers" to Heather Morgan 27 March 2002. Pertaining to requested museum attendance information. Accessed 27 March 2002.
Deans, Nora L. The Tech Hong Kong: Global Interprint
Sweeny, Frank "Q & A with Peter Giles" The Tech Your Guide To A New Museum (1998): Accessed 20 March 2002 <http://www.mercuryventer.com/techmuseum/guide/docs/gilesqa.htm>
www.thetech.org/about/factsheet.cfm
www.thetech.org/about/mission.cfm
www.thetech.org/learning/challenge/design/workshops/
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