contexture: take the exhibit home

“I wish we had a way to follow up with students who visit the museum.” -science museum director

“I wish I could go see that tornado exhibit again.” -3rd grader

“I wish we could involve subject matter experts, sponsors and members in an ongoing community.” –museum public engagement director

“I wish my students were as excited about classroom work as they were by the field trip to the science center.” –5th grade teacher

Contexture

Take the exhibit home

Contexture continues the original encounter over time and space, offering learners a way to “take the exhibit home”…

…to use as a starting point for activities, projects, and further study.

Mobile App/Online Platformfor use with children's informal learning centers and events:

• museums• nature centers• science centers• historical simulations• theatre performances• musical performances• cultural events

Mobile app entry points to • a web-based collaborative workshop

that connects learners with exhibits in…

• children's informal learning centers…

• combining real world and digital multimedia collaborative activities with…

• on-call subject matter experts available to learners.

Multimedia presentations may include • text• visual art gathered or created by

the learner• photographs• video links

• documentation of experiments• sound files• scientific data and graphs• offline productions• tableaux, plays, and more.

Informal learning centers can review• preconfigured analytics• follow-up questions• research metadata• children’s presentations for their own

use and development.

Revenue Models• Sponsor crowd funding: foundations and

corporations pledge amounts per student tag and per related student multimedia production

• Revenues from subscriptions for schools and youth organizations

• Individual mobile app sales

• Funders for partner venues

Americans make about a billion visits a year to museums and informal learning centers--more than the attendance of all major league sporting events and theme parks combined.

Museums receive an additional 700 million online visits a year just from adults, a number that continues to grow.

75% of American kids under 8 have access to a smart phone.

A hypothetical estimate:

100,000 children tag at least 3 exhibits a year.

5000 global corporations reported at least 2 billion dollars' earnings in 2010.

If 500 corporations pledged 1 dollar per child tag/multimedia production, it would amount to 50 million.

Yet to each individual corporation, the amount would be insignificant--only $100,000.

Learners/Multi-Media Producers• Take your favorite exhibit home with

you

• Manage and own your projects, learning, process with assist from a responsive digital system based on self-identification

• Hone your media production and writing skills in an engaging community-based setting

• Permanent digital portfolio of your activities

Teachers, Youth Programs, Parents• Turnkey solution for follow-up, classroom

activities, continuing engagement, enrichment

• Students explore and express interests through new literacies and blended learning

• Enlarges and continues the initial venue experience with real world, collaborative activities

• A global interdisciplinary think tank, workshop and multimedia lab

Informal Learning Centers • Scalable--can be used with any exhibit

without new adjustments

• Corporate sponsors may pledge amounts linked to tagged exhibits, learners’ multimedia projects

• Outreach to local community and broader public

• Opportunities for feedback, research, continuing engagement, more meaningful connections with visitors

Contexture TeamCatherine Oates, Project ManagerGalaxy Learn

Heath Carlisle, Mobile/Web DeveloperBrown Barn Studios

Jon Boxerman, Education, Assessment DesignerWestEd, Lawrence Hall of Science

David Brzozowski, Graphic, UX DesignerBlueSpark Studios

Craig Fry, Sound DesignerCreativity, Inc, Leapfrog

Advisors

Gretchen Walker, Informal Learning Center AdvisorLawrence Hall of Science, Public Science Center Director

Gerald A. Fisher, STEM, SME AdvisorStanford University, Physics