Testing the Waters. Schools and Museums working together. Glow Cookbook

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Audience Development for Clydebank Museum:

• Accessibility on GLOW for schools both within West Dunbartonshire and nationally.
• Creation of a shipbuilding object database to be available to view from the Clydebank Museum website will improve accessibility to the collection.
• Virtual access to museum stores for pupils as part of a ‘treasure hunt’.

Product development:

• Learning in the museum will use up to date technology to explore historical themes.
• Increasing our web presence and raising our profile
• Our resources will be available online through GLOW and Clydebank Museum’s website.
• IT support from LT Scotland for GLOW events.

Business Development:

• GLOW training for museum staff from LT Scotland
• Learning Development Officer’s IT project management skills developed
• For pupils developing IT skills for their future careers.
• Through studying the local shipbuilding industry pupils will understand how businesses fail and succeed.
• Pupils will visit Clydebank museum’s Shipbuilding exhibition ‘Shipshape’ as a starting point for the project.
• Pupils will virtually access the museums stores through video conferencing.
• School pupils will loan shipbuilding handling kit from Clydebank Museum.
• Pupils interview shipyard workers about objects and how they were used.
• GLOW training for partners to develop skills to deliver workshops.
• LT Scotland will provide technical support for GLOW on an event basis.
• Pupils will use and progress to creating inter-actives for GLOW
• At the end of the 6 week project pupils will produce a showcase for families and community
• The Denny Tank museum will be able to benefit from GLOW usage and a closer partnership will be created between the two museums through knowledge and skills exchange.
• The netbooks and internet access will create a legacy of knowledge for future generations.
• In the future these netbooks will continue to be used within and out-with Clydebank Museum

• Dalreoch Primary School is being used a pilot school for wireless by West Dunbartonshire.
• Clydebank Museum and the Denny Tank Museum now have access to GLOW.
• Presentation by Clydebank Museum and knowledge sharing at Group for Education in Museums seminar at LTS.
• Access via webcam to museum stores for schools.
• Dalreoch Primary School and museum staff and pupils have developed their skills and knowledge of GLOW and ICT.
• Clydebank Museum has access to Dalreoch Primary’s GLOW Group and so can contribute to the group through the discussion board and gallery etc.
• Pupils have used the Dalreoch GLOW Group to learn from each other – swapping knowledge about shipbuilding.
• School visits to the Titan Crane, Clydebank Museum and the Denny Tank Museum.
• A shipbuilding resource has been created on GLOW, which includes photos of the shipbuilding industry, images of objects and links to other resources.
• GLOW training delivered to Museum staff.
• Reminiscence material from local shipyard workers
• Information on 20 shipbuilding objects made available through GLOW as a permanent resource for use by the museum and schools in West Dunbartonshire schools.
• 22 netbooks available to be used within and outwith the museum for GLOW projects, and for other museum projects requiring access to this hardware.
• Webcam to be used by Clydebank Museum to webcast for GLOW Meet.
• Film footage of Dumbarton and Clydeside shipyards collated and on disc.
• Evaluation of the project through feedback; anecdotal feedback, forms, survey and diaries kept by participants.

Advice on running a Museum-school GLOW project:

• Ordering equipment well in advance – in times of budget restrictions orders need to be signed in triplicate and so slows down the ordering process.
• Delivering the project in winter meant that the weather can affect outings but this is also where GLOW can be used as pupils can’t access the museum or even the school.
• Be sure of what the capability of your ICT equipment is before you start. Ask the advice of your IT contact and if in a Local Authority contact your IT Procurement department for advice on availability and delivery time for your equipment and the aftercare eg warranty offered.
• Ensure that your IT equipment is covered by the school’s insurance when not in the museum.
• If working within a council be aware that your Council may have existing agreements to use certain suppliers so that you may not be able to get the equipment or software that you think is the most appropriate.
• If you are in a local Authority use your GLOW Mentor’s advice from the outset. Arrange GLOW training for all staff involved in the project.
• Museum volunteers and local historians were very helpful for information on identifying and providing information about shipbuilding objects.
• More time for the project was required!

GLOW MEET Advice:

• Conduct a test well in advance if it’s the first time you have used this facility.
• Stick to the timings for your GLOW Meet and rehearse your GLOW Meet in advance. It is a broadcast so you can’t have any gaps where pupils are waiting for you to speak.
• Get a good microphone that can be moved about rather than pupils coming to the front of the class to ask a question.
• Obtain a list of questions from the pupils before you do a GLOW Meet.
• A simple webcam works for talking to pupils but if showing museum objects a good digital video camera on a tripod is better for a close up.
• Use the whiteboard facility while doing your GLOW Meet but be aware it cuts some of the webcast picture out. You can insert CAD drawings or Jpegs to illustrate what you are talking about.
• It has to be truly interactive ie pupils asking questions so that they engage. If you have an actor delivering it can really lift the whole experience for them. Think about your backdrop– using simple props and costumes, we created a shipyard office as a backdrop for our Glow MEET.

This project has exlored how museums and school can use GLOW tools to support partnership work throughout Scotland. The learning from this project has been captured both here and in an LTS Cookbook (How to Guide/ case study) which will be published on the LTS website on 27 May 2011, to support future museum work with schools.

Through presentation at a GEM Scotland GLOW training event.
Local press
Through West Dunbartonshire intranet
LTS website
MGS website
The project will be presented at the Scottish Learning Festival, September 2011.

Weekly evaluation – verbal
Diary kept by co-ordinator
Online survey
Filmed
Audio recordings

Learning Teaching Scotland Glow website: https://secure.glowscotland.org.uk

Clydebank Museum, West Dunbartonshire Council: www.wdcweb.info

Dalreoch Primary School, West Dunbartonshire Council: www.wdcweb.info

Denny Tank Museum, Scottish Maritime Museum: http://scottishmaritimemuseum.org

Clydebank Asbestos Group (supports and gives advice to victims of asbestos and their families): www.clydebankasbestos.org/

For further information, please contact Maeve Dixon, Learning Development Officer, Libraries and Museums, West Dunbartonshire Council Maeve.Dixon@west-dunbarton.gov.uk

Categories
Partnership
ICT/Digital
Learning
Access

Project Start
1st Sep 2010

Project End
1st Jan 2011

Published
24th May 2011

Who Led?
Clydebank Museum

Who else took part?

Dalreoch Primary School
Learning Teaching Scotland
Denny Tank Museum (Scottish Maritime Museum)
Clydebank Asbestos Group
University of St Andrews (MLitt Museum and Gallery Studies)
Dumbarton Film Club
West Dunbartonshire Council Educational Services (Libraries and Museum, Quality Improvement Officer)

Who Paid?
Museums Galleries Scotland; West Dunbartonshire Council

How Much?
£3020; £2018