Students in a Grade 4/5 class at South Park Family School in James Bay were the first to test out a new learning website launched by the Royal B.C. Museum Wednesday.
The verdict: Pretty cool, several said, as they explored topics such as First Nations toolmaking and languages, local birdsong and mating rituals in the wild.
“Great museums of the world are already doing this,” said Jack Lohman, chief executive of the museum.
“We’re utilizing all of our archives and back-of-house knowledge and making it accessible for learners digitally.”
The Learning Portal website, learning.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca, is the first of its kind in Canada, according to the museum. It features an interactive archive of the museum’s collections with photos, video and behind-the-scenes commentary from curators, archeologists and archivists. It’s free to use and accessible from anywhere with an Internet connection.
“One of our greatest challenges is how to serve all the children in this province. This is for them, but geared toward adults as well,” Lohman said.
The $30,000 project took nine months from build to launch. The museum used profits from the successful Vikings exhibit and received funding from the province and sponsors. Teachers, librarians and staff from the Ministry of Education provided input for the site.
Lohman called it a “living resource” that will be continually updated by the museum’s digital team.
He said the site does not replace visiting the museum in person, but it will enhance the experience for those who have access and offer access to those who can’t come to Victoria.
“We want to make sure every schoolchild can benefit,” he said, noting the museum gets about 80,000 students visiting each year. The museum had a record attendance on Monday, when 8,800 people showed up for the Family Day free admission. “That’s more than a 1,000 people through the doors each hour. It was incredible.”
Nine-year-old Ben Yuen used his time Wednesday on the new learning portal website to look up the history of Victoria’s Chinatown.
“I’m half-Chinese myself, so I like knowing about Chinese culture,” said the Grade 4 student, who enjoys exploring local history. “History is interesting because you can learn about where you live.”
His teacher, Anne Nilsen, said she was impressed with the new resource and expects students to use the website as they research local history for an upcoming school musical.
“Kids know they can use the website at home,” said Nilsen, who is also the school’s vice- principal. “This is useful because we know it is a reliable and safe source for information.”
