Smithsonian Mobile: Open Welcome Wednesday Wednesday November 9, 2011 3:00pm – 5:00pm
Did you know the first wireless audio guided museum tour dates as far back as 1952 at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam? Weather you know it or not, museums have had a long history with new and emerging technologies. Now in the world of the mobile aps and augmented reality (AR), technology is proving to be exciting area for curators and museum educators. To meet these new challenges, museums are embarking on new frontiers to push the envelope and create interactive, engaging, and cutting edge ways of learning and experiencing history. Enter the Smithsonian Mobile Strategies and Initiative.
The Smithsonian Mobile Strategies and Initiative seeks dedicated volunteer game, app and mobile developers, as well as technical assist for iPad projects, to move forward with their emerging technology and innovative projects. The Smithsonian mission, set out by James Smithson in his endowment, states simply “The increase and diffusion of knowledge.” We have never had so many tools and methods; this is what the digital age is all about.
On Nov. 9th, DCWEEK participants are invited to join Smithsonian Institution staff as they show and discuss current and future interactive apps, mobile websites and games, ongoing mobile workshops, and new mobile technologies for visitor engagement. Participants range across Smithsonian museums, and invite commentary in a fast-paced format. During DC Week the new Smithsonian Mobile app will be launched, and Welcome Wednesday participants are invited to test and post comments.
If these possibilities excite you, please come to our Open Welcome Wednesday to see staff present what’s been done and what’s in the works on Nov. 9 from 3pm-5pm. Hump Wednesday was never so good!
Speaker Info
Welcome Wednesday host, Dr. Nancy Proctor, heads up mobile strategy and initiatives for the Smithsonian Institution, and is co-chair of the Museums and the Web annual conference. With a PhD in American art history and a background in filmmaking, curation and art criticism, Nancy Proctor published her first online exhibition in 1995. Nancy lead New Product Development for Antenna Audio from 2000-2008, introducing the company’s multimedia, sign language, downloadable, podcast and cellphone tours and directed Antenna’s sales in France. From 2008-2010 she was Head of New Media at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Nancy served as program chair for the Museums Computer Network (MCN) conference 2010-2011, and co-organizes the Tate Handheld Conference. She also manages MuseumMobile.info, its wiki and podcast series, and is Digital Editor of Curator: The Museum Journal.
Speakers Ryan Hill Dan Davis Dr. Nancy Proctor Jeff Meade Kim Skerrit Ajith Gunaratne Robbie Davis
