Increasing Learner Participation and Agency through Social Media

In this session, Dana Carlisle Kletchka and Heather Hughes discuss how they use social media platforms in the Palmer Museum of Art and Edwin W. Zoller Gallery at Penn State. Their goals in using platforms like Facebook, Twitter, podcasts, blogs, and Second Life are to facilitate a greater sense of participation and agency for visitors during museum visits. At a large university where everything needs to be edited before it is dispersed, the social networking platforms allow a type of freedom of communication that offers a quick way to disperse information. It also provides insider info about the museum to become accessible to the community.

Facebook: 

Was the most active platform for museum visitors. Allows museum to include humor and less formal language - aspects that people aren't used to experiencing with museums. Offers free, instantaneous methods of advertising and updating community about upcoming events (important advantage for a non-profit). Problems cited include the barrage of advertisements and the fact that Facebook owns a user's content until they close it.

Twitter:

"Use twitter as breadcrumbs - tasting croutons or old, stale breadcrumbs" - like Facebook, allowed for instant dispersion of information about museum and short, non invasive updates. Considerations include striking a balance between informing and annoying - whether to create an event for everything that goes on.

Podcasts:

"People to decide what they want, when they want it, and how they want it." Ipods available to the museum store - allows visitors to gain insight into the workings of the museum including commentary on installations and organization of gallery.

Blogs:

Offers way to connect students with content AND each other. Seen as "another classroom" by the museum instructors.Where the museum itself makes it hard to connect to the build in environment, students and visitors can use the blogs to discuss and synthesize their experiences with the artworks and gallery offerings.

Second Life:

Allows visitors that may never get a chance to geographically and physically visit the museum to experience it in an electronic community.           

Summary Ideas: Social media platforms allow for the altering of boundaries between teachers and learners - multiple and diverse voices are exchanged and heard and changes the socio-historical framework of museums as don't touch, don't talk spaces. Creates a sense of community and allows community to expand. 

Future Implications/Questions: Will PSU officially begin managing the sites - "official" penn State? What are the implications of this? Presenters mentioned talking to college editor to make sure the platforms follwed PSU protocol.