By: Kate Harris, Learning Lab Coordinator, Pittsburgh, PA Teacher Tom Gray was not content just using artifacts from the Smithsonian Learning Lab to illustrate historical concepts or to practice analyzing visuals (although he found creative ways to do that with Civil War images). Instead, he wanted to see what students could make themselves using the fascinating resources within the Lab. Inspired by a collection made by Linda Muller that asked "John Brown: Mad...

By Michelle Knovic Smith, Associate Director for Media, Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access Museum-going and reading may seem like two very different ways to learn about the world. One is about looking at and "taking-in" ideas and concepts in the company of other people. The other is the solitary processing of words on the page. However, digital media is bringing these two experiences much closer together than ever ...

Colorado, here we come! Next week, Learning Lab team members will travel to Denver, Colorado, for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference. Here's where you can find us from Monday, June 27– Wednesday, June 29? Check out the full schedule here. Some of the conference highlights you won't want to miss include: Make and take your own digital collection with Smithsonian Learning Lab Monday, J...

By: Tess Porter, Educational Technician, Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access Trying to brainstorm your next Learning Lab collection, but not sure where to start? With a particular topic in mind, creating a large collection of objects and grounding them in a few guiding questions can be a great way to create a simple, investigative, multi-disciplinary, evidence-based, discussion-sparking collection for your students....

By: Kate Harris, Learning Lab Coordinator, Pittsburgh, PA One of the exciting aspects of our workshop series in Pittsburgh has been making use of the strengths of the "Smithsonian's Home in Pittsburgh," the Heinz History Center (HHC). The exhibits, archives, and personnel there have allowed us to highlight local connections and family histories when developing teaching activities, setting them within the broader context and digital pl...