Students try out the ‘Challenge of Mining’ multitouch tabletop game, and explore the multitouch digital wall, which shows how pervasive minerals are in our day-to-day lives.
Photos courtesy of the Royal Ontario Museum
Wendy Ng, manager of learning at the ROM, says student visits to the Gallery are an essential part of the Museum’s educational programs. “These memorable experiences—the gold coin, digital tabletop game, and interactive touchscreens—are led and expertly guided by ROM teaching staff.”
Programs offered in the Barrick Lab and ROM Makerspace help foster digital literacy by giving students access to tools that scientists might use when conducting research and recording scientific observations. For example, using scientific instruments and rock specimens on display in the Lab, students discover what’s buried beneath their feet in the Earth’s crust.
The ROM Makerspace—another Barrick-funded initiative—creates opportunities for students to respond to the Museum’s collections and research using digital technologies and arts-based processes.
“The ROM Makerspace was launched in September 2016 as a way for students to have a space where they can create, whether it’s using digital or traditional art-making methods, in connection to the objects they see in the Gallery during their tours,” says Chu.
Since it launched, nearly 4,000 students have taken part in learning programs held in the ROM Makerspace.