2b Exploratorium

1. Contains a title using the format listed above .25 points
   
2. Contains the sources you used with links to these sources .25 points
3. Contains a brief paragraph how it connects to your study of humanities. 1 point

The Exploratorium is a science museum dedicated to the teaching of science through hands on activities and experiences. Culture as well, can be taught through hands on activites and seeing first hand what you have been learning as you grow up. That's why museums containing art can teach a lot about the culture it's contained in. Science and the dedication to science discoveries is a very important aspect of American culture, and we are very proud of it. I think that the hands on aspect is also very important to how we as a culture think we should be teaching children. Is this "hands on" experience working?

1. Contains the following "analytical elements":

1. Observation: What did you choose? What do you see or hear or feel or think of in the choice you made? What is the subject of the work? If you chose a 'thing' what is the work made of and what techniques (colors, lines, shapes, textures)does the creator use? Be specific in your description. If you chose a place, be specific in your description of what you see or hear. Talk to your reader as though they cannot see the item but somehow must draw a painting of what you see or hear. 1 point
   

I chose the Exploratorium in San Francisco because I personally am a very "hands on" learner, and I remember going to this museum when I was little. The Exploratorium is in a huge, dome shaped building (also known as the Palace of Fine Arts) located right off the first exit in SF. Once you enter the dome, there is an abundance of activities for you to choose to learn from. For instance, outside the museum there is "Wave Organ" where spectators choose different posts to stand inside and then hear different sonic sounds coming off San Francisco Bay. Or there is the "Tactile Dome" which is a 3D pitch black dome which users must navigate through using their sense of touch. As you make your way through the different levels and areas of this museum, you are met face to face with experiments that test what you know, and teach you what you don't.

b. Interpretation: What is your choice about? Give specific examples to support this statement in 2 sentences; do so in a way that teaches us something about your choice. Make Paulo Freire proud! .75 point
This choice is about learning. I feel that the Exploratorium teaches children in a way that most regular museums don't - and we need more museums with hands on experiences. Friere would have LOVED to see this museum and all the opportunites it presents for kids. Actually seeing the things that you learn about in school in action is a very exciting experience for a child who is trying to put the world together.

c. Judgment: What led you to your choice? What do you think or feel about this choice? Why do you feel this way? Support your thoughts with specific observations. .5 point
I chose to explore the Exploratorium simply because I remember going there as a kid, and I remember being enthralled with the sorts of things that I learned there. It makes learning fun, and that is something that a lot of teachers have trouble with when teaching children. When you are young, if something isn't interesting to you or isn't made fun, you are more likely to forget about it 5 minutes later. This makes an experience that lasts for a lifetime, and I still remember some of the things that I learned inside that great big dome.

d. Questioning: What else would you like to know about this choice? When completing the question section, lead your audience into the question by stating a fact you do know, yet you still have the related question. This way, both your audience and you will have an educational experience. Example: I learned that John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath was based on his personal experience working with farm workers. I would like to know if the characters he used in that book are fictitious or are they people he met? .5 point
I learned that the museum was created by a physicist by the name of Dr. Frank Oppenheimer, but I wonder if he personally was the one who created all the different stations from which you learn from. There are so many different types of activites to do, each teaching you something different, and it's amazing that one single mind could have thought up all those different things.

5. Using your classmates work from last week, tell us one thing you learned from 1 student. Is this one thing some common experience you share or some experience that is completely different than what you experienced? Is this one thing related to our class theoretical foundation and if so, how? Is that one thing related to historical or cultural context of this country or a different one? Link that persons blog to this entry (eg cut paste that blog entry here) . .5 point

I learned from Megan that the Golden Gate Bridge is 8,981 feet long. This is a very different experience as my own, since I chose Hollywood for my place to explore in assignment 2a. It is somewhat linked to the historical and cultural context of this country because the Golden Gate has a very big influence on people all around the country. People in CA and close to SF have the opportunity to see it first hand numerous times - others travel across many states to maybe get a glimpse of this miraculous, huge tower!

Megans blog: http://megan-human7.blogspot.com/2009/02/assignment-2a.html

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_California#Museums

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploratorium

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VCmwKqGICI&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8Vvlpsx6DU&NR=1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave_Organ