Stephan,
 
A few years ago we tried adapting a book called Water for Dinosaurs and You, a
nice children's book, to a computer program in our exhibit about water in New
Mexico. The educational theory used to justify the program suggested that this
would be a huge success. The reality is that it just did not work. The book was
way too long, 8 minutes of reading. Many people just did not want to sit still
for that long a period of time. Children also lost interest. From what I have
observed, story books (not on computers) where parents can sit read with their
kids seem to do much better at our institution.
 
I would still like to get our storybook out into the classroom, I think it
would fare much better than it did in our museum. Of course, each museum is
different, and if the space is properly designed, a computerized story book may
work very well for you. Classroom success does not always translate well into
success in the museum, and vice versa.
 
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John Chadwick                                    |
New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science | Insert your favorite
1801 Mountain Road NW                            | quotation here...
Albuquerque, NM 87104                            |
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phone: (505) 841-8837 FAX (505) 841-8866         |
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