One issue I would like to raise that I have not seen raised yet though
hinted at. Most people who have internet access have simple dial in
connections with text readers only and cannot even get simple graphics let
alone Macromind Director Multimedia (A program that goes for over a
thousand dollars on the Macintosh platform, exactly how many museums do we
expect to use this feature? See my earlier diatribe on technology for poor
museums) If we create a Web page or series of pages that utilize features
that are only available to a few and "look like crap" to others, what does
that say about us as educators? Don't you think people who have limited
resources would also like to learn about why the Museum of Natural History
has a DNA lab? It all sounds a little elitist to me. Would any of us
feel comfortable designing an education program or exhibit that was only
available to those who had access to, say helicopters, or was only
available to private schools? The Museum community has made great strides
in recent years making their collections and programs available to the
greatest number. We spend a great deal of tme thinking of programs that
target poor or formerly disenfranchised groups from the disabled to ethnic
and religious minorities.
Microsoft si also scheduled to come out with a Web browser, Microsoft
Internet Explorer, as part of their Windows 95 package and it will
supposedly have enhancements that Netscape doesn't. Now as educators,
doesn't it behoove us to make our offerings to the widest audience
possible? Put another way.. You write your web page for peolple who can
only handle Netscape 1.1N extensions, I will write mine to be enjoyed by
everybody, even if that enjoyment is enhanced by graphical interface or
multi-media support, and we will see who's site gets visited more often.
The cutting edge of technology will always be available to a few and I
question any program thatdepends upon that technology. The rest of us want
to learn what you have to say too. And I say this realizing that even
contemplating a Web page as an educational program is relatively elitist,
it does afterall require a personal computer and a modem or a network
connection, but given the availability of computers in most schools and
libraries the time is coming soon when we can count our audience having
computers as we currently count on them having transport to our sites. But
then many museums have programs and funds for school buses to poor
communities, I wonder if any similar grants have been written to increase
accessability to our on-line offerings?
One postcript to this message is that as AOL and similar services offer Web
access more and more people will have graphical access to the Web.
However, Netscape, Macromind, or whoever will not make this technology
available to these services cheaply if at all, and they will pass the
expense on to the customer, and at close to $3.00 an hour already I think
my original questions remain valid.
I am not sure if there is an ethics or style statement in regard to
Museums and online education offerings but if there is or will be, a
sentence that asks authors to make their pages accessable to the greatest
number,_ if more enjoyable to a few_, should be included.
MATThew A. White
Director of Education
Baltimore Museum of Industry
& Coach of Champion Duckpin Bowling Team
e-mail [log in to unmask]
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