Thinking about Museums

AAM post on immersion

November 12, 2018 Ed Rodley

Long time readers will know I have a long term interest in immersion, and wrote about it here, here, here, and here. Last month, I

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On the state of public perception of museums

October 15, 2018 Ed Rodley

Submitted for your consideration… 2018 has been an interesting year thus far, and I mean that in the truly value-neutral sense of the word. Tons

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Playing With the Past, Part Two: Magic Circles and Interaction Alibis

March 12, 2018 Ed Rodley

Given what we know about play, games, and learning, what can we pull out of the mass of research? For me, the two biggest tools I’ve come across are the concepts of the magic circle and the interaction alibi. These powerful ideas have caused me to reframe a lot of what I thought I knew about museum experience design, and their potential in the heritage sector is vast, and as yet largely untapped methinks.

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Useful Dialectics, Part One – Transformation vs. Change

September 28, 2017 Ed Rodley

I’m very excited for MCN2017 in November! The intellectual thrill of beating a session into shape with friends old and new is like a

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“My dear Henry Junior”

November 20, 2015 Ed Rodley

On writing to the audience In my years of working in museums I’ve gotten quite a few letters from members of the public looking for

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Tracing the contours of digital transformation, Part One

September 11, 2015 Ed Rodley

I’ve been thinking a lot about transformation since writing about the Museum Full Stack. It’s been a deep rabbit hole and promises to get deeper,

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“Outsourcing” the curatorial impulse, Part One

October 29, 2014 Ed Rodley

This past Saturday, my lovely and talented wife and I made our weekly trek to the local farmers’ market in Union Square, Somerville. It is,

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It’s not what you know, but what you are willing to learn

June 13, 2014 Ed Rodley

As follow up to my post on our storytelling session at AAM, I posted Judy Rand’s “Waiting for Eileen”, and Catherine Hughes’ “Museums are like Crack”. Here’s

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On “Drinking About Museums”

May 26, 2013 Ed Rodley

I’ve gotten a few request lately from folks wanting to know, “What is this “Drinking About Museums” and how do join/start one in my town/find

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On immersion, theatre, and museums

January 14, 2013 Ed Rodley

Over the Christmas holiday, my lovely and talented wife and I went down to New York City for a few days to see friends

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Australia: MONA’s “The O” mobile guide

August 21, 2012 Ed Rodley

The “O” This is the second post on my recent visit to the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Hobart, Tasmania. The first

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Opportunities for collaboration: building storyworlds

March 15, 2018 Ed Rodley

So, I’m not in Iceland as I’d planned to be. A cracked cockpit windshield, several hours of waiting, and a determinedly cheerful, “Flight cancelled! Come

Playing with the Past, Part Three: The Challenges of Working Across Industries

March 13, 2018 Ed Rodley

Collaborations between gaming and cultural heritage professionals have tremendous potential to generate new and valuable kinds of experiences.

Playing with the Past, Part One: How Play Relates to Cultural Heritage

March 9, 2018 Ed Rodley

An examination of some of the qualities of heritage experiences that I have experienced to be particularly germane to this discussion.

Peeling the Onion, Part Three: Play

March 8, 2018 Ed Rodley

“Play” is a very big idea. Game playing is a very engaging activity, one that evokes a level of commitment and concentration in players that

Peeling the Onion, Part Two: Games

March 7, 2018 Ed Rodley

Part Two of this series explores the definitions and characteristics of games and how they differ fr cultural heritage experiences.

Peeling the Onion, Part One: Gamification

March 5, 2018 Ed Rodley

Does gamification work? What value does it have for cultural heritage professionals looking to engage audiences deeply?

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