I received word in my email this morning that Conner Prairie in Indiana is discontinuing their distance learning program. They have won either the Teacher’s Choice Award or Honorable Mention in the last three years of our annual spring survey.
The explanation given was partly due to the rapid downturn in the economy.
I’m sad to hear this news, and I hope that they are still able to provide history lessons to those who come onsite to their museum. It’s a reminder of how subsidized and sponsored the content providers’ programs are. If we in education want videoconferencing content in this manner, we should be willing to contribute to the cost of development and delivery. But sometimes even that isn’t enough to keep the programs going.
We’ll miss you, Conner Prairie!
Did you ever connect to Conner Prairie? Which programs did you like? Feel free to comment.
As someone who’s actually been to Conner Prairie, it’s sad to hear that they are no longer offering their unique brand of historic teaching via distance learning.
However, having been there, I’m intrigued as to how they offered their content. They’re HUGE on the whole historical reenactment to the point where they pretend that their audience is actually back in the 1800s with them. Do they do the same thing via the VC?
Yes, Ben, they brought in their actors to talk to the students in character/time period. They also had some video clips that showed all the rich visuals that they have on-site.