Bringing students on field trips to museums can be invaluable to their education, but if you don’t live in or near a major city, it can be difficult to find local museums to visit. Luckily, technology has made it possible to access world-class museums right from the comfort of your own classroom with digital learning resources. Because there are so many museums in the U.S. to search through for valuable resources, we’ve highlighted some of the most prestigious museums and their online resources below.
Here are six digital learning resources available from museums across the country:
- The National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.
The National Museum of Natural History offers distance learning through Smithsonian Science How, a series of free live and interactive video webcasts led by highly qualified scientists. These webcasts are designed for students in grades 3–8 and introduce students to science concepts through Smithsonian research and experts.
- Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
The Guggenheim’s Collection Online makes it possible to search through a database of artworks from the Guggenheim’s permanent collection of over 7,000 works. The online database not only includes works from the New York museum, but also from Guggenheim collections in Venice and Bilbao.
- National Women’s History Museum, Virginia
Digital classroom resources available from the National Women’s History Museum include a variety of lesson plans, biographies, posters, primary sources, and more. These resources can be helpful for students and teachers alike, from planning lessons to doing research for projects.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The MET), New York
The MET offers many online features, including virtual 360° tours of select rooms at the museum; interviews with curators, librarians, educators, artists, and others; and deep dives into themes and historical moments through the lens of artworks in the MET collection.
- Monticello, Virginia
Monticello—Thomas Jefferson’s estate in Charlottesville, VA—now serves as a historical site and museum of architecture, Jefferson’s life, and slavery. Online, you can access several engaging digital exhibits and companion websites. Monticello even offers an app, which, although best used as a tour companion of Monticello in person, also provides valuable information about slavery at Monticello.
- The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
The National Gallery of Art offers a free loan program, which makes teaching packets and DVDs available to individuals, educational institutions, and community groups. The gallery also offers online resources to help integrate art into K-12 teaching, as well as online interactives for students to create their own works of art.
Have you ever used digital learning resources from a museum to enrich your classroom teaching? Tell us about some of your favorite online resources in the comments below. For more teaching tips like this delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to the Educator blog today!