EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH
Providing Real-World Learning for Students
The CMA is working with high school
students in two very different programs
that use project-based learning, an
approach to learning core subject matter
and critical thinking skills through activities
that examine complex real world issues.
One is the development of a website by
students from the Lexington Technology
Center in partnership with IT-oLogy
(the Consortium for Enterprise Systems
Management), and the other is the
Museum’s annual summer intern program.
Building a Website
This past fall, the Museum was approached
by the Consortium for Enterprise Systems
Management (now called IT-oLogy)
with an intriguing offer: seasoned IT
professionals would team up with high
school students on a computer science
track at Lexington Technology Center
to provide a needed IT service for the
Museum at no cost. This would provide
a real-world learning experience for the
students and a usable tool for the Museum.
A website based on the exhibition Who Shot
Rock & Roll was quickly identi?ed as the
perfect project. A team of ?ve students
was chosen by their Lexington Technology
Center instructor, Tracy Wilbur, and the
consortium chose ?ve IT professionals
to serve as their mentors. Each student
was assigned a speci?c role from Project
Manager to Business Analyst, and the IT
professionals were assigned identical roles
as their counterparts. Working with their
counterparts, the students created the
website from the design stage to the ?nal
product while coping with deadlines, client
comments, and the issues that arise when
working on a project as part of a team.
This project exempli?es how art and
technology ?t together in the 21st century.
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columbiamuseum.org
The students weren’t simply turning in a
design for a grade, they had a hands-on
learning opportunity to develop a very
valuable marketing tool for a world-class
professional institution.
The students produced a highly
professional product while expanding their
IT knowledge and learning real world job
skills. To view the Who Shot Rock & Roll
website, visit www.columbiamuseum.org.
Summer Internships
Each summer, the Museum offers over 20
weeklong summer camps serving hundreds
of children. During this busy season,
the assistance of members of the High
School Summer Internship Program is key
to our ability to offer consistent highquality programming. Summer interns
work directly with the instructors to guide
campers in the production of creative and
fun art projects featuring many different
materials and techniques. The interns
not only ?ll an important need for the
Museum, but are given the opportunity to
expand their critical thinking skills while
receiving relevant work experience. For
more information on CMA’s High School
Summer Internship Program, contact
Director of Education Ali Borchardt at
[email protected].