Embodied Learning and Museum Studies

Each year the humanities department hosts a Digital Humanities Speaker series. For the past few years I’ve organized the series and one of my favorite topics that comes up on occasion is the concept of embodied learning.

In February 2013, the Humanities Department at IIT was fortunate enough to host a talk from Dr. Leilah Lyons in our Digital Humanities Speaker Series. Dr. Lyons is assistant professor of computer science at the University of Illinois at Chicago as well as Director of Digital Learning for the New York Hall of Science, a hands-on science museum. Her work focuses on making digital museum exhibits more effective sites for learning and engagement through the use of embodied interaction techniques.

In the clip below, she talks about how new technologies can be used in conjunction with embodied interaction research in order to teach museum patrons difficult concepts. The display she talks about, for instance, lets zoo patrons “feel” for themselves the effects of global warming on polar bears:

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