Blog post #12: So long, farewell!

Hey everyone! First off, congrats to everyone who's finished with their thesis - we did it!

My thesis was submitted not one, not two, but three times after Dr Lent and I both found errors. Whoops. But like they say, third time's the charm and now that it is finally (finally, finally) submitted, I feel great!

I've mentioned a couple of times in class that my mom is doing her master's this year, so we've both been writing a thesis alongside each other since the fall. Funnily enough, her final deadline to submit was ALSO this week, so we've been texting back and forth our page count - she beat me by just one page (!!) hers is 65, mine is 64. Talk about frustrating ;)

I hope everyone is staying healthy and not too stressed about the world. I know I have my up days and my down days, but I'm really trying to make the most of my last few weeks here in Rochester. Wherever you're going next, one more RIT semester, grad school, into the abysmal job market with me, I hope you find what you're looking for!

Blog Post #12: Slowly Adjusting

Hi everyone. It's been a couple of weeks and I am slowly settling into this new "normal."

One of the benefits of being a part time student this semester and last is that I already had a LOT of extra time on my hands, but now that school is cancelled and my three part-time jobs are cancelled, I have like a LOT times five free time now. Primarily this means extra sleep ;)

But since I've had to work at managing at my time for thesis all year anyhow, the lack of in-person contact isn't a world-ending shift for me. Luckily I got my case study done in February so I don't need to worry about that, and really it's all about finishing going through my edits from my advisors (and my mom!)

I hope everything is going well for the rest of you and I am so so sorry we won't get to celebrate our accomplishments in person in May. I'm still in Rochester so if anyone needs anything, whether it's a food delivery or anything else, please let me know!!

Post #9: my program finally happened!

Last Friday, in the middle of what might have been the biggest snowstorm so far this year, Brie and I trekked down Jefferson Road to Solstice Senior Living. We found this really pretty one-lane bridge that went over the Canal - thematically appropriate! - and we also didn't get into a snow-induced car accident, which was great.

Once there, we set the room up in a giant mega-table with space enough for about 12 people, then made a frantic Wegman's run to get snacks for the audience. With one minute to spare we raced back into the place, chocolate chip cookies in hand, and I began!

It was a little intimidating, 12 white-haired strangers staring expectantly at me, but once I got into things I had done more than enough preparation to sit back and let my instincts kick in. The entire program took just over half an hour to get through, they weren't as chatty as I had planned, or perhaps I didn't let the awkward silence go long enough, and by the time I was done there 17 people there! While the program wrapped up around 4:30, the evaluations took a little longer to complete, and some people stuck around to talk after we had started resetting the room. All in all it was definitely a success, even if some of them liked the chocolate chip cookies more than they liked the program!

Here's some photos Brie took for me:

Blog post #8: it's all happening

It's getting to be thesis crunch-time here at RIT. My program is happening at Solstice in t-minus nine days whether I like it or not, and I need to get moving to be prepared for February 7th. I had my thesis-board last week, and another meeting with my advisor today, so I have a good idea of what I need to do between now and then.

I'm working on planning the specifics of the program now, rather than re-working my lit review or doing more theoretical research. I've emailed my contact at Solstice to see if I can see the room next week before I must deliver my program, and I've hired Brie as my assistant with the promise of Wendy's afterwards. I'm feeling pretty good, all things considered.

Next steps include finishing my eight pages due tomorrow for class and finalizing my program plans. I'm looking forward to just getting the program done so I can really being to focus on the thesis, rather than having extra stress related to the program itself.

Blog post 7: plans for break

Hello everyone! I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders as I have just submitted my final thesis proposal for the semester!

Some goals for myself over winter break:

• Schedule the program for sometime in January (?) at Solstice
• Make the program!
• Lots of research
• Test it out on my parents/grandparents/aunts and uncles who are willing
• Maybe start writing the actual thesis? I don't want to get too ambitious though, I do definitely need at least a short break from this before school starts back up again.

I will say my main priority for break will be spending time with family and friends who I don't get to see that often. My second priority will be researching and making a definitive lesson plan for the program, since that is really the crucial part at this point in the process. I'm sure I'll be able to write enough pages after the program happens, but nothing will get done if I show up at Solstice completely unprepared! Then if all else goes well, my third priority will be starting to write my thesis, though I'm sure once January comes around, wearing pjs and watching some Netflix will be more tempting than getting a head start on homework...!

Blog post 6: how has my topic evolved?

This is it, the penultimate blog post of this semester! At this point, it's really about choosing objects, creating a lesson plan, and executing it. And yes, I still need to choose objects. I went to the RMSC last weekend and picked a bunch of toys, but had a terribly difficult time trying to create a lesson framework for them. After a great chat with Dr. Decker, I now have a slightly different plan of attack, start creating the lesson framework first, and find objects to fill in the gaps. The good news is this happened in early November, so I still have plenty of time to get everything done.

That all being said, my topic hasn't evolved too much since it was first conceived. With each step I get a clearer vision of what the end product will look like, but it's more like it's slowly coming into focus, and less like it's a completely different topic altogether. I imagine that as the framework gets built, objects get chosen, and the lesson plan starts to shape up, it will only become clearer still.

Blog post 5: what am I learning?

Hello, long time no write, but we're back and my thesis idea is stronger than ever!

Some updates before I delve into the prompt:

• I officially will be working with the Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC) to get objects for my program! I'm visiting and choosing the objects on Saturday, 11/2.
• My lit review is happening! It's not great, but we had a draft due last week that was 5 pages and used 7 sources. Baby steps, but progress nonetheless.

 So, since our lit reviews are coming along, I have been learning quite a bit about techniques and tricks for running programs, different statistics about adult learning, other projects similar to mine, and so on. For example, this afternoon I dove into sources I "stole" from my Muse Ed class from last fall, and I read about questioning strategies for getting students to arrive at an answer without just telling it to them. I also looked at some lesson plan templates and different verbs for describing outcomes. In one source, I read about how adult learning has 3 steps: acquiring knowledge, analyzing and reflecting on the knowledge, and applying the knowledge. The reflection part is apparently incredibly important, but something I would never have thought to include in my plan, so I'm glad I was able to find this source.

What do I still need to know?

Since I haven't picked out collection items yet, I still need to choose them. Once I know what I'm working with, I'll be able to construct a theme and research the facts behind the objects so that I am prepared to effectively facilitate a program about them. One of my sources said that adult learners expect the facilitator to be an expert on the subject, so I will have to be prepared for this and put in my research!
I also need to do a little more research on facilitating programs. While browsing the library stacks I came across a book that was supposedly a museum educator's handbook and I was incredibly excited to find it, but it didn't end up being that helpful. These are the two areas I'm going to concentrate future research on!

Blog post 4: revised topic paragraph

As the semester marches on, my topic grows ever narrower and more focused. Since last week's post I have been in contact with Solstice, the senior living community I plan to work with. I have also reached out to the Strong Museum of Play, yet have not heard anything from them as of the time I published this post. Once I secure a collection to work from, I will be able to further narrow my topic and outline, broadly, some lesson goals and themes I want to accomplish with my project.

Research Question: How can museums facilitate effective object-based learning 
programs for independent living community residents?

With the baby boomer generation approaching retirement and the average age of Americans increasing, 
industries must evolve to serve the growing 55+ population. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, "1 
in every 5 (U.S.) residents will be retirement age" by 2030.¹ A larger aging population means more 
people living in nursing homes, assisted living, and independent living communities. 

Traditionally, museum education has focused on school children, and more recently 
programming has branched out to include 21+ events as well. Now, however, is the time 
to expand our horizons even further and embrace museum education for all ages, especially 
for those who may not be able to visit the physical museum on their own. We have one 
decade before 20% of the population is eligible for retirement, and we must plan for this change 
in demographics in order to be prepared for the shift in visitorship.

My project will act as a bridge between a Rochester-area museum and the Solstice Senior Living 
community in Fairport, NY. I hope to create a lesson plan which will utilize a teaching collection 
chosen to both spark memories from the past and teach the residents something new. I will implement 
the program sometime in early spring semester. Following the program, I will reflect on the effectiveness
of it and make recommendations based on my experiences for those wishing to host a similar program 
in the future.

Cited: 

¹ Bureau, US Census. “Older People Projected to Outnumber Children.” 
The United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 23, 2019

Other sources I will be using:

Smiraglia, Christina. "Qualities of the Participant Experience in an Object-Based Museum 
Outreach Program to Retirement Communities." Educational Gerontology 41, no. 3 (2015): 238-248.

"Case Studies: Museum Programs for Older Adults." Roundtable Reports 9, no. 4 
(1984): 9-13. http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.rit.edu/stable/40478630.

Morrell, Roger W., and Katharina V. Echt. "Presenting Information to Older Adults."  
The Journal of Museum Education 26, no. 1 (2001): 10-12. 
 http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.rit.edu/stable/40479197.

“September 2019 Activities Calendar.” Solstice Senior Living, n.d. Accessed 
September 16, 2019. https://solsticeseniorlivingfairport.com.

Blog post 3: a topic!

Research Question: How can museums facilitate object-based learning for independent living community residents?

With the baby boomer generation approaching retirement and the average age of Americans increasing, industries must evolve to serve the growing 55+ population. According to the US Census Bureau, "1 in every 5 residents will be retirement age" by 2030.¹ A larger aging population means more people living in nursing homes, assisted living, and independent living communities.

Traditionally, museum education has focused on school children, and more recently programming has branched out to include 21+ events as well. Now, however, is the time to expand our horizons even further and embrace museum education for all ages, especially for those who may not be able to visit the physical museum on their own. We have one decade before 20% of the population is eligible for retirement, and we must plan for this change in demographics in order to be prepared for the shift in visitorship.

My project will act as a bridge between a Rochester-area museum and local assisted living community. I hope to create a program to bring to residents utilizing a pre-existing teaching collection that can be handled and used to spark conversations. Following the program, I will reflect on the effectiveness of it, and make recommendations based on my experiences for those wishing to host a similar program in the future.

Cited: 
¹ Bureau, US Census. “Older People Projected to Outnumber Children.” The United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 23, 2019

Blog post 2: narrowing a topic

Hello! I have two main ideas for my thesis right now, I'll lay them out and then discuss possible pros and cons of each. This will not only fulfill the required blog post for this week, but will hopefully help me to think through them more fully, inching myself closer to a decision.

My first idea is to work with the independent living facility my grandfather lives at in Fairport, NY and a local museum and/or library to bring the residents an educational program.

Possible pros of this are it's highly related to my career goal, museum education, and it would be a great project to put on my resume for future employment and grad school. I also think the personal connection to this home would motivate me more than working with any other audience, and would hold me more accountable. Not only would my grandfather and his neighbors stand to benefit, but my parents, aunts, and uncles would all be invested too. I wouldn't want to slack off and not do my best for all of them!

One major con of this idea is that my ability to finish it relies heavily on the home allowing me to begin, a museum or library allowing me to use their collection for the project, and being able to sync my schedule up to everyone else's. While I can't envision anyone turning away a highly motivated college kid wanting to do free work for them, you never know, and I'd hate to get halfway through and suddenly be left out on the sidewalk. Another potential issue is that perhaps the home used to have programs like the one I'm envisioning, and they were a flop with the residents. Finally, I'm not sure how to articulate a research question for this project. I understand the question is something that evolves all year, but I don't even know where to start.

All that being said, my other idea is to work with the Kodak archive and do an oral history project of how Kodak affected Rochester residents.

Pros of this include the fact that I already have strong connections to Kodak and the people working with the archive and I have a good sense of the company history which would serve as my background knowledge before I began talking with people. Also, if anyone were to do a Kodak oral history project, there would be no better place to do it than right here in Rochester, and here I am!

Cons could include the Kodak archive not wanting to make use of the oral histories if they paint a negative picture of the downfall of the company. This is understandable, the bottom line of the exhibit on Ridge Road was to create an "uplifting" portrait of Kodak in the 21st century, and my hypothesis is that very few folks these days would have positive, uplifting messages to share. This could be fixed by working with the city historian or a different museum in Rochester, but if I change who I'm working with then I lose the "pro" of having those strong connections I mentioned above. The other major con for this is that while I'm incredibly interested in oral history, Rochester, Kodak, et cetera, this project does not directly tie into the whole museum education career I'm currently envisioning for myself. Of course, that's okay, but should I stick with something more focused on what I want to do in the future? Should I reconsider what I want to do in the future, if this project is pulling me in? I have no answers yet!

Spring semester updates

Because my project is research-based, I didn't get to do anything too exciting or hands-on over the break. This format allows me to work on my thesis at more of my own pace, and not that of a more rigid project schedule, which I think is helping me a lot. I find myself writing at odd times, like during a quick 20 minute break or really late at night, but every little paragraph is still progress!

As I began writing, I started to notice a few "holes" in my research. I had originally thought some of my sources would have enough material, but I find myself wanting to add a bit more, just to improve the flow. It's difficult to know whether I'm dwelling too much on background context and the history of museum education, but I'm assuming that I'll end up cutting a decent portion of that first section of my paper. The more I write, the better idea I have of what research I still need.

After today's class, I'm now trying to think ahead to what types of images would be appropriate to include. The final "product" of my thesis will be a list of suggested applications of museum education methods to selected Common Core standards, so maybe a table would be an efficient way of listing that information.