Welcome… to virtual EDventures at The Henry Ford!

Paula Gangopadhyay is Director of Education at The Henry Ford – and she is very excited to tell you about one of our newest ventures…

 

Have you heard the news? We are very proud to launch our new education website!

Explore the options of our new education website!

One of our biggest goals at The Henry Ford is making history relevant and preparing today’s learners for the 21^st century – so with that in mind, we have made digital education a top priority. Our education, ITS and marketing teams have spent the last three years benchmarking research, conducting national market analyses and really working to understand the needs of our audiences, especially K-12 education and youth service sectors.

 

The new website is designed to be a one-stop shop that it is intuitive, user-friendly, substantive and varied, based on the changing needs of our audiences and in keeping with an evolving world where digital and self-directed engagement plays a key role. And as the website was being built, our education team was developing some new paradigm-shifting online products and tools which will give teaching and learning a whole new meaning.

 

Here are a few guiding tips for exploring and experiencing virtual EDventures at The Henry Ford through our new and improved education website:

 

Our Educational Legacy: The first thing you’ll notice is a slideshow that tells the bigger story of what education is all about at The Henry Ford. To better understand this, explore the Legacy of Education Innovation tab to learn more about the culture of innovation that permeates and shapes everything we say and do as an educational institution.

 

Topic Areas of Educational Expertise: We have tied The Henry Ford’s collections and niche areas of educational expertise to six themes: Transportation in America, America’s Industrial Revolution, American Innovation, Science and Technology, American Democracy and Civil Rights and Family and Community Life. Each theme has a landing page with a menu of offerings such as onsite programs, field trip enhancements, classroom resources and professional development.

 

Audience Pools: Since education is defined broadly at The Henry Ford, we have organized our offerings for four types of audiences seeking structured educational programs or resources: educators, students, scouts/youth and leadership.

 

What’s Hot: This features new educational products and special educational events such as limited-engagement exhibits, IMAX educational film previews, new scout programs and more.

 

Featured resources: These sections showcase special projects at The Henry Ford, such as OnInnovation, as well as ExhibitBuilder, one of our innovative educational resources which allows students to build and curate their very own virtual exhibit which they can share with the world.

 

Tap Our Expertise: For the first time, through our education website you’ll be able to tap into the intellectual expertise of our curators as well as get a sneak peek into our rich and continuously-growing online collections and stories.

 

We invite you to explore, reflect, engage and share virtual EDventures at The Henry Ford; we are eager to hear from you!

 

Teachers/scout leaders/youth service providers – what other types of resources would you like to see museums offer? Is there anything you’d like to see us provide that is not currently available online or onsite?

Election Day inspiration – With Liberty And Justice For All

Since today’s Election Day, I figured today was a good day to stroll through our With Liberty And Justice For All exhibit in Henry Ford Museum.

With Liberty And Justice For All in Henry Ford Museum is a great way to learn about America's enduring struggle for freedom, in all of its forms.

As I walked past original copies of Thomas Payne’s “Common Sense” pamphlet and a timeline of momentous events in our country’s history, I was really excited to see so many other people – including groups of high schoolers on field trips and families with the day off from work and school – exploring and, hopefully, learning about all the different ways the United States of America has fought for freedom and this right to vote.

Families were learning more about the original 13 colonies, and where the idea for our country was born.

One of the most important artifacts in With Liberty And Justice For All is one of the original 200 copies of the Declaration of Independence, which Congress authorized in 1823 - only about 30 of these survive today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And being a woman, of course I am intrigued by the “Votes for Women” section of the exhibit – particularly the map that shows, by state, when women were legally granted the right to vote. The struggle by these pioneering suffragists is a fascinating chapter in our country’s history; if you haven’t explored this section of the exhibit, be sure to take a look next time.

It may be hard to believe, but some states didn't ratify the 19th Amendment until 1984.

I hope you’ll have a chance to explore With Liberty And Justice For All the next time you’re in Henry Ford Museum – and I hope it will inspire you as much as it did me, whether it’s Election Day or not.

What other artifacts of With Liberty And Justice For All intrigue you? Any you’d like to learn more about?