About The Museum

A crucial part of the vocabulary of anyone involved with academia, at any level, teacher or student:

ped·a·go·gy [ped-uh-goh-jee, -goj-ee]

–noun, plural -gies.

1.	the function or work of a teacher; teaching.

2.	the art or science of teaching; education; instructional methods.

[Origin: 1575–85; < Gk paidagōgía office of a child's tutor.

What is a museum? Is it a building? Is it merely a containment of spectacles or does it have other value as well? Does it operate like a bank, loaning and circulating items to other museums? What is the purpose of a museum?

These questions are a few that come to mind when exploring the idea of the "museum."

Upon creation, the William Norbits Museum was intended to serve two simultaneous purposes: to be a spectacle, and to be a vehicle. The spectacle is most immediately important in a very simple way. If something does not catch the attention of an audience, then it has a severely diminished opportunity to become a vehicle for an idea through the metabrain.

The William Norbits Museum is dedicated to this dicotomy within its exhibits and as a whole entity. This museum is committed to re-evaluating the contemporary concept of the museum as an educational tool, a warehouse, a bureaucratic institution placing arbitrary monetary value on works of art, et cetera. While the museum may not always be available for public display, it will always be available publicly as a virtual manifestation on the internet. The website will contain not only archives of the works of art, but also serve to provide as much written information and byproducts of exhibits as there are works of art, if not more.

The William Norbits Museum will practice scientific methods of experimentation and self-evaluation, and be a safe-haven/open forum about the museum.

My primary concern as a member of contemporary civilization is the concept of pedagogy: the art of teaching. This act is performed by each and every person in their own individual way. However, there are a few themes that commonly prevail in successful learning situations. In fact, these themes scientifically evidence their efficacy over other themes in both instruction and general communication.

Both my involvement in academia as a student and my role as an educator serve as my own ongoing experiment to develop my pedagogical skill.

Just as any effective art ought to be a spectacle before it is a vehicle, it is in the teacher's best interest to reveal information in such a manner that is seen as relevant to the student, for this is where genuine learning occurs. From there an educator may study the effectiveness of their communication of ideas, and seek more effective methods. Thus, the primary objective of this "museum" is to serve as an exhibition/archive of artwork and pedagogical research, though more accurately the goal is to portray either a real(in-person) or vicarious(virtual) experience with which learning may be facilitated.

It is part of our human nature not only to know how to do things, but to understand how and why they work. Having such an experience as a student will likely produce an unwavering appreciation for education, not only as a mechanism for sparking analytical thought but as a way of organizing the endless sea of information available to us.