Museum Exhibits that Interact with Pupils’ Mobile Devices. The Case of Hellenic Maritime Museum

Abstract

Educational visits to museums are beneficial for pupils in terms of differentiated teaching and cognitive objectives accomplishment. Pupils’ direct contact with historical and cultural evidence activates visual perception and observation skills. Moreover, when activities during such visits are gamified, learning process becomes more attractive. Therefore, pupils’ interest is increased. Equally important is the active involvement of children in educational activities’ preparation. Tutorials production for peers promotes motivation and participation willingness. Active involvement opposes the discouraging impression of young pupils, who often think themselves as passive receivers of obscure and uninspiring information during educational museums visits. In recent years, interactive educational activities in museums are developed, based on the utilization of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), such as playful applications for pupils’ mobile devices. The development of an interactive Augmented Reality (AR) playful activity in Hellenic Maritime Museum (HMM) is presented in this article. A small scale-study was conducted to measure the cognitive and attitude benefits for pupils after the completion of the study. The results are briefly presented in the article.