Webinars and Professional Development

These webinars are just the best! I don’t know if they’ve been around for very long or not. I don’t think they have. It seems like they just appeared in full force overnight! Since January, I’ve “attended” two as a paid participant, and two as a non-paid participant. The advantage of being a paid participant is that you have the opportunity to interact with the panelists and participants, and although I hesitate to jump in, I love being there for the real time conversations.

My first webinar, “Excellence and Equity-Then, Now and Next: Education and the Public Dimension of Museums”, was presented by the American Association of Museums. After just a few clicks on the computer, MGP’s registrar Jim Whiteley, the Living History Interpreter Tim Poteete and I found ourselves with colleagues from across the nation… and incredible presenters such as Elaine Heumann Gurian, who has accomplished so much in her life. She received the American Association of Museums “Distinguished Service to Museums Award” (2004); the “Outstanding Learning Disabled Achiever Award” for the Lab School of Washington (1993); “The Distinguished Service Alumni Award for the Class of 1958” from the Brandeis University; and the “Museum Educator’s Award for Excellence” (1985). This webinar was of particular interest due to the fact that it was all about the first attempts made by museum professionals (early 1990s), to define the role of education in museums, which in turn resulted in the “the first major report on the educational role of museums ever to be issued by AAM—a report that continues to stimulate and challenge multiple generations of museum professionals” (Pitman) and led to refocusing on major AAM programs and initiatives, including the evolution of accreditation, the Public Dimension Assessment of the Museum Assessment Program (MAP), and Museums and Community.

These webinars are such a great opportunity to connect and learn from top notch professionals from around the nation (and sometimes from around the world), get in touch with current trends and new directions, make some new freinds....all in an afternoon or two, without spending time or money on travel, without missing a beat at work... they are just the best!

Planning the Spring Encampment 2009

Lawton Public School's Executive Director of Public Relations and Communication, Keith Mitchell, helped me to distribute yet another survey to teachers last week. This one to inquire which week in April we should have the annual Spring Encampment program. So far April 20-25 has the most votes. This living history program is really neat, if I do say so myself! There's absolutely nothing like it for miles and miles around. One reason being that the program takes place in a replicated southern Plains trading post! I mean, this trading post was built according to a actual description written in the diary of a 1840s traveler! It's as close to the real thing as you can get! And, the trade store is full of the actual sorts of 1840s trade items you would find in such a place. Strings of red, yellow, white and turquoise glass beads hang from hooks nailed into the ceiling beams, (I think they're ceiling beams...). Also hanging along the beams are light weight tin lanterns and heavy metal traps. On the shelves behind the counter are little round mirrors, triangular packets of red rouge, hair combs made of bone, playing cards and dice. On the other end you'll find sacks of coffee, sugar, and flour; red and black wool blankets, and calico printed fabric. That's not all, but I won't go on. You really should see it for yourself! The only thing else I must say is concerning the interpreters, who will always be the most amazing part of the whole event. Not only because of their expertise on the history of 1830s-1840s fur trade in the southern Plains, and their ability to relate this history to guests of all ages, but because of their unbelievable generosity. I'll tell you right here and now, we have never and will never have the money to repay them for their time and worth. We are truly indebted to them.

More History on the Museum

This research on the Museum's history has really been interesting. According to "Our Historical Society Heritage or How We Started" by Arthur R. Lawrence, written for the Chronicles of Comanche County, the Museum can trace its beginnings back to the Comanche County Historical Society, which you could say traces its beginnings back to 1930 when the first efforts to establish such a society was made! These dates and activities were confirmed by articles printed in the Lawton Constitution. Such as one dated April 11, 1930 which reads, "first steps in the formation of a Comanche County Historical Society were made at 4 o'clock Thursday afternoon when a temporary organization was created at a meeting held in the Chamber of Commerce headquarters." The article goes on to list the temporary officers as John Shields, chairman and Harry Stroud, secretary. The article also notes that a committee comprised of John Hopps, Dan Becker and Harry Stroud was selected to draw up a constitution and by-laws; the membership committee included Arthur Lawrence, C. E. Price of Cache, and Fred Call. While off to a great start - fine banquets, outings to the Wichita Mountains, interviews of old prospectors and miners of the mountains-the society did not last much longer than a couple of years. Perhaps the depression years had something to do with it. More than twenty years would pass before "a foutunate occurance" led to the re-establishment of the Commanche County Historical Society.