FAQ-Participants
From Digital-JumpStart
What is Digital-JumpStart?
Digital-JumpStart is based on the notion that members of our community should capitalize on the wisdom of the crowd and our collective experience with free and open source technologies, agile development, and tricky institutional relationships. This is not about experts and novices. It is about building a community of practice that allows for sharing and innovation. These sessions will be most useful for those thinking about online exhibitions, mobile content delivery, collecting stories or photographs from different audiences, or creating a digital archive. We expect to engage a wide range of participants representing small to medium sized institutions, those new to museum technology work, and seasoned professionals willing to share their expertise and insight with the rest of the community.
How do I participate?
You can participate in a Digital-JumpStart session by joining the conversation--first online in this wiki, and then in person by attending the session and participating in break-out groups. Each break-out group will have a facilitator, but the participants--their insights and interests--are the heart of the session.
What role will I play as a participant in a Digital-JumpStart session?
The participants in a Digital-JumpStart sessions are the key to their success. You will come from a range of backgrounds, but you all have an interest in doing digital work at your institution. Many of you will be new to digital ventures and will bring questions about how you can help their institutions start new ventures. Others of you will be museum professionals with some experience with digital work, but with particular interest in a new area or development. Digital-JumpStart sessions are open to all meeting participants, so expect a good mix of people willing to share their questions and experiences.
How will a Digital-JumpStart session proceed?
It is important that we make the best use of our limited time. Thus, Digital-JumpStart sessions are very simple. We will begin with very brief introductions for the topics and facilitators. Facilitators will be stationed at tables by topic. After introductions the participants will move to a table to begin discussion. After a period of time, we break and allow participants to choose another table. Finally, we will gather for a short plenary discussion of the work of the day.
What tools will I have at my disposal during a session?
Each small-group table will have access to a flip-chart and markers. We are diligently trying to get access to wireless for all participants during the Digital-JumpStart session. Short of that, we will attempt to at least have one internet connection per group.
How will we record our session findings or output?
Facilitators and participants can and should actively edit the Discussion Topics pages on this wiki. Those pages should reflect the questions of the group going into the session and the work-product of their break-out conversations. We encourage everyone to come back to these pages and to treat them as a living resource for those interesting in doing digital work in museums.
Additionally, everyone should feel free to tweet the session using #djump as a hashtag. We have set-up a TwapperKeeper archive to capture those tweets for future reference.
Join us May 23 at AAM!!
- Watch our introductory video
- Check the list of awesome Facilitators (growing every day!)
- Read the FAQ for Participants or the FAQ for Facilitators
- Check this cartoon that personifies the un-conference experience
- Learn more: What is Digital-JumpStart?
- Can't come to AAM? Try our Digital-JumpStart Help Desk
- Still have questions: Email us: sleon at gmu.edu or edsonm at si.edu
