Viewing page 13 of 151

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

-7-

interactive project in universities, museums, public television stations, and other organizations. It will also describe the major "players" in the field -- individual, institutional, and corporate -- and will provide an annotated bibliography of reference materials.

Another area of activity for the Laboratory is the sponsoring of workshops and seminars. A seminar scheduled for April 7 will examine the impact of technology on the future of education. The seminar will be based on a recently completed study published by the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment. Workshops will include the use of videodisc technology to address special educational needs and language training.

[[underlined]] A Grammy Award and the Development of Smithsonian Media Center [[/underlined]]

On February 23, Ralph Rinzler and Tony Seeger, curator of Folkways, represented the Smithsonian Institution in Los Angeles at the Grammy Award presentation to "Folkways: A Vision Shared -- A Tribute to Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly" for the "best traditional folk recording."

While in Los Angeles, Rinzler and Seeger took the opportunity to meet with corporate executives in the film and recording industry to explore interest for corporate participation in the development of a media center at the Smithsonian.

The development of a media center is part of the long-term plan for proper synchronization, coordination, and communication of a "hypermedia" (technology integrated) approach to publications at the Smithsonian. Central to the idea is the concept that under a common roof and working parity, programs concerned with the development of educational products could have a common conceptual and organizational structure. Such a plan would bring together existing offices and bureaus at the Smithsonian: the film and video production unit (OTC); the still photography collection of the Office of Photo Services; the optical publications unit; and the existing recordings division of the SI Press, which in turn would be programmatically fused with the recording production activities of the Folklife Division and the cassette fulfillment activities of Folkways Records. With national and international corporate support and that of local real estate and construction interests, an office structure could be established near the National Mall to house these programs under one roof.

[[underlined]] Growing Collaboration with the D.C. Public Schools [[/underlined]]

The Smithsonian's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and the D.C. Public Schools have cooperated in running this year's "Chapter 1 Museum Project." The Museum Project pairs eight Smithsonian museums with eight D.C. elementary schools located in inner city neighborhoods. Children from these schools have been visiting the museums repeatedly for special programs designed to strengthen their reading and writing skills. This year's culminating event, scheduled for May, will include an exhibition of the children's art (inspired by their museum visits), as well as performances in which the children interpret their museum experiences. Plans are now being laid for expanding the project in 1989/90 to involve not only more museums and more schools but also the Kennedy Center's Alliance for Arts Education.

In a related enterprise, the Smithsonian is working with teachers from four D.C. public elementary schools in the Petworth neighborhood. Supported by