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Using Technology to Deepen and Extend Visitors’ Interactions with Dioramas

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Natural History Dioramas

Abstract

Working from the premise that dioramas are portals into ecosystems past and present, we examine the affordances of technology to help visitors step through these portals into a richer understanding of ecosystems. We first describe what we mean by a richer understanding of ecosystems. Using three examples we illustrate the basic affordances of dioramas for model-based learning and the use of technology to enhance visitor interactions with the ecosystems they represent. We conclude with a discussion of principled ways of using technology to facilitate model-based learning by deepening visitors’ engagement with the diorama and extending the experience beyond the visit.

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Correspondence to Barbara C. Buckley .

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Loveland, M., Buckley, B., Quellmalz, E. (2015). Using Technology to Deepen and Extend Visitors’ Interactions with Dioramas. In: Tunnicliffe, S., Scheersoi, A. (eds) Natural History Dioramas. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9496-1_8

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