Play the Past: The Field Trip for the 21st-Century Learner

This groundbreaking project creates a new model for school field trips, using mobile and web technologies to capitalize on the natural behaviors and learning styles of today's students. Serving approximately 7,000 students annually, Play the Past demonstrates how museums can use technology to create self-directed, personalized, responsive field trip experiences that deepen students' connection to history while honing their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Upon entering the museum's Then Now Wow exhibit gallery, students receive handheld devices installed with the mobile application. The application enhances students' experiences and promotes interaction with the physical exhibit by encouraging them to answer questions, solve problems and collect digital artifacts related to the exhibit and MNHS collection items. Students and teachers can access this "digital backpack" of collected artifacts back in the classroom, further expanding on the field trip experience. In FY17, MNHS launched the "Tipi hub," which was developed with Dakota artists and activists to add more American Indian content to Play the Past. The new addition includes quests exploring Dakota art, language and food. MNHS is also expanding Play the Past into the Minnesota's Greatest Generation exhibit, with support from a National Endowment for Humanities grant. Students will explore stories from the Great Depression, World War II and the baby boom. This new expanded experience is being developed and prototyped in FY17 and will launch in fall 2017. In FY17, the program will be delivered to an estimated 7,500 students.