Giulia DIONISIO | Anna Margherita JASINK
(University of Florence, Italy)

Keywords: Aegean Civilizations, Teaching, Primary school, multimedia reconstructions, Museums

The profitable example of The Municipal Archaeological Museum and the primary school of Montelupo Fiorentino, Italy

Abstract:
The use of interactive devices, like multimedia blackboards, tablets, personal computers, is establishing itself as a fundamental teaching tool in primary and secundary schools. The contribution of new technologies turned out to be quite significant also in the study of topics like ancient history, where students can nicely supplement materials from textbooks with images, educational paths and games, and virtual reconstructions of ancient civilisations environments. It is intended that the efficacy of such a mixed traditional and technological approach can be ensured by specialized personnel, able to complement (rather than substitute) the classical teaching methods with technologies to discover ancient history.
It is since three years that the MUSINT (Interactive Museum of Aegean and Cypriote Collections in Tuscany) project at the University of Florence started a collaboration with the Municipal Archaeological Museum and the Primary School of Montelupo Fiorentino, to introduce the pupils to the Ancient Aegean Civilisations exploiting an interactive educational process including multimedia reconstructions, animated myths and legends, tridimensional archaeological digitalized finds from Tuscan museums (including the municipal Museum). Some of the finds of this latter small museum have actually been the protagonists to lead directly in the classroom to new educational paths with an active contribution by the pupils. For instance, using the technological tools, the pupils have attempted a virtual restoration of some vases, choosing the products to use and deciding how to integrate the missing parts.
The project, supported by Regione Toscana, Comune and School of Montelupo, has been very successful and appears as a pilote project to be further developed and expanded for the following basic reasons:
• The pupils have actively and entusiastically partecipated to the program;
• the pupils not only gained a good acquaintance with widespread technological devices but also could perceive the ancient history under a more attractive and concrete prospective;
• the project also gave to pupils a direct access and knowledge of the Regional cultural heritage