We spent a large portion of the final regular session of the MicroMuseum reflecting on our favorite moments in the program, what we enjoyed learning about and what most surprised us.
When we asked, “What was one of your favorite moments in MicroMusuem?” many talked about the science content:
“The thing I most enjoyed learning would definitely have to be about what kinds of bacteria are on the poles on the train and how there are microbes everywhere. I also enjoyed learning about the home-biome and how to really work with other people. I enjoyed learning how many different bacteria are in the museum just from culturing swabs.”
“Overall, I mostly enjoyed the science learning aspect of the program. Working with microscopes for the first time was fun and an amazing experience.”
“I enjoyed learning about all the different microorganisms.”
“I thought touring the labs was so cool, looking at the electron microscope and then looking at Susan’s lab. It was part of the museum I didn’t even know existed.”
Many talked about the team building activities, and learning about augmented reality:
“One of my most favorite moments in MicroMuseum would be the hands-on/interactive activities. They helped me to learn new things in different ways.”
“When we saw a lot of augmented reality life apps– IKEA, Haagen-Dazs–it gave me a good experience and a taste of the future world.”
“Learning about augmented reality. It was something I hadn’t been exposed to before. It’s cool how the game incorporates modern technology and is educational at the same time. ”
“My favorite moments at MM were the ice breakers where we really got to bond as a group.
And many reflected on their experience of writing a script and acting in front of a green screen!
“Being given the chance to be videotaped in front of a green screen was something I have never experienced ever and it was awesome. Although I dislike watching myself.”
“One of my favorite moments in MicroMuseum was the acting. I liked seeing how different people interpreted the different roles.
“Making the script itself, just brainstorming.”
They also learned a lot of new things while serving as MicroRangers. Some things that they most enjoyed learning about included microbes and technology:
“I enjoyed learning about the different types of real life situations involving microbes. It was really interesting and there was a lot I didn’t know about.”
“Something that I enjoyed learning was about the African Pygmies and how because of their diet they have better microbiomes.”
“I enjoyed learning about microbes and other lab experiences.”
“The microbiome and my life!”
“I enjoyed learning about different types of microorganisms as well as the variety of technology (such as AR).”
“I enjoyed learning about PCR, also augmented reality.”
When asked to reflect on something that surprised them the most, students listed the quality of the information presented and some of the new things that they learned:
“What surprised me the most is the quality of information presented.”
“Something that surprised me the most is that when we breathe air we’re breathing in bug parts.”
“What surprised me the most was how much bacteria that we found on the water fountain in the museum and how the bacteria on our right hand is significantly different than the ones on our left. Also it surprised me how much I learned from just attending this program.”
Many were also surprised by the big role they played in the production of the MicroRangers prototype.
“The role we all had as teenagers. We had a big role in such a grand production of an app. I felt we all had a major contribution to the entirety of the app.”
“The role all participants played. We played a larger role than I expected.”
And how friendships and confidence grew over the course of the program.
“What I was really surprised by was, if you remember the first session, no one was raising their hands but we’ve developed as a group and now you guys are raising your hands. That was surprising and really, really nice.”
“Doing all of the filming and seeing what amazing actors everyone was, was really cool to watch. “
They were also surprised by how quickly the program advanced:
“How quick the time went and how much got done.”
“I was most surprised by how quickly the project progressed.”
“The progress we made with the script and filming was done in two days.”
Finally, when asked to predict the future for the MicroRanger Prototype, the predictions were nothing but positive and forecast great success.
“Kids will be begging their mom [to] play.”
“The future for MicroRanger holds great things, but there will always be room for improvement. I feel that this game will appeal to many age groups.”
“The prototype will be a success and it will develop into an actual game. It will attract more people to the museum.”
“I predict that this MicroRanger prototype will be a success and enjoyable for any audience/age group.”
“The future that I think this project will have is that it will become something great. It will get finished and everyone will enjoy it.”
“If it’s a success, we might update the app with more events, games and other locations. If the app becomes popular, then we might gather together again to add extra things to the app.”
“I think it has a lot of potential, maybe even in daily life, people will think of MicroRangers.”
“I think the MicroRanger game will be a success because it seems like a fun game to play, especially for kids who do not like going to the museum.”
“For this course specifically I think that the MicroRanger app has a lot of potential. It’s super fun and the tourists love it.”
“I think MicroRanger is going to be a really fun and interesting game when everything comes together. All the AR, minigames and videos are all going to be brought to life and hopefully we get called back to work on it more.”
As the group was going off in separate directions, when asked “what are you going to miss the most?” responses mentioned the feeling of being a part of something…
“I’m going to miss the feeling of actually being a part of something new and cool to the museum.”
“I’m going to miss the feeling of being a part of something. We made such a great contribution to this.”
… the people…
“Seeing some of the wonderful people here.”
“Fun working with new people.”
“Getting to talk to people I don’t usually see and getting to see science and technology together. Having something to work/towards and the feedback on the process.”
“The thing I’m going to miss the most is all the people I’ve met.”
“One thing I’ll miss the most is coming here being greeted by nice people and learning about new things that are all over. Before I came here I couldn’t name all of the stuffed microbes, now I know some names.”
“I’m going to miss everybody here considering I actually know people’s names now and I know faces now.
… and the positive attitudes…
“The most important thing I am going to miss for a month is the attitude which is displayed here. Everyone always seems to be in a great energetic mood, which brightens up my day after a long day of school.”
“The overall attitude of the program. You actually want to come here after school, because after a long day of school it is actually fun to come here.”
… Oh yes, and the fun
“I’m going to miss playing the fun ice breakers before every session.”
“The fun we had during the program.”
