Building a Community of Learners: Using Open-Source Software to Develop a Docent Training Hub

Our goal: empower a diverse docent community to create their own training hub. Powered by open-source software and an ambitious docent corps, we wondered how to provide a space for docents to self-moderate and share responsibility while adhering to an intuition's guidelines and oversight? A demonstration of the site will provide fodder for discussing the planning, revision, and maintenance workflows that evolved. Modules developed include plugins for the docent library, museum exhibitions, training materials, and roster. Participants will receive links to the custom built software we have released as open source on GitHub. Discussion will focus on lessons learned and how other institutions can incorporate open-source tools for their own training needs.

Transcript

1. Building a Community of Learners: Using Open-Source Software to Develop a Docent Training Hub RYAN KING, DIGITAL EXPERIENCE DESIGNER
2. Building a Community of Learners: Using Open-Source Software to Develop a Docent Training Hub Ryan King @ryancanhelpyou #MCN2016 @ryancanhelpyou 02
3. Overview #MCN2016 @ryancanhelpyou 03 • Scenario • Planning / Process • Site Demo • Theme + Plugin Development • Summary + Next Steps
4. Scenario #MCN2016 @ryancanhelpyou 04
5. Docents #MCN2016 @ryancanhelpyou 05
6. Docents Institution #MCN2016 @ryancanhelpyou 06 +
7. Key Players #MCN2016 @ryancanhelpyou 07 • Docent Technology Committee (DTC) • Education Department (EDU) • Digital Media & Technology (DMT) • SI Central (OCIO)
8. "Has anyone ever said, 'I wish I could go to more meetings today'?" - Matt Mullenweg #MCN2016 @ryancanhelpyou 08
9. "Failure is a bruise, not a tattoo." - Jon Sinclair #MCN2016 @ryancanhelpyou 09 "Do not fear mistakes - there are none." - Miles Davis "Fail, fail again, fail better" - Samuel Beckett
10. Planning / Process #MCN2016 @ryancanhelpyou 010
11. Why Open-source? #MCN2016 @ryancanhelpyou 011 • Free in cost • Free in ability to modify content • Free in the ability to control our data (it’s not locked into a proprietary system)
12. Drupal WordPress #MCN2016 @ryancanhelpyou 012
13. Site Demo #MCN2016 @ryancanhelpyou 013
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22. Theme + Plugin development #MCN2016 @ryancanhelpyou 022
23. Custom Post Types #MCN2016 @ryancanhelpyou 023 • CPT UI https://wordpress.org/plugins/custom-post-type-ui/
24. #MCN2016 @ryancanhelpyou 024 • Training • Research • Library • People • Newsletter • Announcements • Banner • Hands-On Inventory • Web Manual
25. Custom Fields #MCN2016 @ryancanhelpyou 025 • Advanced Custom Fields https://wordpress.org/plugins/advanced-custom-fields/
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29. Code Generator #MCN2016 @ryancanhelpyou 029 • GenerateWP https://generatewp.com
30. User Roles #MCN2016 @ryancanhelpyou 030 • Members https://wordpress.org/plugins/members/ ‒ Docents (subscriber) ‒ DTC (editor) ‒ EDU (editor) ‒ Admin (admin)
31. User Profiles #MCN2016 @ryancanhelpyou 031 • BuddyPress https://buddypress.org • Ultimate Member https://ultimatemember.com
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33. Starter Theme #MCN2016 @ryancanhelpyou 033 • _s http://underscores.me • _s Components http://components.underscores.me • wd_s generator https://wdunderscores.com
35. Next #MCN2016 @ryancanhelpyou 035
36. Community #MCN2016 @ryancanhelpyou 036 • Continue to refine • Evaluation • Ongoing maintenance • Share code and collaborate • Internationalization / translation
37. "Technology is best when it brings people together." - Matt Mullenweg #MCN2016 @ryancanhelpyou 037
38. Resources #MCN2016 @ryancanhelpyou 038 • GitHub Repository https://github.com/FreerSackler/DocentTrainingSite • WordPress and Museums listserv http://s.si.edu/2f6boY5
39. Thank you! #MCN2016 @ryancanhelpyou 039 Ryan King kingr@si.edu @ryancanhelpyou