You have to wonder why is there not an online resource of science demonstrations where science museum educators and teachers can share information about how to best present science in a fun and engaging way?
Of course you can search the internet with varying degrees of success for information. More often than not you might seek out feedback or information from your coworkers. If you're lucky there is an experienced staff member who knows a few clever ways of doing a given demo who can pass on a slice of information. Various books exist that often give detailed recipes for a given demo, but sometimes lack that "spark" that really makes things resonate with the audience.
Since the 2005 ASTC conference I've been playing with various ways creating such a collection of information. I'm a huge fan of the Wiki idea, but only if you have a critical mass of contributors and editors to filter out the enevitatable spam. Say what you may about wikipedia's authority, but as a collaborative community site it seems to work. Recently I've become a fan of the Drupal content management system and I think it might provide a more user friendly option for a community demonstration site.
From postings on the ASTC listserv it appears that ASTC 2007 has ignited interest in sharing information about museum related topics, be it exhibit design or demonstration information. So DemoFiles.org is an experiment, or perhaps a challenge, to all people who present science to the public. Do you have a clever or great way to present a science concept to the general pubic? Why are you hoarding that information? My contention is you should share it with the rest of the science community so we can all benfit from your experience. So fire up your browser and upload your spin, your recipe, your essential "tips-and-tricks" for others to share and learn from.
Carl Nelson
Director of Exhibits & Facilities
COSI Toledo
