Museum Education Meets Digital Technologies: Impacts on Teaching and Teacher Training

This paper analyses the impact of digitalisation on education, with a focus on teacher training and the integration of emerging technologies, such as virtual reality (VR) and NFC technology, in museum education. These innovative tools offer the potential to transform learning, making it more interactive and engaging. However, their implementation requires a review of teaching strategies, privileging experiential and student-centred approaches. Despite their great potential, the adoption of these technologies is held back by significant challenges, including economic limitations, cultural resistance to change and deficiencies in the specific training of teachers and educators. To address these critical issues, the importance of promoting advanced digital skills, including the conscious use of technological tools and the ability to design meaningful and targeted learning experiences, emerges. The study adopts a cross-sectional exploratory survey that was conducted to examine attitudes and beliefs of support teachers in training regarding the role of educational technologies in the development of museum education. The research question aims to identify a direction to follow to investigate students’ needs and improve teachers’ attitudes, favoring the development of teaching more responsive to emerging needs. The analysis of the collected data allows to identify key themes, critical factors and obstacles in the adoption of emerging technologies. In conclusion, the paper describe the point of view of the participants about the integration of digital technologies that can increase pedagogical effectiveness and student engagement, but to fully realize this potential, continuous support, adequate resources and specific and targeted training are necessary.