Loreto College students studying BTEC Level 2 in Information and Creative Technology (ICT) recently visited Manchester Museum as part of their coursework project. Their project explores the use of multimedia technology by organisations. During their visit, the students took photographs and videos of the museum and its contents to include in their project. The assignment requires them to create an interactive app that visitors can use as a guide and an advertising video to promote the museum to potential visitors.

The students were fascinated by the ‘Golden Mummies of Egypt’ exhibit, which ends in April. They learned about the concept of mummification and discovered that the coffins on display contained actual dead bodies. One of the coffins was left open, giving them a glimpse of the mummified feet and head.

In addition to the mummies, the students visited the museum’s natural history gallery and were amazed by the variety of stuffed animals exhibited. They also saw live species of multicoloured frogs, lizards, and chameleons. The black and yellow poison dart frogs caught their attention as they resembled pieces of shiny plastic. Only when the frogs started moving did the students realise they were real. The students also explored the dinosaur exhibits, which included the cast of the T-Rex and the bones of other species.

The students visited the Chinese and South Asian galleries, where they saw a range of artefacts, exquisite crafts, designs, costumes, and paintings. They even came across a full-sized, elaborately decorated rickshaw. The ICT students conducted themselves well and thoroughly enjoyed their visit with some already planning their next trip to the museum.