The pillars of education at the Auschwitz Memorial are the testimonies of survivors
and the authenticity of the site. We are currently living in a time when the last witnesses are leaving us and finding an alternative to meeting them presents a significant challenge. However, we can preserve the authenticity of the place and do so with great commitment because it is our belief that if there are still visitors in fifty or one hundred years, the value of seeing the authentic place will be immeasurable to them. The use of new technologies
in a place like ours initially seemed questionable. Nevertheless, the pandemic has demonstrated that traveling to locations such as the Auschwitz Museum, due to reasons beyond our control, can be difficult or even impossible. Consequently, we must explore new ways to reach people interested in this history who, for various reasons, will never be able to visit this place. One option is to create an application for guiding visitors remotely.
We also have representatives here from other museums and memorial sites that employ various new technologies in their activities. They have been researching changes
in teaching younger generations in a world dominated by new technologies and in a world where civilization as a whole is undergoing transformation. - Dr. Piotr M. A. Cywiński
Dr. Piotr M. A. Cywiński also paid attention that visiting Auschwitz or another authentic site is a rite of passage. Visitors emerge from these places somewhat changed as they gain new experiences and knowledge. For many years, memorials and museums have been engaged in a debate about the use of new technologies, which could potentially distance us from authenticity. The fear of what might be lost by embracing something virtual looms large
in the discussion. Is it important enough to warrant the risk? COVID-19 fundamentally altered our way of thinking and reignited this debate. What needs to be done? Are there limits, dangers, and difficulties? Where do our authentic sites and human beings fit within all these technological advancements?
At the start of the discussion, the panelists were pondering whether a distinction should
be made between authentic sites and others. The roles that different sites played
in the history of WWII and the Holocaust appear to significantly influence the choices made in the use of new technologies because visitor needs differ when remnants of the past are visible or, conversely, nonexistent. For instance, in the case of Bergen-Belsen, where
the buildings no longer exist, one can understand their need for augmented reality to help their visitors comprehend the historical depth of their site.
The questions that Bergen-Belsen’s visitors contend with are quite different from those
of visitors to an extermination camp where we still see ruins. For me, I’m kind of keen
to understand what an authentic site is and how we sort of think about the parameters that we draw around that. And also, to me, the secondary question is, you’ve got the authentic site, but you also have museums, conference centers, and now the online world. Do we think of those different parts of the authentic site as having very different functions? My sense
of what you are trying now in the online digital virtual world is that it feels like a space
of creativity for more educational pedagogic kinds of practices, but the actual physical site needs to be preserved as a more, perhaps, meditative, commemorative kind of place. –
Dr. Matthew Boswell
In a memorial site, the fundamental first question for Dr. Jennifer Rich is: Why use technology? What does it add to the visitor experience? Of course, since COVID-19, this question has become more important than ever, as we've seen the opportunities that new technologies bring to engage all learners and explore alternative ways to learn
about a memorial site. When we consider what constitutes effective Holocaust education, there isn't a single perfect answer but a variety of different possibilities. The only requirement is that a memorial site stays true to its purpose. For Dr. Maria Zalewska,
the most pressing question is: Do physical places still matter in the digital age?
“What is our relationship to the physicality of a place? I don’t think that it matters this much whether it is a death camp or a concentration camp. […] That goes beyond education about the Holocaust. That is a broader question for educators and for people. What is our relationship to physical places in a moment where our lives have shifted online? There is something about the moment that we are in, and yes, the pandemic has sort of made it very clear how drastically fast the changes are, but this existential crisis has been happening for a few decades. Losing the survivors slowly, and the pandemic sped it up. During the pandemic, we all shifted online, so our media literacy has shifted. We’re catching up with the kids that have been there for ten or fifteen years. So, we are shocked, but we are just catching up.” – Maria Zalewska