Current methods and technologies have enabled public history to reach new audiences. Methods include storyboarding, site based story telling and community outreach while technologies include omeka collections, exhibition mobile exhibits, podcasts, and virtual reality.  A commonality amongst current methods and technologies is a focus on user interactivity, cultural relevance, and entertainment value. As a result, methods and technologies can be combined together in the creation of public history initiatives. 

Personally, I have used storyboarding as a means of paper-prototyping the layout and design of my prototype omeka site and collection. The planning process allowed me to consider the visual interactives I would include in my site for the purpose of user engagement and entertainment. In a similar manner, site based storytelling, the use of a specific location’s history to initiate a historical narrative, has also been helpful for user engagement and entertainment. Projects related to site-based storytelling have emerged onto the public history scene in the last couple of years such as mobile interpretive projects.

A notable mobile interpretative project is the Cleveland Historical project, a mobile application and mobile optimized website. The project’s focus is the city of Cleveland, Ohio and utilizes multimedia, sound, geolocation to share the city’s cultural history. The Cleveland Project has easy to use archival software that allows “interpretative content to be customized for local history events, community endeavors or classroom learning.” (Tebeau, 26). 

Community outreach methods have also been used to engage local communities in their own cultural history. It is a collaborative approach to history that bridges the divide between museums and the communities they reside. Local community members then have the opportunity to contribute to the historical narrative. The Penderlea Homestead Museum has utilized community outreach by encouraging locals to curate their own exhibits. These exhibits are then informed by the personal experiences and perspectives of community members. In doing so, these exhibits are culturally relevant to the surrounding locality. 

Podcasts and virtual reality have an entertainment element that sets them apart from other technologies. These two technologies can use multimedia to engage and educate a wider range of audiences with interpretative content. The interpretative content can be delivered through either audio or visual storytelling that can engage the listener. Podcasts can reach a wider audience through streaming platforms like Spotify, Itunes and YouTube Music while virtual reality can be used on computers and consoles as well as within museum exhibits. Just like radio, podcasts have the ability to expose listeners to history at their own pace whether it’s on a drive to work or cleaning the house. In the same vein, virtual reality can intrigue younger audiences and allow them to interact with history in a more thought provoking manner through visuals.