The vitality of digital storytelling quickly became apparent as I searched for articles for this assignment. The difficulty wasn't in finding articles, but in narrowing the selection. I decided to try and find articles that were online, rather than simply available through our library databases, in an effort to make it easy for everyone to access them. (Linking to the databases requires readers to eventually login, etc). So here we go:
Jean Burgess, "Hearing Ordinary Voices: Cultural Studies, Vernacular Creativity and Digital Storytelling," Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies 20, no. 2 (2006):pp. 201-214.
This article argues that digital storytelling transforms everyday personal experiences into a shared public culture. The creative process takes the project beyond a simple exchange of information and makes it a social endeavor that can touch people and help the storytellers feel like a part of something.
Jason Ohler, "The World of Digital Storytelling," Educational Leadership 63, no. 4 (December 2005/January 2006): 44-47.
Like many of the articles on digital storytelling out there, this one focuses on how the process contributes to learning. Ohler says digital storytelling offers a great deal to education, provided teachers abide by two rules. They must focus on the story first, and they must use the storytelling to develop the students' skills in critical thinking, expository writing, and media literacy.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Saturday, September 3, 2011
The rest of the assignment for September 6
The two articles I read about using digital media with history were both found on the JSTOR database:
"The Promise of Digital History in the Teaching of Local History"
Author(s): W. Guy Clarke and John K. Lee
Source: The Clearing House, Vol. 78, No. 2 (Nov. - Dec., 2004), pp. 84-87
and
"Scholars Will Soon Be Instructed through the Eye": E-Supplements and the Teaching of U.S.
History"
Author(s): David Jaffee
Source: The Journal of American History, Vol. 89, No. 4 (Mar., 2003), pp. 1463-1482
Both were interesting reads and gave an idea of how digital media can enhance history, especially at the high school level where students are used to history being nothing more than a bunch of facts they have to memorize.
Questions:
1. Digital histories are effective for scholarship at the high school and undergraduate level, because they engage the students in a way that's normal for them. History becomes visual, alive, and not just some names and dates on a textbook page. Today's younger students are used to sound bites and YouTube clips. Putting history into these types of format make them more palatable to a digital generation.
2. A quality video clip can engage the audience, especially if it provides more than just a talking head. A variety of images accompanying the monologue is more visually appealing and mentally stimulating. A well-produced and acted re-enactment can be very engaging, as well. Or perhaps an animated one.
3. The intended audience varies. The sites I selected tended to cater to both the historical scholar and the general public. For instance, The National Archives site offers elements for professional historians, people tracing their family trees, and students of all ages on its site. It also offers a variety of content suitable for the wide-ranging audience.
4. The sites I used are produced by either academic entities (such as the UT of Austin Texas Legacy Project), libraries, or archives. As such I'd consider them authoritative.
"The Promise of Digital History in the Teaching of Local History"
Author(s): W. Guy Clarke and John K. Lee
Source: The Clearing House, Vol. 78, No. 2 (Nov. - Dec., 2004), pp. 84-87
and
"Scholars Will Soon Be Instructed through the Eye": E-Supplements and the Teaching of U.S.
History"
Author(s): David Jaffee
Source: The Journal of American History, Vol. 89, No. 4 (Mar., 2003), pp. 1463-1482
Both were interesting reads and gave an idea of how digital media can enhance history, especially at the high school level where students are used to history being nothing more than a bunch of facts they have to memorize.
Questions:
1. Digital histories are effective for scholarship at the high school and undergraduate level, because they engage the students in a way that's normal for them. History becomes visual, alive, and not just some names and dates on a textbook page. Today's younger students are used to sound bites and YouTube clips. Putting history into these types of format make them more palatable to a digital generation.
2. A quality video clip can engage the audience, especially if it provides more than just a talking head. A variety of images accompanying the monologue is more visually appealing and mentally stimulating. A well-produced and acted re-enactment can be very engaging, as well. Or perhaps an animated one.
3. The intended audience varies. The sites I selected tended to cater to both the historical scholar and the general public. For instance, The National Archives site offers elements for professional historians, people tracing their family trees, and students of all ages on its site. It also offers a variety of content suitable for the wide-ranging audience.
4. The sites I used are produced by either academic entities (such as the UT of Austin Texas Legacy Project), libraries, or archives. As such I'd consider them authoritative.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Other digital histories
The first online digital history resource I'd like to share is The Texas Legacy Project. You can find it here. I'm familiar with the site through my connection to environmental history. When you go to the page, you'll discover that the Texas Legacy Project is actually a part of a much grander digital history treasure trove from the Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin. You can get to the main site here. Does that count as two? Probably not. :-)
My second choice is something a little closer to home for me. It's the Florida Library History Project. To be honest, I didn't even know this existed until I got to rummaging for this assignment. The site is hosted by the University of South Florida in Tampa and is a collaboration of libraries throughout Florida. I did a little bit of rummaging and was quite impressed with the content. This link takes you to the Collections by Subject page, which gives you an idea of what is available. It's a shame I'm not an historian of Florida!
My third selection is a site I have made use of in my own research. It's nothing fancy, but the image gallery of the Lancashire Lantern in England has proven invaluable to me. I was actually able to use one of the photographs in my master's thesis last year.
Since I'm dabbling in England, I can't possibly not mention The National Archives. Its site keeps growing. It not only contains some digitized documents, but also such offerings as podcasts, educational elements, and RSS feeds. It's definitely worth a look.
I know there is more to this assignment, but for now I'm just leaving you with the links. I'll address the rest later. Right now, I should probably go to bed. It's nearly midnight!
My second choice is something a little closer to home for me. It's the Florida Library History Project. To be honest, I didn't even know this existed until I got to rummaging for this assignment. The site is hosted by the University of South Florida in Tampa and is a collaboration of libraries throughout Florida. I did a little bit of rummaging and was quite impressed with the content. This link takes you to the Collections by Subject page, which gives you an idea of what is available. It's a shame I'm not an historian of Florida!
My third selection is a site I have made use of in my own research. It's nothing fancy, but the image gallery of the Lancashire Lantern in England has proven invaluable to me. I was actually able to use one of the photographs in my master's thesis last year.
Since I'm dabbling in England, I can't possibly not mention The National Archives. Its site keeps growing. It not only contains some digitized documents, but also such offerings as podcasts, educational elements, and RSS feeds. It's definitely worth a look.
I know there is more to this assignment, but for now I'm just leaving you with the links. I'll address the rest later. Right now, I should probably go to bed. It's nearly midnight!
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Themes for August 31st
I'm trying to keep the themes as general as possible, since we won't know the time frame in which our interviewees attended UH until we actually start talking to them. Here's what I've come up with:
What was the biggest fad/trend?
I was thinking about our discussion in class about streakers with this one. Was streaking the big fad when the interviewee was at UH? Maybe it was hula hoops or stuffing telephone booths. I feel this can give us a sense of the era and they provide wonderful visuals.
What event stands out as the most prominent?
This could cover the gamut from a big win in a football game to an historical event. Again, I think these have good visual potential. They can also place UH into the historical context. For instance, maybe a game win stands out because it was the first time a minority player was on the team. Or it was the first game after women became students.
How much has the campus changed?
This gets us into the built environment and could trigger a memory of a building that's long gone, etc. Again, I'm trying to think visually.
What was the biggest fad/trend?
I was thinking about our discussion in class about streakers with this one. Was streaking the big fad when the interviewee was at UH? Maybe it was hula hoops or stuffing telephone booths. I feel this can give us a sense of the era and they provide wonderful visuals.
What event stands out as the most prominent?
This could cover the gamut from a big win in a football game to an historical event. Again, I think these have good visual potential. They can also place UH into the historical context. For instance, maybe a game win stands out because it was the first time a minority player was on the team. Or it was the first game after women became students.
How much has the campus changed?
This gets us into the built environment and could trigger a memory of a building that's long gone, etc. Again, I'm trying to think visually.
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