I have considered revising my project since the post entitled: “First Piece of the Puzzle.” I believe that any of the three potential projects could be completed by the end of the summer semester. I will add more to this blog post before the next class when I have narrowed it down to one specific project based on the ability to acquire sources in a reasonable amount of time and project suitability. I intend to complete all three projects regardless of which project I select for this class because they are all topics of special interest. Before I continue the process of narrowing down to one specific class-sized prototype project I need to consider three questions on Teaching and Learning History in the Digital Age.
How will digital media and/or digital tools be important to teaching your target audience about history and historical thinking?
Digital media and digital tools will be essential to teaching my target audience about history and historical thinking because of the use of data visualizations such as geospatial mapping and other media to convey history across time and space to immerse my audience in historical thinking about the past. I envision making my prototype as interactive as possible through Omeka or similar software. I welcome all suggestions on what platform to use.
What, specifically, about the digital environment will influence what you do and why?
The digital environment will specifically influence how I convey my chosen topic and what topic I ultimately choose to pursue given the shortened class. I am limited by capabilities with the software I choose to use. Nevertheless, I feel confident that whichever software or other digital media tools I choose to use will enhance my project and allow me to convey my love of history to my chosen audience.
How does this change or shape your final project pitch?
It forces me to reconsider which topic I will pursue given access to digital sources. The internet has exponentially increased scholars’ access to credible information. Nevertheless, there is still a lot of critical primary sources locked away in archives, libraries, and museums which have mostly been closed since the beginning of the COVID19 Pandemic beginning in March 2020. To compensate for the expected lack of physical primary sources I will need to consult frequently with libraries such as Fenwick Library online and attempt to locate digital primary sources.
