Digital History & Research Success

A few weeks ago in my Digital History class, we were fortunate enough to have guest speaker Mark Tovey come in and teach us a bit about how to digitally reconstruct historic buildings and locations. Specifically, I was excited to find out that the architectural plans that I found at the County of Oxford Archives pertaining to the old County of Oxford Jail would be of a HUGE benefit for me.

In the digital history class we are working on individual projects pertaining to historic buildings and/or sites. We are expected to use new digital formats and digitize the building the best we can. I have decided to create an interactive timeline using the program Capzles for the first half of the project. For the second I intend to learn how to use Sketch-Up through the numerous instructional Youtube videos that I have come across and then digitally reconstruct the building and create a virtual tour. A tall order I know, but I think that the jail is incredibly important as one of the Woodstock Court House Square buildings and through my research I have found newspaper articles pertaining to the “Save the Jail” campaign. The jail was slated for demolition but the people of Woodstock would not allow that to happen. I will go into detail about the “Save the Jail” campaign in my project.

In order to digitize my building I need the architectural drawings which I have access to at the County of Oxford Archives. I have found not only the elevation drawings, but also the plans for the ground, first, and second floors. I also have section drawings and aerial views which will make it easier to recreate the building inside and out. I will be able to import the drawings into Sketch-Up and then recreate the building according to the measurements and specifications on the drawings.

Below are a few of the drawings I have access to:

Look what I can do: HGIS

For those of you reading this and have no idea what HGIS is, I didn’t really know either until today. I knew that the acronym stood for Historical Geographic Information Systems and I knew it had to do with mapping the past, but I didn’t realize how difficult yet interesting it would be!

In my Digital History class we participated in a workshop by Don Lafreniere, who provided us with a quick yet in-depth overview of HGIS and how it can aid in historical research. He guided us through a hands-on exercise using the program ArcGIS.  Lafreniere led us through a set of VERY well laid out instructions that were incredibly helpful. If you need an instructional guide created, he is your man! The point of the exercise was to acquaint us with the different capabilities of HGIS and allow us to get somewhat familiar with a very new program.

I was incredibly skeptical at first, especially since I had not had the best of luck with the MapTiler application last week. My skepticism soon waned as Lafreniere explained just how this type of program could aid in historical research. “A geographical information system (gis) allows researchers to methodically and efficiently organize and analyze spatially referenced data, and to identify and visualize spatial patterns and processes” (Dwelling Places and Social Spaces: Revealing the Environments of Urban Workers in Victoria Using Historical giS by Patrick A. Dunae, Donald J. Lafreniere,  Jason A. Gilliland, and John S. Lutz).

This type of digital history is so interesting and there is so much that can be done. HGIS is time-consuming, but once you have a workable base in your system, it seems as though it would be rather straight forward to change the parameters and look for different trends.

Lafreniere suggested that you can use Excel spreadsheets and import them into the program to set the social environment of the particular location during various points in time. This can be done using the information found in census data and city directories which would provide names, occupations, ethnic and religious backgrounds. This information would allow the researcher to map for changes in occupations in a particular location in an industrialized city. Or how religious practice has changed or stayed the same in areas surrounding places of worship in a particular town. This is very helpful for visual learners like myself, because you can actually see spatially how places and areas have changed or have not changed overtime. There are exponential possibilities for the use of the data, it is almost a bit ridiculous.

Even though my skills do not lie in the digital world, I believe that if I could watch some instructional videos, listen to Don Lafreniere talk for another 10 hours, and play around with ArcGIS, eventually I would get the hang of the program. Once I am able to use this type of analysis for my own work, I most definitely will. It may just take a little bit of practice.

MapTiler Adventures

www.geoplanit.co.uk

 

As a person that does not like being forced to get the new-fangled item on the market, I decided to download the old version of MapTiler from their website because I didn’t believe their warning: “the old deprecated and unsupported version”. This backfired as when I attempted to follow the steps in the program, Google Chrome wouldn’t allow it. Here are some screen shots of my multiple failed attempts:

 

Finally I gave up and downloaded the new version. Everything worked first try which I was surprised about. Pleasantly surprised of course. Here are the final products:

 

I think I may be able to use this software to layer blueprints and architectural drawings of the County of Oxford Jail that I am focusing on for my Digital History project. I may just need to watch some YouTube videos and/or ask someone for help before I fully understand what this software can do to help me.

So Much to Learn

Finally, something related to technology that excites me! After I watched this video, I felt like I should be innovating and creating like the people at Google have over the last 12-ish years. Of course I will never be a tech analyst or a computer programmer, but the idea that you can keep building on what you already have and keep making it better and better struck a chord with me. I think being part of the Public History program at Western is allowing me to build on my limited skill set and give me the confidence with various different mediums that I did not possess before. Only being a month into classes, I feel like I have learned more than I ever could have expected to learn in such a short period of time. Being able to try new things and experiment without a penalty has allowed me to feel more comfortable trying different computer programs and apps. We are asked to ‘play’ with different computer programs, sites, and applications for our Digital History class each week, most of the things we have tried so far like Google Ngram, Serendip-o-matic, the Wayback Machine and even RSS feeds I had never dabbled with before. It is difficult to describe in words the feeling of being so excited to just experience more all the time but also scared that you won’t remember everything you are having the opportunity learn. For some strange reason, maybe it was the background music of the video or the fact that I was so happy for the people in the video that got to be a part of the innovations that Google Maps has produced, I want to do more. I want to get better at the things I can already do and master those things that I was far too nervous to try in the past. There is so much more for me to discover!

A Whole New World.. of Faster Reading and Note-taking

Photo: www.123rf.com

 

This may seem like a strange thing to get excited about, but I cannot believe the amount my productivity has gone up since I installed a second monitor this afternoon.

As I believe I have expressed in previous conversations, I am very hesitant when it comes to technology and the amount of extra work that comes with learning or relearning how to use newfangled things. I am quite aware that the idea of the dual-monitor is not a new idea. My boyfriend has had a dual-monitor set up for his gaming for going on three years now. But I have continued to trudge along at a snail’s pace when researching and typing notes on a single screen.

Until this summer I was working with Windows Vista, which I absolutely loved. I loved the ease of use and I found it extremely well designed. I also loved my Toshiba Satellite laptop that I purchased before beginning University in 2009. That laptop survived having a large Chai tea with two milk, two sugar, dumped accidentally into its keyboard in March of first year. It survived until this summer when I finally decided waiting an hour for a computer to boot up was slightly ridiculous. So I sadly began my search for a new computer, I really didn’t want to buy another one, I didn’t want to learn a new operating system, I didn’t want to back up all my files and move them to a new, barren computer. You may find this dramatic but I really hate buying new things, I suppose that is why I love history so much. I love the story that comes with antiques or hand-me-downs. Alas, a computer is not something that can be handed down anymore.

After weeks and weeks of trips to stores comparing the brands, options, and capabilities, I finally decided on, you guessed it, a Toshiba Satellite. This one however is 4 years newer, half the weight and 2 inches smaller which really helps avoid the constant back pain. The downside is that it came equipped with Windows 8 which I still do not understand fully. I will be on one page, accidentally move my hand and I will suddenly be looking at my photo albums. I miss my Windows Vista. It only took me 4 years, but I knew exactly how to use it.

Yesterday I began my very long list of readings for the upcoming week. Usually I print the readings off in very tiny font, two pages to a sheet and double sided, to get the most out of the paper. I was confronted with a problem, a lot of my readings were from websites where it was very difficult to copy and paste and edit down to my usual set of specifications. So I had to come up with a way to make it easier to make notes while reading without having to flip back and forth between word and the webpage and periodically losing where I was in the jungle that is Windows 8. I remembered I had a small flat screen my dad bought me in first year and with my new computer’s specifications there shouldn’t be any problems hooking it up. After a lot of rummaging I finally found a VGA cable and hooked up the screen. I changed the input on the flat screen to VGA and the screen came alive!! However, it was the exact same image that was on my laptop, slightly anti-climactic. I fiddled around with the settings and FINALLY found the option for Devices that led to “Second Screen”. I cheered! I chose the option to extend the screen to my flat screen and with that, I cheered again!

Then came getting back to my readings. I was amazed with how seamlessly I could move from reading to note taking without even losing my spot. I cannot believe I didn’t think to implement this sooner, it is the greatest technological advancement that I have mastered by myself within the last little while and I be happier. Hence this very optimistic post. 

 

As I was performing a scavenger hunt for the origin of the popular phrase “Oh the Humanity” in audio form, I came across this very interesting digital archive website with a plethora of photos, recordings and other interesting things about historical moments in American history.

Just by reading the Introduction page, you understand exactly what the site is attempting to do. Eyewitness is connecting with a wider audience than would ever have the opportunity to go digging around in the archive. The site provides personal accounts of pertinent historical events in American history, specifically those that would be most popular.  After you find the Hindenburg Disaster Broadcast, be sure to poke around under the other headings to see what else you can find!

Follow the instructions below to reach the online location of the Hindenburg Disaster Radio broadcast:

Click the tab displaying Contents.

Click Scenes from Hell. Click Herb Morrison- 1937 Hindenburg Disaster.

Click 2nd tab displaying the picture of the microphone.

Click play on the audio player.

Oh the (Digital) HUMANITY!

www.aweber.com

For this blog post assignment, I found two articles that discuss blogging: Stephanie Trigg’s “Blogging, Time, and Displacement”, and Nancy Groves’ “Academic blogging: the power and the pitfalls – live chat”. I will also refer to Dan Cohen’s “Professors, Start your Blogs” in the post below. Links to these articles can be found at the bottom of this blog post.

I am a great supporter of blogs, bloggers and the blogosphere. I enjoy reading random blogs rather than following one particular person unless their topic is so interesting I can’t turn away. The blogger is free to write about whatever they want, whenever they want and unless what they say is truly provocative and tagged with the right hashtags, someone may never attack you for your personal viewpoints. The ability to be protected by a computer screen, even if your name is attached to the blog, provides a sense of fearlessness. This lack of fear can allow the blogger to produce a piece that is astonishingly brilliant because they are not under the confines of what society is expecting them to do, say, and write. Blogs in the academic sphere provide a space for academic pieces that wouldn’t normally fit into the social fabric of a conference room or a peer-reviewed journal. They are snippets of the wide world of history that not everyone can always gain access to.

I also think that blogs provide a space that allows for the blogger to use up all the extra research they compiled for a topic that did not turn out to be enough for a paper. Blog entries can allow the blogger to take a chance on a topic that they may not be experts in yet, but hope to eventually research enough to become proficient in the subject. Blogs are micro-essays much like twitter is a microblog. Even though for the most part blogs are not organized into a recognizable essay format, blogs can serve the purpose of getting out your ideas to readers that may be able to offer suggestions and research materials. These blog posts are not normally scrutinized to the same standards as journals or papers are that are typically presented at conferences. The internet can be a very dark and scary place where anonymous people can rip you to shreds, but blogging communities can form that are very supportive, and can allow you to explore your chosen topic further.

Trigg demonstrates that blogging, for her, is a displacement activity which allows her to move away from the task at hand for a brief time to collect herself and later move back to the task with a clearer mind. Trigg provides a description: “the phrase ‘‘displacement activity’’ can describe an animal’s response to conflict, or indecision” (Trigg, 934) She is basically conveying that humans, like animals, sometimes need a break from the heat of the moment in order to return full force and deal with the situation. Trigg’s ideas ring true in my own experience because I tend to write poetry or blog posts when I am supposed to be focused and finishing up a final draft of an essay. My brain simply is sick of what I have been doing and wants to go in a different direction. Blogging seems to be a space for clarifying your thoughts, and allowing your mind to take a break from the under pressure discussions you may be having in a class or the 5000 word essay you may be writing. Blogs can allow you to provide a coherent understanding even if you were making little sense in a classroom discussion.

But does this mean since our brains need a break from what we have been focusing on that what we write during our displacement time cannot be incredibly profound or intellectual?

In Nancy Groves’ article, she quotes Denise Horn (well-known blogger) as saying: “Minority academics who blog must, now more than ever, be aware of how important it is to articulate their ideas and their knowledge outside of our departments, our journals, and our conferences. Blogging is a space in which we can do that.” This quotations demonstrates what I believe academic blogging can really achieve. Sharing ideas isn’t just in the classroom during a lecture anymore, the discussion needs to continue with people that do not hold the same degrees and credentials as we do. Blogs can begin the conversations and give those that don’t normally have a voice in an exclusive historical society a chance to speak up and have their ideas taken seriously. This is important especially when we are in a field that we cannot concretely define and explain. Being able to converse and present ideas with likeminded people from across the world that we normally would not have access to is an incredibly exciting and valuable practice.

Cohen disagrees with the idea of blogging frequently in order to be successful. He mentions the use of RSS feeds which allow for new content to be pushed along to the reader whenever it is posted. I was unaware of this type of system until today, and am now incredibly intrigued by the possibilities. The precise reason I dislike using technology is because it is incredibly time consuming, and this type of development will certainly speed up my internet perusals.

For a blog to be effective does a blogger need to post weekly? Or at least have some sort of schedule so that the follower can expect to have a new post awaiting in their RSS feed? Can random bloggers be just as effective and captivating?

Sources/Readings:

http://resolver.scholarsportal.info.proxy1.lib.uwo.ca/resolve/17414113/v09i0012/933_btad

http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2012/oct/19/academic-blogging-power-pitfalls-livechat

http://www.dancohen.org/blog/posts/professors_start_your_blogs

Sidenote:

In relation to my title, I kept saying “Oh the humanity” all day writing this post and couldn’t remember what t.v. show I remembered it from… I finally looked it up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEpLncBG_Nw

Business Casual – What to Wear to Work

A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to ‘model’ for Clare Tattersall’s article on Business Casual attire. I definitely agree it is a confusing term and I was honoured to get to be a part of her project!

Less Stressed Students

If you want to succeed at work, you need to dress the part.  This is not a myth but a reality.  Your appearance represents your employer and your respect for your job as much as it represents your personal style.  Because of this, employers take very seriously the image that you create for yourself and their company.

It is absolutely imperative that you create a good first impression in an interview; but, that attention to detail and effort needs to shine through on a daily basis.  You want to ensure that you are dressing on the high end of what is acceptable in your workplace. “If everyone wears jeans every day, a suit would be too much, as it might convey arrogance; khakis would make a much better choice. The idea is to stand out, not stick out” (Importance of Appearance in the Workplace | eHow.com)

If you…

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My Bucket List

As 2012 draws to an end and 2013 is in full-swing, I have decided to write a Bucket List that can carry me through the end of my undergrad and into the first stages of my life afterwards. This is not a complete list and things will be added to it as time goes on.
1. Graduate University
2. Place at one of the Huron History Society Pub Quizzes
3. Achieve the Dean’s Honour List
4. Be accepted to one program I apply to
5. Attend Western University Charity Ball
6. Attend the Pumpkin Smash
7. See Les Miserables in theatres
8. Go to the gym regularly
9. Attend the majority of my Zumba classes
10. Travel to Germany again and see Elina
11. Have a coherent conversation in German with a German native
12. Get a photo with Dr. Leighton, Dr. Fang, Dr. Reid-Maroney and Dr. Read at convocation
13. Obtain my Smart Serve certification
14. Own my own car
15. Read Les Miserables
16. See The Three Musketeers in Stratford
17. Visit the Maritimes and all the university friends that live there
18. Get all my Sarah Slean cds autographed
19. Attend a Pink concert
20. Achieve an 80% in my German class
21. Attend USC election result night
22. Toboggan on a cafeteria tray
23. Create a blog
24. Own a Duck Dynasty shirt and/or a “Happy Happy Happy” mug
25. Be a part of “Team Slean”
26. Earn my LPD Certificate
27. Teach English in another country
28. Travel to Australia
29. Travel to Italy
30. Travel to B.C.
31. Visit New York
32. Make my own wine
33. Bungee jump
34. Learn a 3rd language
35. Publish a paper in a history journal
36. Work at a museum
37. Earn my teaching degree
38. Attend Rick McGhie at the Spoke
39. Get a photo with Rick McGhie
40. Attend an Indigenous Services Corn Soup Wednesday
41. Attend a FNSA Powwow
42. Attend Huron Day!
43. Earn my WPA
44. Own a kitten
45. Meet Justin Trudeau

Volunteering at the Oxford County Archives 3

Yesterday was my last day volunteering at the County of Oxford Archives and it was definitely a full one (until 5:15 instead of 4:30…oops). I volunteered for a total of 50 hours this holiday season and received a crash course in the vast capabilities and responsibilities of a county archive. I was amazed by how much can be accomplished by so few people. The variety of things that the archivist Mary Gladwin conquers is phenomenal and she is a great teacher (and funny too!).

I arrived at the archives and started writing what Mary calls a Wikipedia blurb on my focus of research: Cassie Chadwick. The definition of the Wikipedia blurb is basically a short and sweet overview of the topic that will catch the attention of the students and get them excited to continue research by reading the primary documents provided with the brochure. The brochures are like a treasure hunt, the outside provides information about the County of Oxford Archives, while two of the inside panels provide the Wikipedia blurb. The centre inside panel houses a small envelope sealed with a sticker containing the primary documents. Within each envelope 6-7 primary documents are provided for each student, however each brochure package is not the same; each student will have similar but slightly different documents. This encourages group work and their ability to share to succeed in their studies. Through my research on Cassie Chadwick, I was able to find 17 different primary documents surrounding the mysterious woman and her scams as well as created a timeline that outlines her entire life. All of these were photocopied and made small enough to fit into the envelope. I was given permission to make two of the brochures to take home so that I have a copy of the work I completed.

It is pretty exciting to be part of the learning and teaching process through the use of my brochure. Later in January the COA will be implementing the educational program again using my brochure as well as another on Florence Carlyle that was completed during the last 3 weeks.

During my volunteering I learned just how much work and effort goes into even the smallest of learning materials. It took a lot longer to compile my research and focus it into a timeline format than I had expected, but because of my specific research, the Wikipedia blurb was simple to complete. I think that this program is very important to broadening the scope of history learned at the elementary school level because it allows the students to learn about local history rather than just the overarching themes of the War of 1812 and other topics studied in grade 7 and 8.

Around 4:15pm, the archivist remembered that she had promised me she would teach me how to do basic paper restoration during my time there. So we went into the restoration room and found a ‘weed’ (an historic document that is not of importance/duplicate) and she began to show me the tools needed and how to use them. She has a box of remnants of restoration papers that we tested for colour and settled on the correct one. I fixed a small hole and 3 tears in the document and let it dry while I worked on a document for the Woodstock Public Library. After the first document dried, the archivist showed me how to encapsulate the document so it wouldn’t become more damaged. She let me keep the document and gave me my own archival bone tool to keep.

The entire experience there was great and I am so thankful to Mary Gladwin, Marion Baker and Liz Mayville for making me feel so welcome. I learned so much in such a short time and it makes me look forward to a possible career in archives. I enjoyed the entire experience, even the tedious data entry. I met so many characters in the Oxford Historical Society, Oxford Genealogical Society and the County of Oxford Archives that I can’t wait to go back and visit!

Mary Gladwin, Marion Baker and myself

Completed Cassie Chadwick brochure

Cassie Chadwick Timeline

Cassie Chadwick brochure inserts