Final Project: Up and Running

In light of the realization that I still hadn’t published my supplementary Google Earth supporting website and that Professor Ross mentioned in class that he needs us to publish everything so he can review it, I have published my website in its close to final form. As the final product is now due Monday April 15th, my website will be up and operational until the final due date and I will continue to make edits until that time, so keep visiting the site as small changes will be continuously made. The dropbox function for Wix which I used last week to attach my Google Earth map worked excellent. After a trial run, I am pretty happy with how things turned out, however, while exploring my site I kept running in to bits of information I need to add or things that need to be changed which I had previously missed, so I’ll need to do a little bit of work to get my website, particularly my Google Earth map in final form. If you would like to visit my supplementary site, follow the hyperlink provided. There you will find my Google Earth map. As we are all now in the late stages of this project, I would appreciate any feedback, comments, or concerns anyone might have about the website. Enjoy!

A Review of Vanessa Szparko’s Final Project

In terms of Vanessa’s final project, unfortunately I was not able to access her Wix page at vszparko.wix.com/szparkohistory. This being said, my review today will be primarily focussed on Vanessa’s in-class presentation. Firstly, I think Vanessa has done an excellent job of explaining her process of sources and data acquisition and has been fairly knowledgeable on every source she has presented to the class. Vanessa has been quite fortunate to have access to so much material on her family history but it appears to have been well synthesized and the examples of the pages on her website proves that Vanessa made a good choice in choosing Wix as a host for her materials. I thought it was also a nice touch for Vanessa to have used contemporary photos as well as it provides a more linear, easy to understand record of her family history. On this point, I may hold a bias as I as well chose to include a substantial number of contemporary photos. I found Vanessa’s choice of Wix interesting for the type of project she is doing. Vanessa expressed that she found Wix to be a good, easy to use, but still functional platform for her project. From what I recall from her presentation, I think it did work for her quite well, especially for her desire to present the content of her website in a customizable fashion. In terms of the photos Vanessa has used, I think Wix was the right choice, especially over Omeka. As an Omeka user myself, I found some of the information that space on the site is set aside for quite frustrating and time consuming to fill out, especially with photos that I myself took (I, of course, understand the need for proper citation for other sources). With the exception of government issued documents, for which information would be very interesting to see, I think that the types of sources Vanessa is using, for example, family photographs and the like, are well suited to a more casual platform such as Wix. Additionally, I would assume that Vanessa will not encounter the same copyright fears that others might encounter as most of her sources are family sources and dated government documents. This makes the need for a site with detailed information segments unnecessary. All in all, I think Vanessa did a good job explaining tool acquisition. Though she perhaps could have touched on it a little more in her presentation, I can tell from Vanessa’s blog posts that she invested a significant amount of time and effort into her project and clearly this project worked well with Vanessa’s self directed learning abilities. Another aspect of her presentation which Vanessa did not touch upon much (probably because it is so self explanatory) is where her project fits within digital humanities as a broader subject. Obviously, the project is intended to be a family resource, but I am curious as to whether enough information is provided as to facilitate scholarship. Had I thought of it when Professor Ross suggested I ask a question or two, I would have inquired about this.

Final Project Update

At this stage of my project, I am working to develop my map of St. Patrick’s Ward. Most recently I have been doing some work with Google Earth’s image overlay feature. For smaller files, this feature has been excellent and has enabled me to layer several maps very accurately over my Google Earth map of the Ward. Unfortunately, some of the files I am using are enormous and therefore appear as a large red “x” over my Google Earth map. I have tried cropping my maps but for whatever reason when I press save, the image goes blank in the file thumbnail as well as the image itself. I am not sure how to remedy this issue. Compounding my frustration in that regard is the fact that the files are so large that it takes a while for my computer to do anything at all with the image. What I have been doing is, essentially, making a copy of the original file and using that copy to experiment with. If anyone knows, from that description, what I am doing wrong, any advice would be appreciated. Aside from that, the image overlay function works brilliantly for smaller files and I am very happy with the results. My map right now is my central focus as it will hopefully be quite elaborate and will take a fair amount of work. Otherwise, my website will be a medium through which I can provide the public access to materials they might not otherwise have access to. The text element will also be fairly straightforward to me as I am used to the research and writing process. Deadlines are fast approaching, so I am getting rather anxious to get what I am creating finished and on the web but there is still a lot of work to be done.

Final Project Update

Since my last blog post a lot has happened in terms of my final project. Firstly, i have begun experimenting with Google Earth. I was very impressed with how easy it was to use this software to visualize a particular landscape. Using the polygon feature, I was able to map out St. Patrick’s Ward in translucent green and add some place markers. Additionally, I visited Jenny Marvin who helped me digitize a selection of maps ranging from 1855 to 1989. Furthermore, I am contemplating cropping some of these maps and creating layers of maps over my Google Earth map of the Ward allowing website visitors to gain a truly visual sense of change, especially considering that in the 1855 map, the Ward does not yet exist. I have also visited the Wellington Museum website and have found some excellent photographic resources to use for my website. Some of them are covered by copyright, so I will have to request photos and wait to hear back on their status. I have also contacted the Guelph Civic Museum and will begin searching their collections as soon as I have the time. In terms of research, my efforts have been a bit scattered as I am covering such a vast topic and I am beginning to worry about website content. In terms of web tools, I have set up an account with Omeka which looks to be a good fit for a historical based website. Omeka has an ample array of plug-ins, however, I may need to link visitors to my Google Earth map on my University of Guelph host site. I took a look at Anje’s suggestions for my project and found them to be helpful. I will definitely incorporate a bibliography as well as links where I can. A walking tour should be fairly feasible for me, however, printable versions already exist and, as such, I question how much I would really be adding to the works of others in doing so.

There is a lot of work to be done, but I will continue my work and keep you all updated on what I am up to.

Final Project Ideas

After meeting with Jennifer Marvin at the Data Resource Centre I have a few new ideas for my project. Originally, I was thinking of simply creating an interactive map using Google Earth and creating a more research intensive project which draws upon local history more extensively. However, after my meeting I have a few new ideas. Using the University of Guelph archives and the Guelph Civic Museum I could compile a collection of historical photos which I would like to use. Using fire insurance plans available at the library, I could compile some information in terms of workplaces, where they were located, and how this has changed over time. Upon request, I could have maps digitized which I could also include on my website. I could either have a webiste with a more diverse array of media or I could try to integrate these resources into a tour using the manual on Web-Based Mapping Tools that we were given. Most importantly, I now have a traditionally working class target area of Guelph which I would like to examine which is St. Patrick’s Ward or, more informally, “the Ward.” Though I do not yet have much knowledge of the Ward’s history, I should be able to find information from a variety of sources which I have been discovering and am discovering as I type this blog post such as the Ward Residents’ Association and their blog. What’s more: turns out I actually live in the Ward! At this stage, I feel like I have my work cut out for me. I have a more clear idea of what I would like to accomplish, but now my main concern is time. Most of my work thus far has consisted of brainstorming and establishing a clear concept of what I want to to, now I must work through the logistics of making it happen.

Canadian Adaptations of Shakespeare Project and Codeacademy

Canadian Adaptations of Shakespeare Project, or CASP, is a very ambitious project. For any student studying Shakespeare, the applications which CASP is creating are an absolute treasure trove of information and study tools. The CASP project itself, more generally, is a fantastic resource for teachers. With pre-made lesson plans in the Learning Commons section of the website, free access to scholarly articles and essays, and many other teaching tools, CASP is a project which English teachers should not overlook. This being said, CASP goes beyond supplying practical teaching aids, offering  an innovative pedagogical approach to the study of Shakespearean plays more generally. With the “‘Speare” arcade game, CASP is working on projects which utilize visual, tactile, and auditory learning styles using a recreational medium to help youth learn. With free content, community engagement, and a generally outward and interactive approach, CASP is a truly innovative and, according to Dr. Daniel Fischlin, an effective approach as well. 

This being said, some elements of the CASP project cause me some degree of skepticism in terms of its employment as a class room learning tool. Firstly, the CASP Itunes application for Romeo and Juliet provides scholarly commentary, critiques, and interviews. What makes me reluctant about this is limiting opinion on Shakespeare’s works. I think that the application and future applications should have the capacity for updates, if they do not already have it, to include emerging work on Shakespeare and to broaden the spectrum of opinion available on the application. Additionally, CASP claims that their project will help enhance readers’ understanding of Shakespearean vocabulary by having explanations and translations of particular words available to the user. I question whether such a resource would enhance or detract a user’s understanding of the material they are working with, primarily because it eliminates the necessity of memory if, throughout the work, explanations and translations are immediately available. As we discussed earlier in class, availability of information through electronic devices can fundamentally change how we think. Whether this is positive or negative change, I suppose, is subjective. In terms of the application’s effects on studying, I would be concerned that, with interpretations of Shakespeare’s works, summaries, and other information so readily available, these sources of information may detract from study of the text itself. CASP also claims to enhance comprehension skills, but would it not detract from comprehension skills by comprehending for students through the “Plot” and “Character” sections on the Romeo and Juliet application? These criticisms could be the result of bias or misunderstanding of the project and application, but they nonetheless came to mind when I was reading.

The second component of my blog for this week is on Code Academy’s Learn to Code program. This was a fantastic resource in terms of establishing a step-by-step, easy to follow process to learn how to make a website. In terms of my final project, one of the biggest concerns I had and still have to a lesser degree is making a website. This program eased my concerns somewhat by introducing me to the basics of coding and the language, if you will of the internet. I feel that now that I have the basics down, I am much better prepared to make a website to host my final project.