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Teaching/Thinking with Technology. Ann McClellan Professor and English Department Chair Plymouth State University. What is the Digital Humanities?. The intersection between computing and the humanities Curating online collections Data mining (i.e., “Big Data”)
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Teaching/Thinking with Technology Ann McClellan Professor and English Department Chair Plymouth State University
What is the Digital Humanities? • The intersection between computing and the humanities • Curating online collections • Data mining (i.e., “Big Data”) • Incorporating digital tools into humanities disciplines and research
Why am I going digital? • My personal crisis in the humanities • Preparing thinkers for a digital world/workforce • Thinking ‘forward’: how are the humanities, and how we experience media, changing?
How I started • Currents in British Literature II • Who are my students? • What are my course goals and learning outcomes for a ‘traditional’ class? • What digital projects/tools might fulfill those outcomes? • What can students learn about literature AND technology from these activities?
My Course Goals • To understand British literature texts in their cultural and historical contexts • To learn how to identify and analyze patterns within and among literary texts and periods • To develop critical and creative analytical practices • To write about texts with depth and clarity • To employ research skills in writing about literature and/or film
The “Project Suite” These small-group projects, all defined at the start of class, will be completed on a rotating basis during the course of the semester. There are five projects to complete. (100 points per project) • Project Rotation: • Project 1: Tweeting and Archiving Class Discussion • Project 2: Blogging—Textual Analysis and Critical Thinking • Project 3: Podcast—Reading and Analysis • Project 4: Video Essay—2 Minute History • Project 5: Designing a Text Application
Tweeting Class Discussion and Storify Learning Outcomes/Goals: • To take effective class discussion notes • To be able to determine the most important points, concepts, themes, and elements from class discussion • To be able to crystallize complex ideas into efficient pieces of information • To be able to build a narrative out of your collaborative notes that best represents what happened in the ephemeral classroom • Examples: Victorian Period • World War Z • World War Z 2
Blogging a Text Learning Outcomes/Goals: • To practice close reading of a text which focuses on literary argument (i.e., thesis claims), specific textual evidence, analysis and interpretation • To initiate and/or build upon class discussion, topics, and themes that relate to individual texts and the overall literary period • To employ research skills in finding online materials that will support, challenge, extend, illuminate the text and your interpretation • To employ research skills to find and incorporate a variety of media sources into your writing which is reflective of current trends in writing in the digital age • To integrate primary text evidence, visual/media elements, and external research into your argument in a meaningful way
Example Class Blogs • Wordpress and “Journey of the Magi” and “Leda and the Swan” • “Those of Us Who Are About to Die Solute You: Readings on WWI”
Podcasting and the Lost Art of Reading Aloud Learning Outcomes/Goals: • To practice reading complex literary texts out loud in creative and engaging ways • To practice communicating effectively through speech • To practice close reading skills of literary argument, analysis, and interpretation • To collaborate with others • To learn how to use podcasting technology • Example: Postcolonial Poetry
Two Minute History Videos Learning Outcomes/Goals: • To employ research skills in finding relevant, scholarly material on a cultural/historical topic related to class content • To learn about literature’s social and historical context • To decipher the most important and relevant information to share with others in an efficient yet informative and entertaining manner • To utilize the creative possibilities of video to engage and educate your audience in your topic • To learn how to use various filming and editing technology
Example Videos • “Gentleman’s Hour: The Origin of the English Novel” • “The Partition of India” • “Coffee House Culture in the 18th Century” • “Edward VIII and the Abdication Crisis”
Designing a Text Application Learning Outcomes/Goals: • To reimagine a literary text in a new digital format • To utilize the creative possibilities of digital apps to engage and educate your audience in your topic • To identify and design learning objectives and/or entertainment objectives appropriate to your text and literary period • To explain clearly and effectively how audiences will use the app functions • To learn how digital app technology is changing and/or enhancing how we ‘read’ and understand texts • Example Apps: “Wordsworth in your Pocket”—Prezi • “The Art of Jamaican Language”--PowerPoint
Reflection In a final reflective document posted to Moodle, I would like your group to collaboratively reflect on the following issues: • How did completing this assignment affect how you understood the literary period? How so? • Is there a level of knowledge that was provided uniquely by this assignment, beyond the initial reading itself? • What was your experience using Twitter? What were the problems and how did you solve them? • What would you change about this assignment to make it more relevant, informative, enjoyable, challenging, or interesting? • Do you see this project being helpful for literary study? Why and how?
Conclusions • Start with your course learning outcomes FIRST • Emphasize and clarify the learning outcomes throughout the projects • Remember: digital projects are not really about the technological tools but about the skills and learning outcomes