The document discusses how digital tools like WordPress can help humanities scholars engage students in active, critical analysis of primary sources from a digital archive. It describes a collaboration between various university departments to build a digital repository of archival materials linked to a networked WordPress blog. This allows students to develop historical and digital skills through mini-projects annotating and analyzing archival objects. Their work is brought together in final research projects that explore connections between individual interpretations and collective analysis. The digital tools enable core historical practices like moving from evidence to interpretation to developing new knowledge and constructing historical narratives.

2. ?

3. ?
The question

4. ?
The question
The digital - why should humanities scholars care?

5. ?
The question
The digital - why should humanities scholars care?
Assumption: students are digital natives

6. ?
The question
The digital - why should humanities scholars care?
Assumption: students are digital natives
Are they?

7. ?
The question
The digital - why should humanities scholars care?
Assumption: students are digital natives
Are they?
Passive consumption

8. ?
The question
The digital - why should humanities scholars care?
Assumption: students are digital natives
Are they?
Passive consumption √

9. ?
The question
The digital - why should humanities scholars care?
Assumption: students are digital natives
Are they?
Passive consumption √
Active critical digital inquiry

10. ?
The question
The digital - why should humanities scholars care?
Assumption: students are digital natives
Are they?
Passive consumption √
Active critical digital inquiry x

11. Teaching to the contemporary context.

12. Teaching to the contemporary context.
The need:

13. Teaching to the contemporary context.
The need:
active, critical engagement with the present.

14. Teaching to the contemporary context.
The need:
active, critical engagement with the present.
Wait, I'm a historian...

15. Teaching to the contemporary context.
The need:
active, critical engagement with the present.
Wait, I'm a historian... ia the past.
v

16. Teaching to the contemporary context.
The need:
active, critical engagement with the present.
Wait, I'm a historian... ia the past.
v
The humanities well suited for this

17. Teaching to the contemporary context.
The need:
active, critical engagement with the present.
Wait, I'm a historian... ia the past.
v
The humanities well suited for this
Cathy Davidson:
the information age without the humanities is like the
industrial revolution without the steam engine.

18. So, how do we as humanities scholars do this?

19. So, how do we as humanities scholars do this?
WordPress =
an open source content management system (cms)

20. So, how do we as humanities scholars do this?
WordPress =
an open source content management system (cms)
a flexible template for bringing together digital objects--

21. So, how do we as humanities scholars do this?
WordPress =
an open source content management system (cms)
a flexible template for bringing together digital objects--
text, multimedia, conversation, data, embedded tools--

22. So, how do we as humanities scholars do this?
WordPress =
an open source content management system (cms)
a flexible template for bringing together digital objects--
text, multimedia, conversation, data, embedded tools--
to narrate, analyze, interpret, make meaning.

23. So, how do we as humanities scholars do this?
WordPress =
an open source content management system (cms)
a flexible template for bringing together digital objects--
text, multimedia, conversation, data, embedded tools--
to narrate, analyze, interpret, make meaning.
a "collage management system"

24. So, how do we as humanities scholars do this?
WordPress =
an open source content management system (cms)
a flexible template for bringing together digital objects--
text, multimedia, conversation, data, embedded tools--
to narrate, analyze, interpret, make meaning.
a "collage management system"
a "comparison management system"

25. So, how do we as humanities scholars do this?
WordPress =
an open source content management system (cms)
a flexible template for bringing together digital objects--
text, multimedia, conversation, data, embedded tools--
to narrate, analyze, interpret, make meaning.
a "collage management system"
a "comparison management system"
good way to quickly "scale" a digital humanities course

26. So, how do we as humanities scholars do this?
WordPress =
an open source content management system (cms)
a flexible template for bringing together digital objects--
text, multimedia, conversation, data, embedded tools--
to narrate, analyze, interpret, make meaning.
a "collage management system"
a "comparison management system"
good way to quickly "scale" a digital humanities course
going digital w/o getting bogged down in code

27. So, how do we as humanities scholars do this?
WordPress =
an open source content management system (cms)
a flexible template for bringing together digital objects--
text, multimedia, conversation, data, embedded tools--
to narrate, analyze, interpret, make meaning.
a "collage management system"
a "comparison management system"
good way to quickly "scale" a digital humanities course
going digital w/o getting bogged down in code
yet students can peek "under the hood" at digital
mechanics

29. My Research & Teaching Goals

30. My Research & Teaching Goals
-an underutilized archive (historian salivates)

31. My Research & Teaching Goals
-an underutilized archive (historian salivates)
-learn more about folk music revival

32. My Research & Teaching Goals
-an underutilized archive (historian salivates)
-learn more about folk music revival
-learn more about modern U.S. history

33. My Research & Teaching Goals
-an underutilized archive (historian salivates)
-learn more about folk music revival
-learn more about modern U.S. history
-learn more about using the digital for history

34. Cooperative Effort

35. Cooperative Effort
Center for Scholarly Communication & Digital Curation
(CSCDC)
>> Josh Honn, Claire Stewart

36. Cooperative Effort
Center for Scholarly Communication & Digital Curation
(CSCDC)
>> Josh Honn, Claire Stewart
NUIT A&RT
>>Harlan Wallach, Andi Gaither, Gus Childs, Dave Look

37. Cooperative Effort
Center for Scholarly Communication & Digital Curation
(CSCDC)
>> Josh Honn, Claire Stewart
NUIT A&RT
>>Harlan Wallach, Andi Gaither, Gus Childs, Dave Look
Special Collections
>> Scott Krafft, Sigrid Perry, Susan Lewis,
Nick Munagian, Benn Joseph

38. Cooperative Effort
Center for Scholarly Communication & Digital Curation
(CSCDC)
>> Josh Honn, Claire Stewart
NUIT A&RT
>>Harlan Wallach, Andi Gaither, Gus Childs, Dave Look
Special Collections
>> Scott Krafft, Sigrid Perry, Susan Lewis,
Nick Munagian, Benn Joseph
Digital Collections
>>Dan Zellner, Sarah Ellis, Julie Patton

39. How can the digital help me research & teach?

40. How can the digital help me research & teach?
CSCDC led me to...

41. How can the digital help me research & teach?
CSCDC led me to...
concept of students developing both
historical & digital skills through
mini-projects focused on source
materials

42. How can the digital help me research & teach?
CSCDC led me to...
concept of students developing both
historical & digital skills through
mini-projects focused on source
materials

43. How can the digital help me research & teach?
CSCDC led me to...
concept of students developing both
historical & digital skills through
mini-projects focused on source
materials
...then...

44. How can the digital help me research & teach?
CSCDC led me to...
concept of students developing both
historical & digital skills through
mini-projects focused on source
materials
...then...
putting it all together in a final
project.

45. How can the digital help me research & teach?
CSCDC led me to...
concept of students developing both
historical & digital skills through
mini-projects focused on source
materials
...then...
putting it all together in a final
project.

46. WordPress Platform

47. WordPress Platform
NUIT A&RT led us to...

48. WordPress Platform
NUIT A&RT led us to...
Networked WordPress
Blog

49. WordPress Platform
NUIT A&RT led us to...
Networked WordPress
Blog

50. Interface (the Backend)

51. Interface (the Backend)

52. WordPress

53. WordPress
became

54. WordPress
became
a platform
for developing:
mini-project blog posts
final projects -

55. WordPress
became
a platform
for developing:
mini-project blog posts
final projects -
a framework
for embedding:
historical application of research tools to evidence
historical narration of research findings to audience -

56. WordPress
became
a platform
for developing:
mini-project blog posts
final projects -
a framework
for embedding:
historical application of research tools to evidence
historical narration of research findings to audience -
a way
to explore the digital as historians.

57. But we had a problem.

58. But we had a problem.
How would we link up archive to WordPress?

59. But we had a problem.
How would we link up archive to WordPress?
How would we make digitized archival objects accessible
to students?

60. Building a Digital Repository

61. Building a Digital Repository
Special Collections & Digital Collections
addressed this issue.

62. Building a Digital Repository
Special Collections & Digital Collections
addressed this issue.
Solution:

63. Building a Digital Repository
Special Collections & Digital Collections
addressed this issue.
Solution:
library server space + interactive googledocs spreadsheet
linked to WordPress platform

64. Building a Digital Repository
Special Collections & Digital Collections
addressed this issue.
Solution:
library server space + interactive googledocs spreadsheet
linked to WordPress platform
a "home grown" repository

65. "home grown" repository

66. "home grown" repository

67. This problem of creating a dynamic digital archive
led to an innovation:

68. This problem of creating a dynamic digital archive
led to an innovation:
crowdsourced
metadata
collaboration

69. This problem of creating a dynamic digital archive
led to an innovation:
crowdsourced
metadata
collaboration
archivists/cataloguers
create
descriptive metadata
>>

70. This problem of creating a dynamic digital archive
led to an innovation:
crowdsourced
metadata
collaboration
archivists/cataloguers
create
descriptive metadata
>>

71. students create
interpretive metadata

72. students create
interpretive metadata
Metadata assignment
>>

73. students create
interpretive metadata
Metadata assignment
>>
result: a robust
descriptive-interpretive
metadata interplay

75. ^^ Archivist descriptive
metadata

76. ^^ Archivist descriptive Student interpretive ^^
metadata metadata

77. WordPress with embedded digital tools enabled

78. WordPress with embedded digital tools enabled
archival creation & use to come together dynamically:

79. WordPress with embedded digital tools enabled
archival creation & use to come together dynamically:
digital archive supports interpretive connections;

80. WordPress with embedded digital tools enabled
archival creation & use to come together dynamically:
digital archive supports interpretive connections;
at the same time, researchers advance archival access.

81. WordPress with embedded digital tools enabled
archival creation & use to come together dynamically:
digital archive supports interpretive connections;
at the same time, researchers advance archival access.
Long-term: we can amass crowdsourced data for future
analysis of patterns.

82. WordPress with embedded digital tools enabled
archival creation & use to come together dynamically:
digital archive supports interpretive connections;
at the same time, researchers advance archival access.
Long-term: we can amass crowdsourced data for future
analysis of patterns.
Via WordPress, the archive is now,
in some sense, part of the classroom,
even part of a future collaborative publication.

83. What did all this collaborative digital work mean
for me as a scholar & teacher?

84. What did all this collaborative digital work mean
for me as a scholar & teacher?
instead of the digital as
bells & whistles

85. What did all this collaborative digital work mean
for me as a scholar & teacher?
instead of the digital as
bells & whistles WP enabled robust setting for
core historical concerns:

86. What did all this collaborative digital work mean
for me as a scholar & teacher?
instead of the digital as
bells & whistles WP enabled robust setting for
core historical concerns:
1. how do we get from evidence to interpretation to
develop new historical knowledge?

87. What did all this collaborative digital work mean
for me as a scholar & teacher?
instead of the digital as
bells & whistles WP enabled robust setting for
core historical concerns:
1. how do we get from evidence to interpretation to
develop new historical knowledge?
2. how do we construct historical narrative?

88. What did all this collaborative digital work mean
for me as a scholar & teacher?
instead of the digital as
bells & whistles WP enabled robust setting for
core historical concerns:
1. how do we get from evidence to interpretation to
develop new historical knowledge?
2. how do we construct historical narrative?
3. how do we relate individual to collective
analysis?

89. What did all this collaborative digital work mean
for me as a scholar & teacher?
instead of the digital as
bells & whistles WP enabled robust setting for
core historical concerns:
1. how do we get from evidence to interpretation to
develop new historical knowledge?
2. how do we construct historical narrative?
3. how do we relate individual to collective
analysis?
The digital becomes a way to go deeper into our
humanities disciplines, not abandon them.

90. 1. how do we get from evidence to interpretation to
develop new historical knowledge?

91. 1. how do we get from evidence to interpretation to
develop new historical knowledge?
Annotation

92. 1. how do we get from evidence to interpretation to
develop new historical knowledge?
Annotation
Tables

93. 1. how do we get from evidence to interpretation to
develop new historical knowledge?
Annotation
Tables
Analytic
writing

94. 1. how do we get from evidence to interpretation to
develop new historical knowledge?
Annotation
Tables
Analytic
writing
Discussion

95. 1. how do we get from evidence to interpretation to
develop new historical knowledge?
Annotation
Tables
Analytic
writing
Discussion
Feedback

96. 1. how do we get from evidence to interpretation to
develop new historical knowledge?
Annotation
Tables
Analytic
writing
Discussion
Feedback
Text annotation

97. 1. how do we get from evidence to interpretation to
develop new historical knowledge?
Annotation
Tables
Analytic
writing
Discussion
Feedback
Text annotation

98. 1. how do we get from evidence to interpretation to
develop new historical knowledge?
Annotation
Tables
Analytic
writing
Discussion
Feedback
Text annotation
Crocodoc
Plugin >>

99. 1. how do we get from evidence to interpretation to
develop new historical knowledge?
Annotation
Tables
Analytic
writing
Discussion
Feedback
Text annotation
Annotatio
Crocodoc
ns
Plugin >>
<<

100. Table

101. Table

102. Table
WP-Table
Reloaded
Plugin >>

103. Table >>
WP-Table
Reloaded
Plugin >>

104. Analytic
writing

105. Analytic
writing

106. Analytic
writing
Good
old-fashioned
humanities text
>>

107. Discussion &
Reflection

108. Discussion &
Reflection

109. Discussion &
Reflection
Fellow
student
comments
>>

110. Discussion &
Reflection
Fellow
student
comments
>>
Reflection
one week later >>

111. Feedback

112. Feedback

113. Feedback
Crocodoc >>
again

114. Feedback
Crocodoc >>
again
This time I
use it to
annotate
student essay

115. Annotation is
key mode

116. Annotation is
key mode
-Not just text...

117. Annotation is
key mode
-Not just text...
-Images

118. Annotation is
key mode
-Not just text...
-Images
-Video

119. Annotation is
key mode
-Not just text...
-Images
-Video
-Maps

120. Annotation is
key mode
-Images

121. Annotation is
key mode
-Images

123. Annotation is
key mode
-Not just text...
-Images
-Video
-Maps

124. Annotation is
key mode
-Video

125. Annotation is
key mode
-Video
^^ Video annotation through embeds &
tables

126. Annotation is
key mode
-Video
^^ Video annotation through embeds &
tables
[students had to explain why a clip
from the folk revival mockumentary A
Mighty Wind was funny. What was the
satire referencing historically?]

127. Annotation is
key mode
-Images
-Video
-Maps

128. Annotation is
key mode
-Maps

129. Annotation is
key mode
-Maps
MapPress
Pro Plugin
>>

130. Annotation is
key mode
-Maps
MapPress
Pro Plugin
>>
[Where did performers come from to play at festival?]

131. 1. how do we get from evidence to interpretation to
develop new historical knowledge?
2. how do we construct historical narrative?
3. how do we relate individual to collective
analysis?

132. 2. how do we construct historical narrative?

133. 2. how do we construct historical narrative?

134. 2. how do we construct historical narrative?
Timeline

135. 2. how do we construct historical narrative?
Timelineof
Instead
showing
a timeline, have
students build
one
to analyze &
reflect on issues
of historical
narrative

136. 2. how do we construct historical narrative?
Timelineof
Instead
showing
a timeline, have
students build
one
to analyze &
reflect on issues
of historical
narrative

137. 2. how do we construct historical narrative?
Timelineof
Instead
showing
a timeline, have
students build
one
to analyze &
reflect on issues
of historical
narrative >>
Timerime
Plugin

138. 2. how do we construct historical narrative?
Timelineof
Instead
showing
a timeline, have
students build
one
to analyze &
reflect on issues
of historical
narrative >>
Timerime
Plugin
>>
Table

139. 2. how do we construct historical narrative?

140. 2. how do we construct historical narrative?
the difficulties of selection, significance,
what counts as an event,
causality, correlation,
narrative itself based on evidence
all became pressing concerns for students.

141. 2. how do we construct historical narrative?
the difficulties of selection, significance,
what counts as an event,
causality, correlation,
narrative itself based on evidence
all became pressing concerns for students.
The whole issue of how we will "tell" historical stories
opens up in digital:

142. 2. how do we construct historical narrative?
the difficulties of selection, significance,
what counts as an event,
causality, correlation,
narrative itself based on evidence
all became pressing concerns for students.
The whole issue of how we will "tell" historical stories
opens up in digital:
questions of arrangement, flow, choice, sca
interaction of primary sources & historiogra
place of evidence in relation to argument
opens up.

143. 1. how do we get from evidence to interpretation to
develop new historical knowledge?
2. how do we construct historical narrative?
3. how do we relate individual to collective
analysis?

144. 3. how do we relate individual to collective
analysis?

145. 3. how do we relate individual to collective analysis?

146. 3. how do we relate individual to collective analysis?
Tag cloud
<<

147. 3. how do we relate individual to collective analysis?
Tag cloud
<<

148. 3. how do we relate individual to collective analysis?

149. 3. how do we relate individual to collective analysis?
Networked WordPress Blog

150. 3. how do we relate individual to collective analysis?
Networked WordPress Blog
Collective blog

151. 3. how do we relate individual to collective analysis?
Networked WordPress Blog
Collective blog Individual project spaces

153. Student project prospectus --
starting to conceptualize a final project using
WordPress

154. To conclude...

155. The digital becomes a way to go deeper into our
humanities disciplines, not abandon them.

156. The digital becomes a way to go deeper into our
humanities disciplines, not abandon them.
WordPress is a good platform
for quick entry into deep humanities study.

157. The digital becomes a way to go deeper into our
humanities disciplines, not abandon them.
WordPress is a good platform
for quick entry into deep humanities study.
three ways:

158. The digital becomes a way to go deeper into our
humanities disciplines, not abandon them.
WordPress is a good platform
for quick entry into deep humanities study.
three ways:
-Application
[applying digital tools to materials]

159. The digital becomes a way to go deeper into our
humanities disciplines, not abandon them.
WordPress is a good platform
for quick entry into deep humanities study.
three ways:
-Application
[applying digital tools to materials]
-Presentation
[narrating interpretation in new ways]

160. The digital becomes a way to go deeper into our
humanities disciplines, not abandon them.
WordPress is a good platform
for quick entry into deep humanities study.
three ways:
-Application
[applying digital tools to materials]
-Presentation
[narrating interpretation in new ways]
-Interaction
[new modes of collaboration]

161. What next?

162. What next?
(Word)Pressing Forward

163. What next?
(Word)Pressing Forward
DH takes a lot of collaboration/coordination.

164. What next?
(Word)Pressing Forward
DH takes a lot of collaboration/coordination.
expanding support structures/staff/facilities at library.

165. What next?
(Word)Pressing Forward
DH takes a lot of collaboration/coordination.
expanding support structures/staff/facilities at library.
expanding spaces of both individual & collective inquiry
among faculty.

166. What next?
(Word)Pressing Forward
DH takes a lot of collaboration/coordination.
expanding support structures/staff/facilities at library.
expanding spaces of both individual & collective inquiry
among faculty.
encouraging students to see digital as deep, robust
scholarly inquiry that has both intellectual &
professional benefits.

167. The Payoff

168. The Payoff
New forms of digital scholarship
offer eye-opening research opportunities & great
pedagogy...

169. The Payoff
New forms of digital scholarship
offer eye-opening research opportunities & great
pedagogy...
we can teach the
process of critical
inquiry

170. The Payoff
New forms of digital scholarship
offer eye-opening research opportunities & great
pedagogy...
we can teach the we can show how
process of critical individual &
inquiry collaborative work
go together

171. The Payoff
New forms of digital scholarship
offer eye-opening research opportunities & great
pedagogy...
we can teach the we can show how
process of critical individual &
inquiry collaborative work
go together
we discover:
what's old is new - what's new is old.

172. The Payoff
New forms of digital scholarship
offer eye-opening research opportunities & great
pedagogy...
we can teach the we can show how
process of critical individual &
inquiry collaborative work
go together
we discover:
what's old is new - what's new is old.
-new digital modes such as WordPress reinvigorate
core humanities questions.

173. The Payoff
New forms of digital scholarship
offer eye-opening research opportunities & great
pedagogy...
we can teach the we can show how
process of critical individual &
inquiry collaborative work
go together
we discover:
what's old is new - what's new is old.
-new digital modes such as WordPress reinvigorate
core humanities questions.
-core humanities questions crucial to
contemporary digital age.