For someone who has little experience with digital history, the Cohen and Rosenzweig readings were quite intimidating. I am sure that it is far more of a simple process than what is read in "Getting Started" and "Becoming Digital", but it still left this reader wondering if this would be something I would be willing and able to pursue. Although I would love to become a part of the world of digital history, I do not know if learning all of the mentioned programming, which is semingly essential to digital history, is something I have the motivation to enjoy. With that being said, a more important question is begged: Is the future of historical research not digital history? I believe that it most certainly is and that students of history who are reluctant to get involved with, not just researching digital history, but actually contributing and being a part of it, should probably get to the back of the line. Or at least rethink their (our) position.
My programming experience is, at best, none. All the technical jargon and knowhow involved with programming and site development seems somewhat difficult. This especially when someone is, more than likely, spending hours upon hours of research on whatever it is they wish to maybe add to the electronic record of digital history.
This process seems even more complicated in reference to preserving digital materials. Like Cohen and Rosenzweig state, "If only digital preservation were as easy as changing the qualityof the paper we print on...". If one is researching and/or digitizing fairly recent history, then this might not be much of an issue. On the other hand, if one is preserving very old materials, then this can, as Cohen and Rosenzweig suggest, become a very difficult, tedious and time consuming process.
Growing up in an analog world makes it a little more difficult to learn the specifics of history in a digital world (for those of us who have yet failed to grasp the expediency of the still evolving and forever changing forms of digital media). These two chapters of Digital History have definetly given me a better understanding of not just the complexities that may be involved with becoming a digital historian, but it also makes me realize the importance of learning the finer points of digital history in the realm of, at least, knowing programming language. Well...Its a good thing I am in this class.
Hi Robert. I definitely understand your hesitation or lack of excitement when faced with the programming aspect of digital history. I too, share that trepidation. I consider myself technologically inexperienced and was overwhelmed by the Cohen and Rosenzweig readings this week titled "Getting Started" and "Becoming Digital". I was relieved, however, to read about all the software being inundated on the internet. I have not tried all their suggested applications, but it seems like a pretty good start for a historian.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the fact that the future of historical research will be digitized, and we can probably even say that the future of most academic areas will soon be digital. Now we see kids in school learning through the use of Ipad's and all other sorts of gadgets, who also seem to possess a certain technological savviness that those of us who remember a time before the internet don't possess. The book was hard to grasp at times, but I agree with you in that I'm glad to be in this class because the digital world only seems to be getting more complex by the day.
ReplyDeleteI believe one of the ways to stay relavent in todays society is the use and mastery of certain digital skills. For instance everyday use of a computer to accomplish tasks including the ability to find the correct tool to preform the task you're trying to do. Keep in mind this does not always mean that you have to create the tool, however I believe some knowledge of what the tool is doing "behind the scenes" is essential to working in digital history. Keep in mind that the terminology of digital history can be intimidating and literature outdated. I suggest if you read something that sounds curious or intimidating to google it and see if there is a better definition or explanation of the tool or process.
ReplyDeleteRobert, you couldn't have hit the nail on the head more. I completely agree, as evident from my entirely too long blog for this week, that learning the complexities of programming is by far too overwhelming for people (such as myself) who before didn't have any desire to learn. I truly believe networking and collaborating with more knowledgeable programmers on projects is the way to go for more in depth projects, that way the historian can focus on their research.
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