Creating the DH Landscape

At the conclusion of this term, I asked my composition students to share their thoughts on the most and least engaging reading, writing, and assignments in the class. These informal responses centered around preference for some types of writing over other types (narrative v. research, etc.), but many noted the use of ePortfolio as being unclear. This may have been fueled by the need for the paper copy of the portfolio for assessment purposes, but I think it also demonstrates the desire for more meaningful engagement (ok, maybe it demonstrates that they were advocating for dumping it, but either way, it’s an issue).

So, I’ve decided to take two steps, one in preparation and the other in practice. To be ready for student projects, I have to practice using some tools. So, this summer, I am going to complete the digital humanities course (DH 106: http://ds106.us/tag/openonline/). Then, I may make some adjustments to the next part of the plan, but as of now, I expect to integrate one or more digital activities into each major course project. Since this is not an official DH class, I will use ePortfolio to create a sampler of a number of digital tools. Some will be used as pre-writing, some for reflection, maybe a few for reading analysis, and others for writing  analysis.

First off, I’ll introduce the concept in the first week. We’ll do a few “get to know each other” activities through the ePortfolio platform. I expect that I will need to spend some time in class introducing the ePortfolio structure and helping them to create pages and posts within the first few weeks of class. Below is a list of possible one-shot activities that I envision will be integrated as either homework or possibly class work for instruction to use the tools. I do not want to dedicate more than 15-30 minutes for instruction to use any of the tools, but we’ll see how it goes.

ePortfolio (possible activities):

• About Me page
  • Biopoem of student as a learner (https://jengennaco.uneportfolio.org/2017/05/17/exploring-bean/)
  • GIF or Avatar that represents self as a learner
  • Reflection on space (from Creative Habits) about work environments for writing (will require some exploration around campus and two-three pictures)
• Literacy Narrative
  • Pre-writing:  Post that includes line graph or bar graph to map the type of reading they did at different points in their lives (not sure yet of categories, but I’m imagining categories like the genre of text or a pleasure reading/required reading contrast that could be broken down by time frames)
  • Pre-writing:  time line (digital or hand-written but visual representation) of memorable reading or writing moments or texts
  • Final draft: embed on visual into their final draft (could be a picture, the graph, an image of an important symbol in their story (similar to Medium project)
• Social Media and Identity
  • Pre-writing: Eulogy Tweet (post) for student’s first social media “self” (or one of their first accounts)
  • Pre-writing: Diary entry for your phone post (What has your phone done for you today? Phone POV, including the mood/personality of the phone. In class, students will then re-write from opposing mood. For example, my phone may feel well rested or anxious, depending on the messages I’ve received or the news I’ve read, or it may feel jealous of other phones that have so many more apps and that get so much more attention. ) This exercise will be in preparation for the concept of introducing a counter argument (same evidence, different interpretation).
  • Annotation: Idea map of one reading (boyd, I think)
  • Pre-writing Maybe a graph that includes a digital representation of favorite social media post by category (original post/picture that represents values,  interests, entertainment vs. shared content, maybe reactions (“likes” vs. comments) or lack of reactions. This would be used to have students think of their online personas through their use of social media.
  • Drafting: first draft Wordle to observe word usage (possibly use Wordle as way to discuss text focus in one of our sources as well)
• Big Data
  • I’m not sure yet about how this prompt will change, so I haven’t determined activities yet. I would like to incorporate at least one reading that includes a graph or chart (like the SF maps but better integrated) to work on the skill of interpreting. I would also like to have students interact with uses of big data to create art (several visual representations via TED Talks) and uses in the field of criminal justice.

So, that’s the plan. I’m looking forward to developing these skills. Thanks, everyone, for your feedback and thoughtful discussion during our seminar!