Unit Thirteen: Data Visualization

Back in Unit Two I briefly wondered about the amount of information available on the web and how we make sure our students are savvy enough to examine resources carefully and to be sure to know the author, motives, expertise, agenda, etc.  It's one thing to be bale to analyze a resource, but there is another side to the amount of information available - how do we comb through all that is out there and how do we not miss anything?

In our readings this week there was a reference to just how many Google search results come up in a simple search.  I decided to Google my name (Niebuhr isn't the most common name) and see how many results appear and how deep one would have to dig to find this blog.

The results:  "Jessica Niebuhr" resulted in "About 138,000 results (0.41 seconds) and this blog was found on page 6.  Not too bad, I was actually surprised it came up so quickly.

But think about that first number: 138,000 references to "Jessica Niebuhr".  There are quite a few of us "Jessica Niebuhrs" out there so if you were looking for a specific one that will take a while.  In my search I came across information about a volunteer program I ran at my children's school, a product complaint I made on a company's FaceBook page, White Pages and SuperPages listings, home purchases, my position as membership director of our neighborhood pool and a bunch of stuff that just happens to have a "Jessica" and a "Niebuhr" on the same page.  I looked through 30 pages before Google compressed the results.  How long would it take me to get through to the end?  I never came across the VA Department of Education License "look-up" site - something I would consider important identifying information.

This brief exercise got me thinking - 138,000 possible results for me - someone whose name isn't in the paper, no on is writing books about me, I'm not a public figure…with the glut if information out there, how do we possible weed through it all to find the "good stuff"?  And the amount information just keeps growing.

As a researcher, t he idea of even tackling a small topic is completely overwhelming.  How could I get through it all?  What if there was something really good at result 137,999?  I don't know if I would ever get there.  As a digital historian, it drives home the point of insuring appropriate tags and search markers to insure my information is found.

Data Visualization - Word Clouds

My final project is a Unit Plan on the American Revolution.  I wanted to create a data visualization (dv) that would be content area related and easy for my students to understand and use.  I will be including a Word Cloud assignment in my Unit Plan for students to complete, but thought I could create some examples that would provide content information and serve as a guide for their assignment.  I selected the Declaration of Independence and then decided to add the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights as well.  These three documents are known collectively as the Charters of Freedom.  I obtained the text for each from the transcripts available on the National Archives’ Charters of Freedom.

I used Tagxedo to create separate word clouds for each Charter of Freedom and a fourth cloud including text from all of the documents.  I hope that they will serve as a quick, easy to read reference for students to discover important and common themes for the Founding Fathers as they created these documents.

Declaration of Independence Word Cloud

The United States Constitution Word Cloud

The Bill of Rights Word Cloud

The Charters of Freedom Word Cloud

Unit Twelve: Digital Online Archives

This week we looked at a number of online archival projects including an Omega-Based Northern Virginia Digital History Archive.  I posted 5 exterior photos of the local elementary school, Waynewood Elementary School in Fairfax County Public Schools.  I chose the school for a number of reasons (the fact that it is down the street and I'm there daily was certainly a factor) but also because the school will be undergoing extensive renovations, I believe with a starting timeframe of 2015-2016.  I thought it would be interesting to see how the school looked and compare it to the remodeled site.

The process of using the Northern Virginia Digital History Archive was relatively easy.  There is a delay from the time contributions are made until the time the images are posted, understandably, but I would have appreciated the opportunity to review my collection of photos together (to check for consistency  etc.) before posting.  Also, I was only able to add individual photos and not the photos together.  I uploaded them in order of my walk around the building and had planned on adding commentary including some of the proposed changes.  I would have also liked a template or sample entry on the contribution page to ensure I was entering information in a for consistent with the existing items on the site.  SO far it was a simple process.  I'll post an update after/if my photos are accepted and uploaded to the site.

One of my favorite digital archive sites is Forgotten New York, a program of the Greater Astoria Historical Society.  I've never really thought about it objectively - it's strengths and weaknesses, ease of use, etc.  I just loved looking at the photos they have collected over time and had no need to use them.  The site is sometimes slow and isn't always easy to navigate, but the have photos from all over NYC and the Boroughs.  My favorite articles are when they photos old photos next to photos of the same view today.  I've discovered that when looking at current photos (or being there in real-life) I don't always notice the architecture of the buildings, but once I see the current view compared with the older view, those details that make the old building so special really stand out.  Photos are not always available free for public use, as some are sold to help support the costs of the program.  They offer images, books and other items for sale as well as the opportunity to book speakers for your group or organization and tours of selected "forgotten" sites.

 

My final project is coming along, slower than I would like, but getting there.  The biggest challenge is creating my "digital visualization" project (optional - but I chose it thinking I could work it into my final project).  I am finding it difficult to find reliable information about the American Revolution that could work for a digital visualization and that would be in line with the 6th grade curriculum.  Other than that I have a number of pages that are "works in progress".  My time-line is coming along - looking for photos is my current task on that project - and I my lecture script is coming together, I just need to sit down and record it.  It will be a busy 12 days!

Unit Ten: What is Real and Not Real in the Digital and Real Worlds

When I was three I recited the Pledge of Allegiance for my great uncle.  He apparently thought it was just one of the cutest, most brilliant, most patriotic things he’d ever see because from then on I was showered with “American” themed gifts.  I received American flags, commemorative coin sets, first issue stamps and (my personal favorite) a copy of the Declaration of Independence.  It was one of the ones made to look “real”.  For the longest time I thought it was, and thought how special it was that I got to have my very own copy.  

Eventually I learned it was simply a reproduction, but I remembered how I felt holding it, believing it was real, imagining what life was like when it was first written. Years later, when I began teaching U.S. History, I picked up similar copies of the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Gettysburg address, along with reproductions of maps and money for use in my class.  Every time I bring them out my students ask me if they are “real”. I always explain to them the documents they are holding aren’t original, but they are real.  The words were written, those men signed their names to it, and real people lived it.

I can’t bring the original Declaration of Independence to my students, but I can still bring them the real story, meaning, message behind it. Of course there is something to be said for being able to hold a piece of history in your hands - to hold it, smell it, feel its weight - but the truth is most of us will never have that opportunity.  That is why the advances in digital history are so amazing.  Students, scholars, researchers and historians who would never have had the opportunity to travel the world to archeological sites and museums, to hold a copy of the Declaration of Independence or a vase from the Ming Dynasty, can still (admittedly to a lesser degree) experience, study and wonder at these treasures.

Of course it’s not the same thing as witnessing or holding an original, but they are still real experiences with real things.  Every time I travel and read on my Kindle, someone mentions to me how much they love the feel of a “real” book in their hands too much and could never read on a e-reader or tablet.  I love picking up an old, favorite book to read - the smell of the pages, the crinkle of the book jacket, the feel of it in my hands - there is nothing like it…but my love for reading is greater than my love for holding a book.  There are countless stories, lessons, tears, and laughs I would miss if I limited my reading to only books I could physically hold!  I’ll take a slightly “lesser” experience over no experience any day.

Unit Nine: The Information Age

Over the past few weeks I've been learning about blogging, the digital web, resources available, what makes a good site and digitizing materials…Now to put it all into practice.

For my final project in my Introduction to Digital History course I will use the Curriculum Framework produced by the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Board of Education as a guide to create a digital unit plan. Using the Curriculum Framework will insure that all the required information is covered.  I will then go back and supplement the plan with activities, lessons and assessments that would (hopefully) enhance each unit.  When I return to the classroom I hope to adopt a flipped classroom model, having my students watch/listen/read/prepare at home for more in-depth and engaging activities and assignments in class.

The digital unit will contain all the information my students will need including essential questions and objectives for the unit as well as background information (key individuals, events and vocabulary words), graphic organizers for note taking, video lectures, homework assignments, writing assignments, maps, timelines and review activities.  In the past all of the items were printed and photocopied into multi-page packets and distributed to students at the beginning of each unit.

The American Revolution Unit will have a home here on my Digital History Blog.  It will included a timeline of important dates I will be creating with Timetoast, an online lecture created with either Brainshark or Prezi and a data visualization graph (perhaps of population or support for Independence) using Many Eyes.

There are countless digital resources available on the topic of the American Revolution. I imagine I will be using a variety of resources including, but not limited to the American Memory Historical Collections from the Library of Congress and the Charters of Freedom Collection from the National Archives.

While I do not anticipate actively looking for viewers or an audience for my project, it will be available to the public.  I will certainly share with my team and grade level co-workers and if appropriate, with other teachers in my district who might find it helpful.

Unit Eight: Digitizing and Sourcing Images and Text (and Video)

Well, we've reached the halfway point for my Introduction to Digital History course and this week we're focusing on the sources of digital materials.  Throughout the course we've discussed digital databases, sites where someone else has already digitized the materials for us and saved them in a neat, searchable package.

For my final project I am hoping to create a usable, digital resource for use in my classroom, in particular for a unit on the Declaration of Independence/Revolutionary War. There are countless digital resources available that I might be able to use - YouTube videos created by other teachers in my district that cover the topic, digitized copies of historic documents, audio recordings of actors reading narratives from the time, dramatic History Channel reenactments…I'm at no loss for materials.

But what happens when the materials we are looking for aren't readily available for a quick download?  While I'm not planning on discovering a long-lost, hand-written letter from Thomas Jefferson in my back yard, there are resources that I've used in my classroom before, from various books and other resources, that I would like to incorporate into my project.  As demonstrated in some of our assignments for this course, documents may be scanned, pieced together and saved for use in digital projects and made available to other researchers or historians.

The task sounds daunting - digitizing historic documents or creating digital materials?  I have a scanner and some basic computer and editing skills, but "digitizing and sourcing images and text"?  That I'm not so sure about.

But then I really thought about it.  We digitize and source images and text all the time, but usually for our own personal use, to document our personal histories.  My children are constantly creating, and I don't have the storage space to save even a fraction of their work.  I do, however scan or take digital photos of their favorite drawings, artwork and other creations and put them in a photo book.  My father and I compiled years of family recipes into a family cookbook, including scans of original hand-written recipes and photos of celebrations when we've shared them.  Years ago a relative of my mother typed up a family tree (in the form of an inch-thick packet of photocopies) and mailed copies to everyone - wouldn't it be great to get all of that information in one place on-line and make it available to family members to record, births, marriages and deaths for everyone in our extended family to know about?

So the approach I going to take, as I'm facing the task of having to "digitize and source images and text" for a professional and academic project, is to look at my everyday life - my Facebook-ing, Instagram-ing, Shutterfly-ing, iPhoto-ing ways may just serve me well.

Extras: My professor from another course shared this resource, Know Your Copy Rights, published by the Association of Research Libraries.  It is specifically written for faculty and teaching assistants in higher education, but contains a lot of copyright information that could be helpful to digital historians.  It ties into my post from last week on Copyright and the Web.

Unit Seven: Copyright and the Web

My eyes are still crossed from this unit's readings about copyrights and the web.  I was (still am) completely overwhelmed with the amount of information and the minutia of details about using copyrighted materials, copyrighting your own materials, Fair Use – the rules, the many exceptions….

As a student and a teacher before Web 2.0, I have primarily been concerned with not plagiarizing the work of another - insuring my sources are well documented and cited in written form.  I had not given much thought to copyright violations, or worrying about copyrighting my own materials.  As Rosenzweig and Cohen, 2005 note, 

you start worrying more about "what am I allowed to include of the work of others" and less about "how can I protect what's mine."

At this time I see my digital history focus to be "local and personal". I'm not looking to make money from this blog and (most likely) not from any other history related blog or web-presence I may develop. I foresee the resources I create and compile being used by my students for use in my class. As time goes on and I spend more time and effort creating new resources, I'm sure that will change.

Bucknell University Professsor Eric Faden's humorous take on copyright principles helped clear a few things up. I also searched beyond the assigned readings and found answers from Library at U Penn.  For now I'm aiming to understand the basics:

Copyright are the legal rights the author or creator of a work has over how that work is reproduced.  Generally speaking for works created after 1978 they until the end of the creator's life plus 70 years.  There are different restrictions and requirements for works created before 1978, anonymous works, etc.

Works in the Public Domain are free for anyone to use.

Fair Use is not a right but a legal, defensible position.  You can "borrow" a small amount of copyrighted material to, for example, teach a lesson, but it is dependent on:

• the nature of the work borrowed
• the amount of the originally work used
• it has to be used in a way that does not change the original works' value in the market place.

Teachers Pay Teachers is an "open marketplace where educators buy, sell and share original teaching resources."  This resource did not exist when I was last teaching, but I have purchased and downloaded a number of materials for use by my children. 

I had never looked into the ethics or legality of the site.  TpT repeatedly makes it clear that the information on the site is not a substitute for legal advice, but they do have a comprehensive Copyright FAQ.  It provides substantial information regarding appropriate use of materials found on the site and those created by teachers in their own classrooms.  After reading their FAQ, as well as their "About Us" section, I believe their intention is to be an ethical site, providing information regarding legal use of these educational materials.

Extra: I was working on an assignment for another class about using audio and video in the classroom and I thought about that frequently cited idea about how much we remember/learn boy listening, seeing, doing, teaching, etc.  I went looking on-line for the quote and came across the site: Will At Work Learning by Will Thalheimer, PhD.  Doctor Thalheimer holds a PhD, Human Learning and Cognition from Columbia University, a MBA, MIS and Instructional Design from Drexel University and a BA, Psychology from Pennsylvania State University. 

Dr. Thalheimer and his colleagues recently published a number of articles for the scientific journal, Educational Technology, about the misinformation given in what they’ve labeled (1) the mythical retention chart and (2) the corruption of Dale’s Cone of Experience. What caught my eye in Thalheimer’s post were two graphics and the following passage.  I thought it tied in to what we have been talking about this term including the importance of understanding where our sources come from and copyright (copying) concerns. 

I include these two examples to make two points. First, note how one person clearly stole from the other one. Second, note how sloppy these fabricators are. They include a Confucius quote that directly contradicts what the numbers say. On the left side of the visuals, Confucius is purported to say that hearing is better than seeing, while the numbers on the right of the visuals say that seeing is better than hearing. And, by the way, Confucius did not actually say what he is being alleged to have said! What seems clear from looking at these and other examples is that people don’t do their due diligence—their ends seems to justify their means—and they are damn sloppy, suggesting that they don’t think their audiences will examine their arguments closely. (Thalheimer, 2015)

http://www.willatworklearning.com/2015/01/mythical-retention-data-the-corrupted-cone.html

Unit Five: Building a Web Culture (Style Design Standards and HTML 5)

Style or substance?  After last week's look at a number of digital history projects we discussed how the level of sophistication of a site and the timeliness of the material on a given site are not necessarily related.  Some of the sites we looked at (the Library of Congress' American Memory site, for example) are not the most sophisticated, but are actually the most up-to-date.  This week, we are going deeper in to the style of a site and how the style may impact, for better or worse, a site's substance.

When looking back and reexamining a few of the sites from last week, I played close attention to the relationship between style and substance.  Take the site for the Amiens Cathedral Project from last week.  It is beautiful - photo after stunning photo of the cathedral, but there is no way to search.  If I'm an architecture student looking for examples of a particular style of archway, I can't simply type in my search, you just have to click through the different sections.  Unfortunately, clicking on some links lead you to pages with no way to return to the home page without hitting the "back" button.  From the navigation bar I clicked "sculptural program" and I was sent to the screen below:

Sculptural Program Page - Navigational Menu is no longer available.

The only way for me to get back to another section of the site is to repeatedly click the back button (or use the drop-down feature on the back button) to get to a page with a navigational menu.

I didn't articulate it at the time, but thinking about my reaction to some of the sites we examined last week, I was pretty hard on them.  I made snap decisions based on a quick look at each home page and maybe a few clicks in, without looking deeper into the content and how the style impacted my use of the content.  I need to take that into consideration when creating my own site for my final project.  Right now I'm planning on creating a site specifically for my students.  I'm not looking to attract users from various search engines, looking to drive traffic and usage to my site - I know my target audience will reach and use my pages.  Who is using my site, and how they are getting there could impact my design.  If I am hoping people will stop on my page after a quick google search, my style and look of my site might be more important than if I am creating a site for a "captive" audience.  That will impact the sort of web presence I might need.