Category Archives: Spring 2015

Lab Journal 1

Earlier in class I felt unsure about whether or not to promote my project proposal: The Tokyo Destruction Diary. To recap, my idea was to create an interactive map of Tokyo where certain points of interest were highlighted and when a user clicked on them they gave data and historical context to an actual attack or disaster that happened there (earthquakes, fire-bombings, terrorist attacks, etc). Other points would give information about popular media (comics, movies, games) that have stories tied to the destruction of Tokyo. The two categories of fictional and actual destruction would cross reference each other to give the viewer an encapsulation of Japanese media and history, and how societal fears can be expressed through popular media.

 

I felt genuine conflict about whether or not my project idea was worth pushing, whether it was a battle worth fighting. The final grade on my proposal for my project made me realize some of my shortcomings. Prof. Gold considered TDD a good general project idea, but found it lacking in a humanities focus and I was at a loss for figuring out the nitty-gritty about how to execute the project beyond just using a map based program like Neatline.

 

I have the basic idea (explore Japanese art/culture through events in history and vice versa). I have the knowledge and passion for the subject. But ultimately, I lack the technical know-how to fully realize my idea, and I would find myself relying on other people almost completely to realize certain aspects of it. Granted, part of this exercise is learning how to rely on others, but I feel like it would be irresponsible to rally the class to construct a building I didn’t have blueprints for, so to speak. Also, the information about fictional destruction would be tricky to gather in mass quantities or from databases. It would rely more on an individual knowledge of the subject matter (mostly from me). I feel like the project would need a serious re-evaluation before it could be considered good enough to pitch.

 

skillset — Kelly

With my professional position ingrained in technology, my primary skill set involves digital knowledge organization, in addition to remote/online collaboration and project management.

With that said, I’m interested in branching out to expand on my design and web development skills.

I have experience in designing for print and the web — illustration (by hand, Adobe Illustrator), color theory, CSS/XHTML, layout design (InDesign) — both for myself (fine art, and customizing websites and blogs) and professionally (for library and society websites). I would like to increase my coding abilities; right now I get by with what I know, and am able to use Internet forums to fill in any gaps.

syllabi DHify (pre-pitch)

In preparation for Wednesday’s class, here’s my pre-pitch for Syllabi DHify:

Screen Shot 2015-02-08 at 12.20.05 PM

A syllabus should be a living document that evolves as the semester progresses. However, in practice a syllabus becomes quickly outdated — from the moment a single student scrawls marginalia onto a handout, indicating that something was incomplete, something had changed.

At the most basic level, Syllabi DHify will be a platform for both students and professors to quickly access and update course syllabi, removing the need for erroneous print-outs or Word documents shared via e-mail.

For teaching professionals Syllabi DHify will go a step further by providing a space for active pedagogical collaboration. Users at this level will have the opporutnity to share existing syllabi, collaborate with peers, and re-use shared content. Syllabi DHify will facilitate the incorporation of new pedagogical methods across disciplines. The platform itself will be an exercise in Digital Humanities methods and practices, drawing on the open sharing principles behind Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and Open Access (OA). As such, it will provide provide teaching professionals not familiar with Digital Humanities a means to incorporate its technological, collaborative, and systematic practices into existing student course work.

Syllabi DHify aims to improve upon the way in which information is shared, allowing for a more fluid, collaborative learning experience.

If you’re interested in sharing the work of DH to the larger knowledge community — come join me.
If you’re ready to see higher education move forward — come join me.
We can take our methods from DH and share it. With anyone.

#Skillset – Min

Outreach Coordinator, Project Manager: Simply not my forte.. My English needs improvement..

Developer: Not horrible but very limited.. So I’d say.. not my forte..

Designer/UX Designer: I think this is most likely going to be the part that I’ll participate in. As you may know by now, I went to an art school. My major was fashion design but I’ve always been interested in communication design as well. I have experiences in logo design, web design, branding and so on (I’ve done the entire communication design for my own brands and for some other people’s brands.). I know how to use Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. I have numerous friends who are actually in communication design industry and programing who could potentially help our projects a lot (I also have a friend who’s amazing at 3D modeling and rendering although I’m unsure how we can apply that to our projects.). I’m confident when it comes to aesthetic. But I am aware of the difference between design and UX design. Therefore, I’m also going to attend as many workshops about UX design as possible this semester to focus on it. The attachment is a mockup design from Tessa and my final project last semester.MICROFASHION

#Skillset Renzo

Outreach & Project Management: My current passion project is producing a YouTube series where I interview artists, publishers, and creators working in comics. So I have to stay abreast of what artists are big, who’s up and coming, and what are the new trends. Then I have to find those people that are now or soon will be movers-and-shakers and convince them to sit down and talk to me, then work with my editor to make something watchable. So keeping this going feels a bit like outreach and project management combine.

Developer: I have a modest knowledge of Photoshop from running a little blog about old Japanese magazines. Other than that my technical know-how could be better.

Design: After working in film distribution, art museum management, blogging, and film producing, I’d like to think I have a decent grasp of aesthetics and what looks/feels right on a project.

I make good connections with contacts and get some mileage out of a small amount of information.  I do some freelance journalism so I enjoy writing. My previous work was in museum and PR for a horror movie company, so my knowledge spans from art history to how to make a convincing looking exploding head using common household items. I like connecting the dots between things. Think of it as playing Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, but with arts, world events, people etc..

 

#skillset – Juliana

Hey all,

Good to see you guys again. Here are my skill sets:

  • Outreach Coordinator:  My professional life include 6 years of business development, marketing and public relations. What I’m particularly good at is finding new areas of expansion, by finding potential clients/partnerships and seeing how we can enter a mutually beneficial relationship. In more friendly, DH speak, I can find possible collaboration opportunities that can help our project go beyond its reach as if it was just on its own- whether it is finding a like-minded organization that can link to our project site, sending project updates to publications (not just academic), inviting fellow DH’ers during the beta testing phases, or exchanging data, ideas, or code with others to build up a network. I think an outreach coordinator should go beyond telling the world about our project, but also attempt to build and actively engage with a community, much like a brand.  My everyday job is asking and answering questions like: Why would anyone care? How does this help other people? Why should they share our story?
  • Project Manager: I’m organized, deadline oriented and I pick up things pretty quickly, which is important when you are collaborating cross-functions. I may not be the best developer, but I trust my abilities to pick up the necessary details so I can talk about it intelligently. I’m good at stepping back and thinking how we can make better connections so all the functions are working at optimal levels, like coordinating outreach on important development stages. I’m also willing and able to help other team members in case they need additional help.
  • Designer/UX: I have opinions on what  looks nice and my personal preference on user experience. But my skill set in this area is limited. I’m not proficient in any of the programs that others have named. But I am willing to learn.
  • Developer: I would love to develop this skill set more. I’m taking the module on HTML and CSS at the J-School this month. Depending on the project’s technical requirements, I would be open to it.

Skillset, Sarah

Developer–I’m pretty sure I have no skills in this area. Basic HTML and the ability to write SQL queries just about covers it. I am going to quote Chris M, who summed up my feelings on this role perfectly “Relatively little experience in this area and so I fear that this would be biting off more than I could chew. I have interest in learning alongside my team’s developer, but in the interest of efficiency, I’m probably not the team member best suited for this role.”

Outreach–I have social media accounts. Occasionally I use them. Definitely a growth area for me.

Designer–This is the role that interests me the most. I have some basic design program knowledge–Photoshop, InDesign etc. I critique usability and web design all the time, so I’d like try and put my $ where my mouth is and move beyond critique. As a quilter and a former pastry chef, I have experience working in some really different visual languages.

Program Manager–I love to make lists & organize things. I run super-efficient meetings. I’m goal oriented and good at problem solving. I think this is my strongest skill area.