Thursday
21 
-From the questionnaires we
see that historians agree about interest in using
the web for research and teaching more than for
publishing, though that is also an interest.
There seems to be more interest in breadth of
material.
COLLABORATION:-Historians work alone, few
respondents work collaboratively. One of us
commented that this is also the stereotype of the
web--the lone net cruiser. We tend to reinforce
this in our teaching, we want students to come up
with ideas on their own. While recognizing the
difficulties, the group agreed that collaborative
web projects should be encouraged. Some models
were described.
ARGUMENT:-We have used web as pedagogy and
research rather than for making an argument. The
editor in our group described efforts to make
authors integrate illustrations into an argument
rather than just decorating an article, with
little success. Agreement that it is important to
think about how this is a medium for developing
an argument. How to use it as a vehicle for
making a statement rather than illustrating it.
We should be clear about the appropriateness of
using technology. Unless there is a compelling
reason to use the tech it is just illustrative
and expensive. We need to do it because it helps
to change the discipline, not just use the tools
because they are available.
RECONSIDERING
BASIC PRINCIPLES:-What
is valued changes over time. We most highly value
individual inspiration. The web medium forces
people to reconsider basic principles, issues
always around but we aren't forced to think about
it in our normal practice. New tech might force
us to rethink it.
-potential of web sources
for better and multiple interpretations. Data
bases might change our conclusions.
PRO-ACTIVE:-Don't treat this as "how are
we going to catch up?" but "how are we
going to shape the future?"
TRAINING
NEXT GENERATION:-How do
we train students to be proficient and effective
in web based research, teaching, and publication?
We should get grad students to learn how to
create a virtual text. I assume this will become
easier. If it's going to realize its promise (and
we need really good demonstration projects) then
we're getting students to think about the text in
a different way.
NEW
STRUCTURES/THE END OF NARRATIVE? -History has always been written as
a narrative. The current technology is good at
taking things apart instead of creating
narratives. The Valley of the Shadow site started
out with a historian who was then 'pushed out' to
allow for others to write the history themselves.
There is no form of narrative on the site. We
have no way of writing an integrative text.
-Id like to make a pitch
for open-source courseware. Id like to see us
make a statement out of this meeting.
General
Brainstorming:
-are we letting the end
product shape what we think we want.
-potential of the 3-d text.
Ability to go to different levels of text,start
at high school version that can open up to
college level and then to advanced.
-that is what the very best
museums do. You can read as much as you want in
the interpretation.
-that's part of the task,
the notion of writing for various audiences.
History
| Interdisciplinary
Studies | Language
& Literature | Performing
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