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Through layering digital information onto real-world environments, historians have the ability to produce an augmented reality. These technologies allow historians to mix real world and the virtual world into one to enhance historical perspectives. Through the use of augmented reality, accessibility to key historical points and places are easily available for classrooms, schools or individuals. It also allows historians or students to gain a greater knowledge about specific topics because they are physically seeing the old world within the new world. This is a very effective teaching strategy because it allows one to physically be immersed in their field and gain a better understanding.
When looking at 3D printing and virtual reality it is evident that both can be used to heighten the effectiveness of historians. Both offer the ability to view history in a different way. When looking at 3D printing, historians can use this as a way to view something from the past. This tool can also be used in order to view cities as well as infrastructure. However, with this tool, it is extremely time consuming and costly. Virtual reality, like 3D printing, can also be used to view the past. Due to modern technology, virtual reality is extremely effective. You have the ability to be transported into a different time period within seconds and can roam freely within the streets. It also allows you to view the clothing, way of living and food that existed during this specific time period being studied,. However, if a program has not been created yet, students will not have the ability to view these areas.
When looking at gaming,I feel that the historical simulation that is shown through these programs can interpret the past. Since this is a simulation, audiences are able to learn about key concepts within history through gaming. Since technology is always advancing, this form of communication will never die. Due to this I feel that this is a very crucial way to convey messages. This can be seen when looking at games like Civilization, Assassins Creed or even Crusader Kings. These games convey messages about early civilizations. Through a storyline, creators are able to input key historical concepts within it, in order to educate audiences about social, political or economical aspects of these civilizations. These games also use language that was common during the time period to allow users to gain a more enhanced experience.
After reading this work it is evident that big data is more prominent within society today. Since it is constantly evolving, historians use these tools because they are constantly developing and updating. Big data allows historians to take data from multiple sources in order to derive meaning for a specific topic. However, since Big Data is out of human control, there is more room for errors. As seen with sourcing, this approach allows historians to take multiple points of view, however if they are not properly sourced, this may lead to audiences taking on a hubristic belief and misunderstanding. This may also lead to improper data preservation as discussed in previous class discussions.
I agree with this quote! As seen with history, digitizing has become more prominent within historians as a way to convey pivotal points within history. As online databases become more important within society we would be able to see a change within all three realms. Since the majority of society has access to a computer, researches, historians and contributors will use these platforms in order to relay current and future events. This not only provides an ease of access to workers, but they also help promote accessibility to these realms.
For quick facts about celebrities, points in history or other discussion topics i like to use Wikipedia to get my information. However, after last weeks lab my viewpoint sort of shifted about the website. In school I was always told that Wikipedia was not a credible source due to that fact that anyone who has an account can edit any page found on the site. Due to this I always had a preconceived notion about this website and would use if for fact checking. However, after last weeks lab, I learned a lot about the website. Turns our that this website has numerous features, such as sources and footnotes that can allow one to gain more information about a specific topic. Also when navigating the page, many subpages appear that can allow you to get more information on the topics discussed on your original search page. Unlike scholarly journals, wikipedia can always be changed once its published by an expert. Due to this i feel like Wikipedia can be used as a credible source due to the fact that information is constantly being updated.
One of the benefits of the NPOV policy is that it allows contributors to express themselves more freely because information is able to be posted without preconceived notions or bias. Due to this users, are able to freely understand information because factual evidence is present and sensitive topics are not removed. However, although there are many benefits to this policy, there are also some weaknesses. Since information is able to be posted freely, users who are viewing their search pages may be confused. Since the website just contains facts, the contributor does not add any conclusions or synthesizing which can weaken the overall flow of information from website to reader.
I agree with the authors opinion. Digital history requires more work and research in order to relay important messages about pivotal moments while remaining user friendly. Digital historians, are responsible for not only for digitizing all documents but they are also responsible for the overall upkeep of the website in order to make sure that the servers can support a large amount of data. Digital technologies are constantly changing which can aid in the overall efficiency of this process. However, more work is involved within this process. This process is more tedious and more mistakes can happen.
In order to communicate with my group members I used google docs. I find this extremely effective when doing group projects because it is easy to use. This tool allows multiple people to use the same document at once. It also allows people to see the recent changes and add to them as needed. Google Docs also has a group chat option so people can discuss their work on the document. However, this feature is only offered to those that are online. If not a notification will be sent to your gmail or your phone indicating activity on the document.
If i were to design a search engine for historians i would want to focus on a good keyword search as well as an advanced search option. By doing this i would be able to enhance the users experience. With the ease of access and use they would be able to find and gain information at a faster rate. I also think that having a variety of documents on a website is also very effective. Having images, documents as well as text on the website would allow information to flow more effectively. For a website I like the idea of having an advanced search feature. Often times many of the sources I need are hard to find with a simple search bar. With the use of the advance search bar I am able to filter out the unnecessary information in order to find my sources within a shorter amount of time.
Metadata refers to information about the document or image that is being digitized. Prior to the actual uploading of the document, the metadata must be created in order to have a proper categorized document. This process is very important for digitization because it allows the things that to been digitized to have an organized description of what the file actually is. When looking at digitization it is very important to have the metadata because some documents may be larger then others. This will allow the archivists to maintain order while scanning.
One of the reasons why archivists do not digitize documents is do to the overall size of the images or articles being copied. The larger the document the more labour is needed in order to copy each page and digitize it. However, through this process the authenticity of the image diminishes due to the fact that someone is looking at an online copy rather then in person. The person looking at the digitized document, may not be able to clearly read the words or see the images that are being depicted. Often times when this are copied, the quality of the image weakens. If you were to zoom in on these images, they would often look blurry or pixelated. These documents were not created to be digitally copied, causing them to often look this way. These documents are also old and may be fading as well which can attribute to this. The digitization of documents is also quite costly. Digitizing technology can be expensive and is constantly changing and updating. Small collectors may have a hard time gaining access to printers or scanners that can fit the thicker pages of the documents due to the overall cost.
Podcasting has changed the way that history is interpreted. People are able to listen to a free podcast and gain information about certain topics. Rather then checking out or paying for a book, listeners are able to hear history anywhere. Due to its easy accessibility, one is able to search a podcast on spotify or other media platforms and listen to it on the go. Rather then reading a historical text, you are able to hear a summary within a matter of minutes. Podcasts have become a popular teaching tool for professors and teachers of all ages. Personally, podcasts are an easier way of portraying difficult topics within history and can be transcribed for those who are unable to listen to them.
I believe that copyright has become a more pertinent issue for historians due to the increase of digital technologies. The main reason for this is due to the accessibility of information online. As more and more users contribute to websites, blog posts and other social media platforms the authenticity of ones work becomes compromised. Copyright is used to protect the original material of ones work and prevent others from taking credit and making royalties. However, as many people are surfing the web, more and more users are able to access this information and interpret it. As historians, our role is to help preserve the original source through the maintaining of authenticity. Without this, one would be unable t capture the true primary source due to the multiple interpretations by users instead of the creator.
I think that one of the characteristics of a good website is the overall organization of the website. Websites should be organized in a clear and concise manner in order to allow users to navigate through the site with ease. Not only will it be easy for users to use but the flow of information from creator to user would be more efficient. With the use of different tools such as tabs or videos users would be able to find information faster and easier. I also think that colour is an important characteristic as well. The more colourful the website the more inviting it would be. By using a universal colour scheme people from different backgrounds would be able to easily understand the flow of the website. One of the websites that demonstrates this is YouTube. The overall interface of the website is white with red buttons and black writing that stand out when you first look at it. YouTube also has a very easy to use navigational search bar which would allow you to find information on any topic through the use of video. Not only is this website efficient but it is easily accessible to everyone. This website offers translations into different languages as well as subtitles for videos who are not translated. Due to this more people are able to use the website. I feel like this website has also gained success due to use of social sharing. People are able to comment on each others post as well as share them amongst other social media platforms. YouTube is also constantly being updated with new features in order to increase the efficiency of the users. When looking on the homepage, videos are organized into categories such as Comedy, Trending or Documentary that allow you to pick specific topics without having to browse all the videos that have been uploaded. As someone who uses YouTube daily I believe that this is a website with an extremely great design!
YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/
