Digital Humanities

What Is Digital Humanities and What’s It Doing in English Departments?

By Matthew G. Kirschenbaum

The article “What is Digital Humanities and What’s It Doing in English Departments?” by Matthew G. Kirschenbaum was incredibly insightful. As a reader, it was easy to read because it was so easy to follow. Not knowing much about digital humanities myself, I appreciated the selection of this article as well as it being the first one listed. I felt that the article did a wonderful job of detailing digital humanities and the evolution from its creation to what it is now. I enjoyed the discussion of the name and the idea of “humanities” being more front and center than it was. I also really enjoyed the Wikipedia comment and how that definition essentially nails the term.

One thing I found interesting was the discussion of digital humanities at the  2009 MLA Annual Convention in Philadelphia. The text states, “Amid all the doom and gloom of the 2009 MLA Convention, one field seems to be alive and well: the digital humanities. More than that: Among all the contending subfields, the digital humanities seem like the first ‘next big thing’ in a long time (Kirschenbaum). I was wondering what the “doom and gloom” is in reference too. I was also surprised that it appeared digital humanities was accepted so openly that I wondered about some common issues, which the author brings up later in relation to collaboration amongst teachers and the outdated sensation of privacy in sharing materials.

Digital Humanities also began taking shape with the invention of Twitter. Twitter, which the article humorously mentions is not just for the ADHD population who can’t be bothered to compose more than a handful of words, but was a way to teach effective communication skills, especially using wit in a short amount of characters. At the 2009 MLA convention, 48% of the attendees at the digital Humanities conference were tweeting. Digital humanities is a culture that values connection to wider issues and collaboration amongst individuals. It fosters the idea of sharing resources and ideas, along with building a community. Brian Croxall, Emory PhD was able to publish his paper through blogs and interactive communities, when he was not able to attend a conference. As a teacher myself, I think resources like these, such as Twitter, or so important in our world today. The element of communication is elevated through these resources. I recently attended professional development with Kelly Gallagher, teacher and author of many professional texts, who mentioned kids vested interests with communication with others from different areas and all they can learn from each other.

The Literary, the Humanistic, the Digital: Toward a Research Agenda for Digital Literary Studies

Julia Flanders

The second text, “The LIterary, the Humanistic, the Digital: Toward a Research Agenda for Digital Literary Studies” by Julia Flanders,  discusses  the “crisis in humanities and the intervention that the specifically digital humanities might make in that crisis” (Flanders).  The article appears to be an introduction to the large volume of essays composed on digital literacy.   While I enjoyed reading the first article, I found this one to be a bit confusing. I felt that I had to keep going back and rereading to clarify what was being said, and even then, I found it difficult to focus.  Overall, I found that this article could have gotten the point across more had they used more relatable terms and a simpler way form of expression.

But here’s what I did get from the text: The article suggests that we must recognize digital humanities must engage with change  driven by institutional and economic forces. However, it warns about both retreating and opportunistic shifts where the individual is not considered and ends up lost in a web of of the system. What I gleaned from this article, is that through digital humanities we can take students outside of their small hub of learning, and take them outside the classroom.

Writing a Narrative and Writing Well

I started off this week’s readings with “Writing A Narrative” from the textbook Everyone’s An Author  by Andrea Lunsford, Michal Body, Lisa Ede, Beverley Moss, Carole Clark Papper, and Keith Walters. Immediately I could tell that I would like this passage, as it was an easy read that confirmed a lot of what I already knew about narrative writing, and inadvertently gave me vocabulary to use when teaching my students.

The text meshed academic descriptions of narrative writing with an actual narrative writing which I enjoyed thoroughly. The text also lists the steps to take when writing a narrative including: A clearly identified event, a clearly described setting, vivid descriptive details, a consistent point of view, and a clear point. The text also gave suggestions for what to think about when writing a narrative including: Think about your stance, think about your purpose, consider the larger context, and consider your medium. I thought the part about the medium was very interesting. I never gave much thought to how much font, or images, factor into making a narrative more effective. Sure with graphic novels I have, but I haven’t thought about adding images or design to the ideas I already have rolling about narratives I want to write. Annd yet, now that prospect excites me just as much!

The second text, by William Zinsser, was from his seminal book entitled On Writing Well and the section was titled “Writing About People”. The text begins by discussing the importance of interviewing and how it is so much more than facts. One part I found particularly interesting was when the speaker was discussing how they were given transcripts from the original five judges for Book of the Month club. The writer was doing a write up for the 40th anniversary of the organization and this was in 1966! I find this so fascinating because I am a member of Book of the Month club and would LOVE to be a guest judge at some point!

This text dealt with interviewing and the art of collecting non fiction narratives. It goes in detail discussing different variations of interview procedures and the benefits of them. For example, the benefits of a tape recorder and hearing dialect along with being able to replay the tape, versus handwritten notes where the speaker talks faster than you write and seeming to mess up speech. The author also discussed the importance of correct punctuation, especially where quotation marks are involved. I found this rather funny, as I teach my students the importance of grammatical errors!  

Whatever your way, the author reminds you to ask yourself the following question: What about your obligation to the person you interviewed? This made me think about the previous article and I reminded myself that when writing narrative writing, I must keep in mind the following question: What about your obligation to your audience? What is my purpose for writing and am I doing that justice?

The Activist Learner

First off, I was super excited by Stephanie’s choices for this week and the idea of reading about Social Justice writing. It’s something I absolutely want to try in my classroom because it is beyond important to turn our young students into activists, or to at least help them see themselves as ones. Unfortunately, I’ve been having difficulty locating the second article, but will continue my search!

The first article, titled “The Activist Learner” was written by Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Whitney Douglas, and Sara W. Fry. After reading the first section of the article, I felt a little insulted. The way the authors presented service learning and engaging students just seemed like common sense to me, that it seemed a bit ridiculous they were writing about it. I wanted to scream “DUH” at the screen, in fact I might have. I was definitely shaking my head. But instead of holding onto that judgement, I reminded myself that the first section was the introduction, which functions as a broad overview and that may be why it was so self explanatory.  

However, I was disappointed. I felt that the article took eight pages to say that service learning is when students are engaged in meaningful learning and teachers are collaborative. The article expressed experimenting with new ideas and using your resources, such as coworkers to collaborate and learn from.  Wilhelm mentions that when initiating a new curriculum,  you are “doomed to some level of success” which I think is very poetic. It’s true that when you try something new you learn and grow and there are many challenges you face. He recommends service learning as a thinking and collaborating approach to bounce ideas off others. I couldn’t agree more. However, there are only so many hours in a day. I have worked in schools where the district fully supports separate common planning time, and schools were it does not seem to be valued. I agree with the theory proposed in this article, however, putting this into action is not solely reliant on willing teachers.

I also got to thinking about the idea of mentor teachers. I had two mentors in the time of my career, that lasted a total of one year. I have unofficial mentors, sure, but I love the idea of a continuous mentor. Why do mentors stop when you are no longer considered “novice”? If we work in a profession where the curriculum and standards are continuously coming through a revolving door, why aren’t we always considered novice, since we are responsible for learning the new material.  

HERE WE GO! FINALLY we are at the social issue/activist part of this essay. Samantha Archibald Mora, high school English, Spanish and ELL teacher created a service learning project called Breaking Social Barriers to help expose her ELL students to authentic native English speakers and for the US born students to engage in real opportunities to learn about the world from their peers. It warmed my heart to hear about such open minded students along with the thank you note from one of the ELL students, expressing her fear and overall positive outcome of her experience. As I was reading this, I wanted to hear more about what the specific projects where that Mora implemented in her classroom. I run a social issues book club, and I’m thinking that I could revise it for next year to deal with breaking down social barriers and how the novels do this.

Angela states, “Be practical and start small. Students have to write and read something. They may as well write or create something that’s usable to themselves and to someone else.”  This is the goal. Always. Let’s start small to help create individuals who question the world and open their eyes to seeing the world in a new way.

Introducing my Introduction!

Intro to MA Thesis

Critical Literacy and the Rise of Fanfiction

Check out the link below to my paper!
Lead Discussion Paper
Check out the link to my presentation below!
Presentation

Research Methodology and New Media

First: I want to start off with saying that my Hypothes.is wasn't working so unfortunately I wasn't able to comment on the articles!

Second: I chose to start with "The Needed Skills in the New Media Culture" after being frustrated with downloading the one about Grounded Theory. Foreshadowing that article perhaps? Either way, I was immediately hooked. Starting off with minor anecdotes about teenagers who did incredibly things, being motivated by games are fan bases was impressive and powerful.

The article defines "participatory culture" at the start. In essence, it is a strong presence of collaboration and mutual respect with in the realm of sharing and trusting each others contributions. The purpose of this culture is for everyone to feel as if they CAN participate, even if they chose not to. I like this idea of community and this is exactly the kind of culture I hope to foster in my classroom. I was not the student who always had their hand up. I was the silent thinker in the back of the room digesting and processing the information, then forming my own ideas. I will not give participation grades, but I will develop a classroom where everyone's voice is equally heard, if they want it to be.

Later on in the article, they also discuss the positive and critical views of technology in the classroom. The article discusses that the technology exists, that the computer is nothing without it's "user" but what cost is this to the user? I see the benefits of technology and see the benefits of the "old school" methods. I think marrying the two ideas is where we should live as teachers. However, while 57% of teens "could be considered media creators", the other group are abusing their power, or can't hold a conversation face to face because they are glued to the screen.

Affinity Spaces. Informal learning communities where students learn better, are more engaged, and participate more accurately. Bullshit.  Do we live in a Utopian classroom? Unfortunately or fortunately, I am reading this article through the lens of a teacher. I wish more than anything that I could have a classroom that looks like this and is focused around student driven learning based on their desire and connections with others in the technological world. But I am personally offended by this article, feeling as if they are attacking the traditional system. I can't speak for everyone, and I can't speak for all the incoming youth, but I can speak from my experience, and from those of coworkers and friends: that we are raising and cultivating the laziest, most apathetic generation of individuals. Now maybe that is the "systems" fault and the system has failed them ya-da ya-da ya-da, but it infuriates me at the lack of respect that is given to teachers who WANT to teach and make change, but are also employees of this same "system". Okay end rant.

I actually enjoyed the next section of this article, discussing young peoples disinterest in the news and politics because it is conducted over their heads. I completely agree. Current Events class is not longer interesting, because talking about what is happening is no longer satisfying to these youths because they feel they can't do anything about it. And the three core concerns address the problems that arose as I was thinking about students in this culture. Providing computers and free wifi addressed one of the concerns, but brought up another wonderful point: that merely giving people access to technology is not enough. One must be educated in the value of the technology and how it can be used, not abused.  I also found it fascinating when the article discussed transparency. I completely agree that students need to learn how to question the information presented to them, especially in today's world of fake news.

"We may, in the short run, have to accept that cyberspaces ethical norms are in a flux: we are taking part in a prolonged experiment in what happens when one lowers the barriers of entry into a communication landscape." Wow. Powerful. I love the idea that we can conduct all the research we want; we can discuss the pros and cons of this type of technology and media till we are blue in the face but the reality is no one really knows. This is a prolonged experiment and until these youth are reaching their age of retirement, may we never really know the lasting effects this transition has on them.

Grounded Theory a Critical Research Methodology
by Joyce Magnotto Neff

I admit, I looked up the definition of grounded theory. I had some difficulty scrolling through the pdf and was afraid I missed the definition. Turns out I did. What I deduced is that grounded theory is the methodology used to constructed theory that is grounded in the analysis of data.  When I finally was able to zoom out just enough to read it and squint at the same time, I was able to read the article's definition.

One thing that stood out to me was this idea that when practicing grounded theory, you must learn to live without closure. I found this really interesting because individuals today love closure. You see it in every romantic comedy where the girl needs "closure" to something the ex did. Students like a sense of "closure" where they're told what to do or they know what you "want" from them in terms of an assignment. So I was thinking that this type of thinking might prove very difficult for some, but that through exploring this open-endedness would lead to great possibilities.

The article also discussed that grounded theory is rooted in composition studies. There is no separation between research and writing, but they are both important parts of grounded theory. The article details the analytical research involved.

I felt that I understood this article at the start, but then felt like it got either repetitive, or too confusing that I thought it was saying the same thing over and over. I feel like I need clarification between including this method in freshman composition studies.

This week for our readings, we had to read “Writing in High School/Writing in College: Research Trends and Future Directions” by Joanne Addison and Sharon James McGee and “How They Really Talk”: Two Students’ Perspectives On Digital Literacies In The Writing Classroom” by Ann N. Amicucci.  I found that I really enjoyed both texts! Unlike last week, where I struggled through the first texts, I found that I was reading these for enjoyment.

“Writing in High School/Writing in College: Research Trends and Future Directions” by Joanne Addison and Sharon James McGee dealt heavily in the studies conducted about how much importance, time, and emphasis are placed on various student writing in the high school and undergraduate experience. I was surprised by the results some studies yielded, but more so surprised at the types of surveys conducted. The article begins by stating that, “Despite  the  sometimes  contradictory  and  puzzling  results,  we  find the  turn  toward  this  type  of  research  both  a  promising  sign  and  a  cause  for alarm,” which I found refreshing. I knew this wasn’t going to be a cut and dry article about statistics presented. I found that the authors did a wonderful job presenting the information, but letting us draw our own conclusions. For example, the article includes the link to one survey given, and I found that this survey was lacking, to say the least. I was surprised that the Consortium for the Study of Writing in College, which appears to be a reputable and distinguished group, created such lackluster and ambiguous questions. I felt that these questions, as well as the wording of other surveys mentioned later on in the text, were not driven by any real analysis. I felt that the questions should have been more target, more specific, and forced the students upon deeper reflection.

The article also talks about using these surveys to enhance the writing curriculum and grow these emerging writers and prepare them for the world outside of academia. I teach language arts. I believe in the importance of writing and the written word. I am going to school to become a stronger more effective writer. However, this topic of writing and “preparing students for life beyond the academy” still stumps me. My boyfriend is a civil engineer and says one of his favorite courses in college was technical writing, but other than that, he doesn’t see how his writing studies benefited him after college. It makes me wonder if in the high school/undergrad curriculum writing should just focus on your content area, which would place more value on the writing to those who don’t already see the value. How do you address this comment from your peers or friends who don’t see the value in writing studyies?

Limited Spaces and Research Identity

     Before I begin discussing "Limited Spaces and Research Identity" by James P. Purdy and Joyce R. Walker, I want to comment on the Hypthes.is tool we used this week to annotate.  I LOVED IT! As a student in my undergrad, I loved communicating with a text via writing in the margins. I felt that by interacting this way I was able to better comprehend both the text and my feelings with it.  Even as a teacher, and with my district pushing technology and going paperless, most teachers have been grading using online tools. While I tried some of these, such as commenting on Google Docs, I felt disengaged from their work. I felt that I was an ineffective grader and therefore my students were missing out. I then stopped using these online tools and forced my students to print out their papers, telling myself it was teaching them responsibility, when it was really me shying away from stepping outside of my comfort zone. 

     In addition to grading online, my students are trained in how to annotate a text. I try to make it sound "cool" and "fun" to have a thoroughly marked up text; however, sometimes I'm met with students who simply highlight or color in the margins.  I was discussing this issue with a colleague the week before the semester started and we were saying that we wished we could have our students annotate online and be able to do so in groups. I was thrilled when we were introduced to Hypothes.is thinking this could very well be the tool we use! And it is! I shared it with her and she loved it. I told her that we used it this week when reading an article, and I was able to make even deeper meaning of the text by forming my ideas based off of the reading, but also my classmates comments. Seeing that other classmates felt the same way I did gave me validation, and seeing ones with differing opinions challenged me. I felt like Hypothes.is gave me a safe place to experiment with my opinions. 

     

     This week we used Hypothes.is to explore the article "Limited Spaces and Research Identity" by James P. Purdy and Joyce R. Walker. I was a bit intimidated when I sat down to read, but then I remembered that Stephanie read it by accident the week before, and I heard her talk about how she had to spend time looking up the vocabulary and researching extra to better understand the article. This made me feel loads better, especially as I began to read and thought, "OMG WHAT IS ALL THIS?" 

     As I was reading this article, I had mixed emotions. At the start, the idea of liminality made sense: that inbetween stage of learning or coming to terms with our ideas. I thought that this article would be about coming to terms with yourself as a researcher, but at times it felt like a put down to students who want to be researchers, and truthfully I felt a bit discouraged reading this. The article states, "Being a “good” academic researcher, according to these texts,  requires  students  to  leave  behind  their  existing  identities  as  online researchers. The texts we analyzed imply that for students to succeed as college researchers, they need, in a sense, to abandon their current practices and admit that they do not know how to do research." When I read this I wanted to scream out, "SAYS WHO?" If I was an undergraduate walking into my first composition or research class, and I was told this, I'd walk out crying. I felt this statement was disrespectful and discredited all the hard work I've done to learn how to research. That being said, I can see how people abuse researching on the web, and see it as the easy way out. So maybe instead of abandoning all previous ideas and personas, we can ask ourselves and our classmates to be open to new ways of learning, and be willing to dispose of some of our older ideas.
I was also taken aback, by how adamant this article was against digital research, but nowhere did they discuss how to TEACH using these digital resources. The article seemed to preach more about not using these resources then educating students on HOW to use them. We live in a digital age, and the reality is that as long as the internet is at our finger tips, students are going to use it. The second reality, is that like children, if you tell someone not to do something, the likelihood of them doing it is greater. That being said, let's adopt a stance of teaching digital literacies and common sense. How about giving the students some credit? We are growing up as scholars in this digital age, and the majority of us have grown up using it since we were little kids, so how about you let us grow in this arena?

Stoked to be back!

WE'RE BACK!!!!!

I have to say, it feels amazing to be back at Kean! These past few weeks in between semesters have been stressful and crazy, not relaxing like a break should be. What is more "relaxing" to me, is knowing I have my routine back! Knowing that every Monday I'll leave work right away to give myself enough time to grab Dunkin, get a parking spot, and settle into class. Knowing that when I come home from school I can pour a glass of wine, watch the Bachelor, read a YA novel, and do all of this from my bed, because Monday's I give myself a free pass and refuse to even open up my school bag to grade or plan once I get home! So it feels great!
On Monday we were asked to free write at the end of class, right before the power went out! We were asked to write about our research identity, which immediately freaked me out because truth be told I was nervous for this class. Research intimidates me. BUT after free writing and sharing out some of our ideas, those nerves dissipated. 


Here's why:

What is your current research identity?

If I had to put a name to or define my research identity, I do not know that I can. I listen to my friends and colleagues talk about the research they did in undergrad, or my one friend who’s researching her thesis now, and I think to myself, “UGH I don’t ever remember doing any of that!” I must I’m sure, but to what extent. I’m a very hard worker, and I think that I’d remember researching an assignment of a large magnitude, such as a thesis paper, but when push came to shove and I had to TEACH a thesis paper, Google become my best friend. I talked to it every day for hours on end. I exhausted its resources until it told me it was time to sleep, aka that little red battery life popped up telling me to also GO TO BED.

But I had no idea about any of it.

Sometimes I feel stupid, like I should know this. Sometimes I worry I can’t compete in this field. However, I know I can, just truly believe I haven’t been trained.

I don’t remember when I first learned to research. Was it when my parents first got a computer and I “Asked Jeeves” a question? Or did it predate that, looking up information in one of our many encyclopedias or dictionaries. Where did research begin and who decided that starting point? Could research also mean of life? I began researching the first time I asked my parents a question. They first time I asked, “Why?” instead of “okay”.

But I think research here means in the academic sense. In the traditional sense of being in a library and grabbing reference books and using databases and all the things that continue to overwhelm me today.

I want to gain confidence during this grad school class. I want to know where to look, who to ask, what to search, and how to annotate. I want to evaluate sources and exercise my brain, and step out of my comfort zone.

I think I still need to acquire where to look, along with recognizing names of sources as starting points. I’m afraid that when the time comes I will spend hours of unncessary searching for the “right” source or “correct” information instead of actually pulling the information.

So after reflecting on my thoughts, and specifically my fears, I feel confident that I can tackle this semester with the same zest as last semester!