Reflections...

This semester I have been a part of the Charlotte Architecture group.  Our group included, Jillian Staurowsky, Jacquelyn McGuire, and Christine Wilkie.  We were assigned the task of utilizing the J. Murray Atkins Special Collection on Charlotte Architecture and creating an Omeka powered online Exhibit.    

Our group started by researching in Special Collections at the J. Murray Atkins Library.  There was information on several different architects.  Our goal was to narrow this down and find the architects who’s designs most influenced Charlotte.  Amazingly, each of us found a different architect or subject we were interested in.  Louis Asbury, Charles C. Hook, and Martin Boyer, the three architects we picked, all designed different types of buildings.  Their designs were each different but they still fit together to create a New South City that was on the rise in the early 20^th Century.  Mary Boyer’s Postcards highlighted how the city had grown in importance as her postcards were sent from Charlotte to places far and wide. 

The group contract seemed a little intimidating because I had never used one before.  When our group came together to create the contract I realized it was just a summary of our project and what each of our roles were.  We were able to use it to create a focus for our project and to keep each other on track. 

Once the group contract was signed, it was on to Omeka.  From the very beginning Omeka frustrated me.  It took me two days just to log on.  I create and maintain websites as a part of my current job with UNCC so I was certain I would not have a problem with this aspect of our project.  That was not the case.  I tried to log on and familiarize myself with the website before the workshop but to no avail. However, the workshop with Professor Heather McCullough eased my fears and I learned how user friendly Omeka could be with a little practice.

With an understanding of Omeka and our Mission Statement completed the real research was able to begin.  The material that Special Collections had on Louis Asbury gave me a personal view of the man.  I was able to read through his handwritten memoirs and a story that he wrote to Readers Digest when he was 93.  I also read about his architectural work from other sources and the impact it had on Charlotte.   Now I could tie what I learned about Asbury from his memoirs to the designs he created. 

As a group we found it challenging to meet together on a regular basis so we each researched on our own and communicated via email and Twitter.  Luckily, we could research separately based off the mission statement.  We tried to meet before each presentation so that we knew we were each progressing and that we were still on track. 

At the first storyboarding meeting we began researching how we could connect these architects in an online exhibit.  When we came together we each brought the designs that we saw as significant contributions to Charlotte.  We then started to piece them together.  We found each architect designed different types of buildings.  We used that information to create our exhibits.  We chose to focus on ‘Architecture and the Community, Charlotte:  Then and Now, Introducing New Designs, and Meet the Architects.

The class presentations were very helpful. The challenging questions made us rethink the information we had presented and the desired result.  We took the advice and feedback from Dr. Cox and our classmates and made adjustments to our exhibits.  I enjoyed the other groups’ presentations as well.  It gave us a window into their exhibits and their research.  It was also gratifying to know that we were not the only group struggling in Omeka.  I found that having Twitter to reach out to the other groups for Omeka advice also helpful.            

We began to explore Omeka and discovered how to build Exhibits.  We then used the sections pages to tie in the different exhibits of our site.  During our storyboard meetings I would create these pages so we would have an outline of what we wanted each exhibit to look like.  Jacquelyn created the visual and color scheme for our site as well as the descriptions for “Architectural and Community” and “Introducing New Designs”.  With her background in Architecture she was very helpful explaining the various types of architectural designs in the exhibits.  Jill designed the custom header on the home page, created the Mary Boyer Postcards collection, wrote the description and created two sections for the ‘Charlotte Then and Now’ exhibit.  Christine came up with the idea for the ‘Reviving Historic Spaces’ section of the “Charlotte Then and Now” exhibit.  We also each created our own collections and uploaded our own documents and images.  We took those uploaded documents and incorporated them into each of the exhibit sections. 

Overall, I think that each member of our group worked together to complete the mission statement of our project.  Each member became passionate about our subject and about our project.  We worked hard separately and the few times we were able to meet together.  I think we have showed the most prominent and influential architectural designs of each of our architects and how the Mary Boyer collection showed these designs as well as Charlotte to the outside world.  My group has been amazing to work with and I am proud of the exhibit we have created. 

Reflecting back on the semester I remember when I first looked at the list of subjects for our class project.  I am not afraid to tell you Charlotte Architecture was not my first choice.  I now realize how much I have thoroughly enjoyed my research and this project.  As I drive around Charlotte I see buildings that were designed by Asbury, Hook, and Boyer and I think how these three men shaped the city I now call home. 

A Diet that Works!

I started today's assignment with a little trepidation. This week we test our writing skills.  I have not taken an English class in 12 years and the only thing I remember about the class is the title 'Writing about Buffy the Vampire Slayer' (that's right... don't be jealous).  So I began this assignment expecting the worse.

As much as I was dreading this assignment, it could not have come at a better time.  I had just added the descriptive text to a couple of our items in our exhibit.  I read the Yahoo! Style Guide.  The Style Guide has great articles on how to write for web.  In the Get to the Point article I began to understand how to write for our exhibit.  I rewrote the text and tried to adhear to their 3 points.

1.  Keep it short
2.  Front-load your content
3.  Keep it simple      

I know these three ideas sound like common sense, but reading the article helped to focus my writing.   I had trouble condensing my research.  I dissected the information I had and edited the details that did not contribute to the exhibit content.  

After I rewrote my text, I used The Writer's Diet to test my writing.  The Writer's Diet is a great tool which allows you to check if your writing is 'Fit or Flabby'?  I tested my writing, knowing I would be closer to flabby then fit.  Imagine my surprise when I saw my result, "Fit and Trim!"  The full diagnosis shows what I did well and what I can do better.  I will continue to use the website to test my writing.  Especially for our exhibit. 

The Writer's Diet works great for blogs.  This is the third version of this particular one.  This is the fastest a diet has ever taken me from Flabby to Lean!

The Internet vs. Musty Old Books

Today I am going to blog about Data Mining.  How research is ever changing.  

In Googling the Victorians Patrick Leary discusses how the broad availability of information is changing how we do scholarly research.    He makes a statement that at the same time depresses and excites me.  He says “The eureka moments in the life of today’s questing scholar-adventurer are much more likely to take place in front of a computer screen.”  I think the adventurer inside of me just died a little.  However, the budding historian is excited.  This means that I will not always have to go through hours of papers and microfilm and musty documents just to get a morsel of information.  Now I can use the Internet search engines and not only get the information I was looking for but, it can connect me with people or resources I didn’t even know existed.  However, this will require a new set of skills.  No longer are we scanning columns of texts, now we are learning how to use search engines to pull what we need from the mass of information.

This ties into another article I just read.  In From Babel to Knowledge:  Data Mining Large Digital Collections by Daniel Cohen he talks (in tech speak, lots of tech speak) about how you can create search engines that are designed to create a more structured search.  By using online encyclopedia’s (including the dreaded Wikipedia) you can use certain phrases to retrieve relevant entries.  You will still have to ‘mine’ through the data but it has taken a lot of the dirt out.   Cohen also mentions that as you are digitizing items it may be better to digitize more documents at a lower quality than less at higher quality, quantity over quality if you will.  This does make sense.  It would give you more documents to search and would give you more information.     

On the Digital History Hacks  blog this entry is very interesting.  Using the search data that AOL released they were able to analyze how people search the Internet.  I think that can be very helpful today as we start using meta tags to tag our online exhibits.  We can take into account that people seem to search in the adjectival form or using a possessive form.  Also, I did not know that you couldn’t search numerical date ranges.  After reading these articles however I am not sure why I ever thought you could.

I know that (for now) there are still things that will only be found in musty books and old newspaper clippings.  Using the Internet correctly will help direct me to those research sources and hopefully make my research more efficient. But no matter how much easier it is to click a mouse… I still love the musty smell of an old book.

Twitter in the Classroom

For today's blog I am writing about how Twitter is being used in the classroom.  It took me a while to find an article that I liked but then I found this one.  Twitter Finds a Place in the Classroom.  This article is about Enrique Legaspi, a teacher in East Los Angeles that began incorporating Twitter into his middle school history class.  If the students do not have a device to tweet from he allows them to use the class computers.  

What he saw was that Twitter gave a voice to his normally shy students and allowed them to become part of the discussion.  From their tweets he could see how the students comprehended the discussion and their opinions on it. 

I think that Mr. Legaspi is on to something.  Twitter and social media are part of our world now.  Most classrooms now have smart boards and the students are always on their phone anyways.  Why not use that to your advantage.  This article shows that the students are engaged and shyer students have an outlet to participate in the discussion.  One of the students said that it even changed how his peers viewed him.   He said "They see me as somebody now -- as an equal."  In middle school that is huge. 

I’m not sure if this would have the same impact in every school but I think that it is time to find out.    

A blog about blogging...

It is really interesting to look back at articles discussing ‘History and the Changing Landscape’ as it relates to History and the Internet.  The articles I am reading today are from 2007 and can be found here:   http://www.historians.org/Perspectives/issues/2007/0705/index.cfm

Something that was mentioned multiple times is blogging.  It seems as though blogging had just emerged on the Internet scene and was causing quite the ruckus. 

One article written by David Voelker:  Blogging for your Students discusses all of the ways to use blogs in the classroom.  Voelker was discussing how a teacher would use a blog in a classroom environment.  He would instruct students to read his blog and use the comment sections to begin discussions and to evaluate students understanding of the materials.  He also posted instructional blogs and links for information.    

Another article written by Anthony Grafton:  Clio and Bloggers takes another approach to blogging.  He sees blogs as “virtual café in cyberspace, one where the conversation is extremely lively and you can learn a great deal simply by listening in.”  The first blog he mentioned the Invisible Adjunct is no longer active but was a place where historians and others came together to comment on her posts.  There would be discussion threads opened and new ideas and thoughts would emerge. 

This Blog led him to History Carnival, which is still active. History Carnival showcases different history blogs each month.  The blog that was featured on September 1^st was The History Tavern.  The Hosting Blog would compile blogs based on a theme of their choosing and then post the blogs.     

Blogs are more than just a Weblog, where users make log entries, (as Voelker was kind enough to define in his article).  They are a meeting place where historians come to challenge ideas, share funny sketches (seriously, check this out) or seek advice.  They are a vital part of our community. 

More than an Episode Guide

I have never given much thought to Wikipedia.  The reason is, I knew that it is an open website that anyone could update.  I trusted it for a Dexter Episode Guide, but not much else. 

According to Wikipedia, Wikipedia began in 2001, (because of the nature of the site that may or may not be accurate) but I do not remember using it in college.  I graduated with my BS in 2004.  When I started researching my architect, Louis Asbury, I started with our Library Special Collections.  To be honest, it did not even occur to me use Wikipedia until I watched the Middlebury College Debate. 

I found the debate very informative.  I had no idea there was a community of people committed to maintaining certain entries and debating posts.  This changed my opinion on the usefulness of the site.  I think it could be a great starting point for research.  If you find an entry that is actively maintained, you can find up to the date information and arguments.  From this you may be able to research your subject from a different vantage point than before.  The second debater laid out some ground rules for using Wiki and I agree with them.  

1.Consult Wiki

2. Get background info

3. Do research

4. Go back to Wiki and improve it, using appropriate citations

I think that you can use Wikipedia to your advantage but never take it as fact.  I guess there is more to it than random Pop Culture Facts (well they may or may not be ‘facts’).

Here We Go...

We are finally getting started on our Online Exhibit.  Our group is focusing on Charlotte Architecture.  The title of our exhibit is Building My Charlotte…(we are still working on this part).  We are focusing on 3 influential Charlotte Architects and postcards.  Yes, Postcards.  We will be examining how postcards reflect Charlotte Architecture and the stories they are meant to tell.  So many of the buildings we will be looking at were used as postcards.  Why?  Was this a kind of marketing or just an art form?      

The architect I chose is Louis Asbury.  Asbury, who lived almost 100 years (1877-1975), designed buildings that really shaped what Uptown Charlotte looks like today.  What I find most interesting is that he designed the first skyscraper in Charlotte, the First National Bank Building.  When it was completed, it was the tallest building in the Carolina’s.  I think this building more than any others that he designed really came to symbolize what Charlotte is known for today, towering banking buildings.

Asbury also designed other well-known Charlotte buildings:  the Mecklenburg County Courthouse, Mayfair hotel, Efrid’s Department Store and Myers Park Methodist Church.  Just to mention few. 

This is my first real research project and I am excited to get started. However, along with the excitement is a little trepidation.  This is the first step in this journey and I don’t want to stumble. 

Hmm… I hope I didn’t just scare my group mates!  Don’t worry ladies, I won’t let you down!