Public History in the Digital AgeTheory and Praxis

Jeremy BoggsCreative Lead

Center for History and New Media

Is it better to be pretty good at a lot of things, or really good at one or two things?

Is it better to be pretty good at a lot of things, or really good at one or two things?

Given a choice between hedgehog and fox,I would go for the fox every time.

Isiah Berlin

Digital curricula in public history should help create foxes

clioweb.org/courses/history697/spring09/

clioweb.org/courses/digitalhistory/spring10/

Theory

Intellectual Issues

‣ Developments in digital media.

‣ Familiarity with social media, and how it impacts academic work and public history.

‣ Role of peer review in digital work

‣ New forms of narrative.

‣ New methods of research: Information trapping.

alistapart.com

Provide intellectual foundation for using digital technology as historians.

Praxis

Practical Skills

‣ Create a basic HTML page from scratch, and style that page with CSS.

‣ Working with a server. Use a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) program.

‣ Create a database and install/modify web software (such as WordPress, Omeka, or Mediawiki).

‣ Proficiency with Photoshop or another graphics program.

‣ Project management/writing a grant.

Foundations for Additional Skills

‣ HTML → Other forms and applications of XML

‣ CSS → Graphic design concepts

‣Web Software → PHP, other programming

‣ Photoshop → Video, photography, graphic design

‣Writing grants → Writing more grants.

View the source!

Introduce possibilities these skills open up, other avenues that can be explored by learning them.

Project ManagerInformation Manager

Creative Director

Outreach Coordinator

Final Thoughts

Don’t be afraid to expose students to seemingly complicated technology.

“Uncomfortable, but not paralyzed.”

Jeff McClurken

Instructors need to serve as tech support, and as role models.

Embrace the opportunity we have now.

Thanks!‣ ClioWeb – http://clioweb.org

‣ Twitter – http://twitter.com/clioweb

‣ Email: jeremy@clioweb.org

‣ Instant Messenger – jboggs22 (AIM); jeremyboggs (Yahoo!)

‣ GitHub - http://github.com/clioweb

‣ Zotero – http://zotero.org/clioweb

‣ SlideShare – http://slideshare.com/clioweb