Monday, April 16, 2012

Repurposed Content:

It's taken me far longer than I wanted to get my repurposed content up and there are actually several reasons for that. The first is that my computer decided to have an epic meltdown on me and most of my projects were deleted and I've been scrambling like a mad woman all weekend to get things sorted and fixed. My computer is finally on the mend but I'm behind in posting this and my video.

The second reason is a little different.

Originally I was unsure how to approach a repurposed project for my subject matter which focuses on the digital humanities and its growth. I couldn't really figure out how to justify doing something focused when the digital studies change constantly and new things are coming to light. It is a very difficult subject to pinpoint to one specific project.

so....

I talked to Professor Burton and he suggested that I talk to Jeremy Browne and Jarom McDonald who work at BYU and are heading up the digital humanities program that is becoming a university focus in the coming year. What an opportunity to get involved!

I made the appointment and was able to talk to Jeremy last week (but like I said I'm posting this now because everything I had saved was inaccessible). I discussed with him what was going on at the university in regards to the digital program and he gave me some insight.

He mentioned that it is hard to figure out where to put the digital humanities program because it is such a vast program and covers a lot of different genres. People wonder just how to pin down digital humanities and how to apply them to the larger university scope.

He also mentioned that a lot of professors don't truly understand the digital humanities because they are focused more on the traditional methods of study and are in a way "stuck" in their discipline and unable to budge from that. It's a big issue for people, like my professor Gideon Burton, who think far beyond the here and now because they see the potential for growth new avenues of legitimate study.

So the Digital Humanities program-still very new in development-has a lot of work on in the coming months! But the exciting thing is that there is so much potential for this program!

I then inquired as to what I could do to help further this study and move things forward. Jeremy suggested doing a few things: getting involved with digital communities and researching what is going on here at BYU. He even commented that I should make a blog to detail these observations and digital communities so that I can remain in the loop and note where digital studies are going and contribute my voice to the growth of this discipline.

"Hey!" I thought, "That's what I've been trying to do all semseter!"

So really my Shakespeare blog has fascilitated in helping me solidify my new repurposed content. The digital humanities seem to be all about socializing and proving the significance of the discipline. I've been striving to connect to people and understand their views on digital studies as well as their projects and research. This "social proofing" has helped me to gain a passion for the fight to legitimize the digital studies here at BYU as well as in the wider sphere of learning.

So, here's a link to my new Digital Humanities Blog:

http://worldofdigitalstudies.blogspot.com/

On this blog I'll be noting all the digital blogs of significance that I come across, the people I contact and interview as well as having guest bloggers to showcase their studies. At the same time I'll also be keeping updates available on the research done at BYU and the changes happening there!

Basically I'm determined to be the news on the digital humanities!

Sound exciting?

I think so!

No comments:

Post a Comment