Oct
26

Augmented Reality, Museums, and Accessibility

I’ve been playing with smart-phone enabled augmented reality and museum collections in some of my classes. I’d be interested in talking with folks about this work, showing how we use various free software tools to do it and the outcomes (my class’s augmented reality pop up museum catalogue). I’m wondering how this tech could be used more generally as part of exhibition design, and in particular, in conjunction with accessibility considerations. Maybe we could try brainstorming some options, thinking through what an ideal use-case might look like?

Oct
26

Session proposal: X things you should know about accessibility and the digital humanities

I serve as a resource for the digital humanities center in my library and have been asked to facilitate a brown bag discussion on accessibility and the digital humanities. I’m also a member of a THATCamp organizing committee and am thinking of ways to approach accessibility-related topics if we offer workshops in addition to sessions proposed on the spot. As I’ve started putting together ideas, it has occurred to me that others might also have a need for essential information on DH and accessibility.

This session might be a discussion or the beginning of a product: a pitch, a 7 Things You Should Know About-type publication, a blog post, a compilation of existing resources, a lesson plan for workshops to be offered in our own organizations and classrooms or at other THATCamps, etc..

Would others interested in teaching and training like to talk about strategies for broadening colleagues/students understanding of disability, universal design, and accessible DH?

Note: This discussion might best be facilitated by another attendee. I’m attending virtually and, while I serve as a resource for the digital humanities center in my library, I’m not a digital humanist/digital humanities practitioner, so others probably have a better understanding of existing resources and the needs of the community.

 

Oct
26

Session proposal: accessible tools and methods for DH work

I’m interested in talking about accessible tools for DH work: how to use digital tools more accessibly and exploring more accessible alternatives.

If anyone else is interested in exploring this during THATCamp Accessibility, I’m thinking we could go about it in a number of different ways. For example, we could talk informally and make notes, or, if we want to make it more of a working session, we could create a resource for accessible DH work.

If we go the “make something” route, perhaps we could create a list of (ten?) frequently-used tools and compile information about their accessibility along with suggestions on how to use them in a more accessible manner and/or more accessible alternatives. Or, we could identify a set of DH-related needs/tasks (data visualization, dynamic mapping, etc.) and brainstorm accessible tools and methods for meeting these needs/accomplishing these tasks. We could generate our own lists of tools and tasks or draw on an existing resource like Bamboo DiRT or the Research + Tools section of the CHNM website.

A couple of caveats: This discussion might best be facilitated by another attendee. I’m attending virtually and, while I serve as a resource for the digital humanities center in my library, I’m not a digital humanist/digital humanities practitioner, so others probably have a better understanding of existing resources and the needs of the community.

Oct
26

Location Map

From Tom, a map of exactly where we are meeting tomorrow AM. Second Floor, Residence Commons, Room 270 (faces back out towards the street).

Location Map for THATCamp Accessibility. Residence Commons is ‘CO’ on any campus directory.

Oct
26

How do we get content from word clouds?

Some time ago I became involved with a primitive game called the Geowiki game that was being studied by Clair Dormann a postdoctoral fellow in the HOT Lab at Carleton. The work was being done in conjuction with the Cybercartography initiative.

 

The game involved sequentially picking three commands, one from each of three categories. The participants would then record their observations made while carrying out the commands. For example, groups of students from a class would go to some location [say the Market] and then pick their first command [something like “Find someone wearing a hat.”]. Once such a person was found, the group would pick a second command [something like “Follow the person until they go indoors.”]. Once the group was at the spot where the hat-wearing person went indoors, they would pick the last command [something like “Identify all the trees you can see.” or “Ask the first person that walks by about the history of this spot.”] The group’s observations where recorded in a wiki and they became entries in an atlas building exercise: the first two commands randomizing location and the last command identifying the info to be collected.

 

I have a class this term that is undertaking what I think is a similar activity, only this time in the blogosphere. They are finding content by choosing what sites to visit in a series of steps. The observation at each step is a word cloud of the site they have reached. I’m interested in how their “content map” compares to what various search engines reveal; the characteristics of the search paths; etc. This involves visualizing content and extracting content from word clouds.

Oct
25

Start time: 8am – 8.30

Hi everyone,

The schedule for a THATCamp of course is designed bottom up, emerging from the interests of its participants. (If you’re signed up, please do suggest some ideas by logging into the site and posting!)

But, we do have to have a bit of a framework for the day. This is what I’m proposing:

8-am – 8.30 – arrival, breakfast snack, getting settled.

8.30 – 9.45 – opening remarks, setting the schedule

10.00 – 11.15: Session 1 (Break out space in the Residence Commons Classrooms)

11.30 – 12.45: Session 2

12:45 – 2: Lunch upstairs at the Fresh Food Company (3rd Floor)

2.00 – 3.15: Session 3

3.30 – 4.45: Session 4

5.00 – 6 ish (or less) Closing remarks, chatting, eventual removal to the Graduate Student Pub.

 

Oct
24

Partner Profile – Instructional Media Services

Logo for IMS and CUES

Logo for IMS and CUES

We are pleased to acknowledge the support and aid that our very own Instructional Media Services and the Carleton University Event Support groups have provided for THATCamp. IMS and CUES supports faculty and staff in the delivery of teaching and the use of classroom tech support. Through their generous support, we are able to equip the breakout rooms and the conference room with the necessary digital technology for Saturday’s event. Thank you, Patrick Lyons & the IMS team!

Oct
23

Something to Mull Over

Good Evening fellow and fella un conference goers,
I don’t necessarily have my own session to propose, but wish to add some thoughts based on my own experiences and work, as well as on the thoughts already expressed through this forum.
As a grad student researching and working in an online environment I have found it both frustrating and rewarding to use online resources and to be increasingly aware of those in hard copy elsewhere (physically elsewhere). The ideas presented by Peter about the plethora of resources available online is what intimidates me. With the immediacy of many resources I as a researcher often feel as though this almost forces me to cover all my bases and then some.
For example, in reading various newspapers online to extract information for a current school project, I realized that I did not have online access to the closest newspaper (geographically) to the event in question. I did not even have access to it in person at either of two major universities. In my undergraduate years I may have chosen to disregard this source and simply rely on the others due to the simplicity of the action.
Now, however I feel as though I will potentially be criticized for not including this source in my research because it is findable thanks to the power of the internet. Interestingly enough I ended up relying on a tried and true method, ordering microfilm through RACER (interlibrary loan system) and then reading it in a construction site (i.e. our university library). I am very happy to have read this particular source and to have the information which it provided for my project. Had I not read this source my project would be very different.
All of that said, the wide range of available materials is, I guess, keeping us researchers on our toes, forcing us to either stick to a small number of sources (and justify it) or cover all our bases (as much as possible) by taking advantage of the resources available to us.
So in the end, this has led to good, but I welcome your thoughts on the subject all the same.
Best,
Rebecca

Oct
23

If anyone coming needs ASL – tell us by tonight

Hey everyone – if you require any communications accommodations like ASL or CART you must tell us by today (rather than Wednesday).

Oct
22

Registration for on-site participation now closed; Online participation still an option!

I’m dreadful at writing headlines, but that one, I think, captures the gist of it. We’ve now closed registration for physical attendance at Carleton on October 27th. However, virtual participation via our accessible online conference system will be available to all. We’ll be posting the exact links and access codes later this week. If you wish to participate virtually, but require ASL or real-time captioning, please contact the organizers before Wednesday.

Older posts «

Skip to toolbar