Greetings,
My name is Keiran and I am of French origin (born in France from a French family) but I have moved around a lot due to my parent’s job, namely various parts of Africa then the United Kingdom. my major is computer science and thus needless to say that this course does have a lot personal interest for me. I have a great interest in gaming (specifically counter-strike) and esports. At this moment in time I’m not even sure I know which continent I wish to work and/or live in and just wish to keep as many doors open when my time comes at an end at Brock.

For me, Digital History is the field which explains how the various technological research tools and methods came to be. What were their purpose? What were the initial hurdles and obstacles that needed to be overcome? What was their initial goal and is it still the case years later. The internet, a well know tool which was originally meant for a specific purpose when it was created (basic files and data transfer has since evolved into something much different than what it once was.

Digital history is also the safe keeping of historical sources and data, there is a famous saying “the internet never forgets”. While the internet will never be able to replace primary sources completely it can certainly help to safekeep, share and pass on what we have learned onto others at almost no financial cost and faster than ever before. What used to take weeks searching for books in various libraries can now be done in a few days thanks to the internet as a research tool.

While the internet offers a great deal of tools and information it does have its drawbacks however, the internet has an incredibly large amount of information making it difficult sometime to find a place to start, especially on the more popular research topics. It can also be difficult to separate facts from opinions when researching certain fields leading to inaccurate conclusions (then again even primary sources also tend to have a bias in some cases).

In summary, I believe that understanding the making of these tools which we use every day could help us understand how to use them better and how they could evolve going forward.

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Digital History Introduction

Hi all, my name is Ciara O’Connell and I can’t wait to be writing for you all over the next few months. I don’t lead the most interesting life, however I will tell you a little about me so you can know a little about who I am and what will be happening over the next few months.

I come from a small town North of the GTA. It was in this small town that I realized I needed to leave small town life and pursue a career in accounting. While it isn’t the most exciting of career paths, it’s one that I find fascinating. Its more than financial statements, its about making sense of the illogical and making it logical for those who are interested in reading the information. This is also why I chose to take this course. In the study of history, digital history allows a massive amount of information to be presented to the interested public in a logical manner.

Digital history, while an emerging topic for some, has deep roots dating back centuries. It is important for historians and for those in positions of power to understand that digital history is more than cataloguing old texts and merely digitizing them, it is about a wellspring of knowledge that would be otherwise inaccessible to many without the creation of internet-based databases. Digital history faces opposition for this very reason, as funding comes from those in power who may not fully understand the overarching need for what digital history has to offer. I believe that digital history is an important field of study and open topic of conversation. If understood by the decision-makers, appropriate funding can be provided in order to the much needed resources that become available through the investment. Similar to financial statements in accounting, we must present the information in a true light as to ensure the best possible decisions can be made.

Introductions

Hello everyone, my name is Kevin Pendergast. I am an Interactive Arts and Science student entering my third year. If you have not heard of the Interactive Arts and Science program, or “IASC” for short,  it is a small program which focuses on digital design. The type of work I learn includes web design, graphic design, animation, 3D modelling, sound design, and VFX. I am from Mississauga, and went to high school at Mentor College. After I graduated I took two years off where I spent most of my time working at The Beer Store Distribution Centre delivering beer throughout the GTA. As for my hobbies I am a causal gamer, I also enjoy playing and watching sports with soccer and hockey being my favorites. Since working at The Beer Store, I have become a craft beer enthusiast. 

I have had an affinity for computers since I was young and in high school I picked up Adobe Photoshop and began learning to create space scenes through the internet. Brock’s IASC program seemed like the best fit for a post-secondary program as I knew I wanted to do something within the digital design industry, however I had no idea what that was.

Now that I am in my third year in the IASC program, I feel like I am gravitating towards digital special effects and web design. Unfortunately, I am still lacking a significant amount of experience with special effects, however this year will give me many opportunities to not only learn, but to also apply special effects in multiple courses.

Early on starting to read the Introduction to Digital History chapter, I immediately noticed Gertrude Himmelfarb’s comments made back in 1996 on the internet where she said, “the Internet does not distinguish between the true and the false, the important and the trivial, the enduring and the ephemeral. . . . Every source appearing on the screen has the same weight and credibility as every other; no authority is ‘privileged’ over any other.” Himmelfarb’s words made me think of two current issues: fake news and net neutrality. These are two topics in the within digital humanities which I follow and have an interest in. Some of the ‘promises’ of digital history include the new storage capabilities where a terabyte hard drive can store a ridiculous amount of documents in a variety of different file formats. Furthermore, the digital revolution has drastically increased accessibility of historical documents which could only be accessed through physical copies prior to the advent of the internet. The ‘perils’ of the digital history include the manipulation of online content which is especially true with photographs with programs like Adobe Photoshop. In addition, new digital capabilities foster a culture of laziness in some. This is evident in the rise of multiple choice testing where a computer can mark thousands of test scores without an educator’s assistance. I am excited for this course as I love working with digital media in new and interesting ways. HIST 2P26 will give me an opportunity to discover history in a way I greatly prefer.

Blog Post One

Hi my name is Michelle Zawalski. I am from Mississauga, Ontario, but recently moved to Thorold. I am currently in Labour Studies and History, first year. I transferred from York University in which I was in Human Resource Management. After university, I plan to go England get a teaching degree and teach English and History in Europe. Outside of school l like to read, watch shows, hang out with friends and travel. In this class, I hope to learn how it affects how information is collected and stored and how that will affect the future. Our accounts of history are skewed by the biases of the authors who were also usually the victors. It will be interesting to have all points of views and with some many authors, meaning that there would be so much information, details all recorded, things that may seem insignificant but ends up altering the course of history.

A glaring downfall to digital uses is the easy accessibility to post any information, accurate or not. Information can get murky as true and false information mix, it gets difficult to distinguish which is which. Search engines scan the entire database, bringing all sorts of results to match what you typed. Websites where people can input information that people want, alter real information. Another problem is that physical evidence could get lost in the data, loose its value. The Brightside of digital use of information is that information is more easily accessible, information can be made available to anyone with access to basic technology and data. While there may false information, true information is also available. Real information has credentials posted with them, and posted on reputable sites.

I think it is great because it allows more access, people that wouldn’t have access to so much information can now with much more ease. Education can be improved, people can learn more, quicker and easier. It can be a great thing if approached with proper caution, there is still false and misleading information, so proper precautions must be taken to verify correct information.

Introduction to Me

Hello everyone, my name is James and I am a second year History student here at Brock. I am from a pretty small town called Stoney Creek, no one usually knows where it is so I just say that I am from Hamilton. It’s a pretty cool city but there isn’t much to do here. After I complete my undergraduate program, I plan on going to Law School and becoming a Lawyer. A little bit about me, I commute to school this year but last year I lived in residence which was an experience to say the least. Growing up in an extremely suburban town was pretty much as basic as it gets. I knew everyone on my street and I was the youngest of three boys. My brother Joey is a year older than I am and my brother Justin is 12 years older than me and he is a highschool teacher as well as a graduate from Brock. Living so close to the Niagara region and the Toronto area was really convenient when I was growing up. We would frequently visit Niagara so it felt right to go to school out here as it is far enough that I can live here if I want, but I can also commute.

I do not really do much outside of school as I work two jobs. I work at Starbucks as a Barista, and I am also a cook at my local breakfast diner. Jugging school and two jobs is pretty stressful at times but I manage to just work really early opening shifts then head to school. It really is not ideal most days but I get free Starbucks when I work so hey, who wouldn’t always want to be working right? I have done almost everything when it comes to jobs, I have done everything from being a server, to a lifeguard, to a landscaper. I feel as though I have found what I like to do being a Barista as I was a regular customer at my store and it was just fate that brought me to working there.

So, what does the term “Digital History” mean to me? To me, I view it as a gateway to everything todays generation knows. Every time there is a question with an unknown answer, one can simply “Google it” which I believe to be an amazing, yet dangerous tool. The term of “Digital History” can show us of what came before the high speed and all-knowing power of technology that we currently know today. The perils of digital history are that it used to be just a place for simple YouTube videos and Google searches; but now, it is a lifeline for almost everyone in todays society. It is a source of communication as well as a source of income for others. Just by posting videos, people are able to make a living which is an incredible aspect of the digital world. This can cause the people of the world to become less educated and less caring about the environment. Even from an education standpoint, doing these postings while in the comfort of your own home without having to leave the house in order to submit it is something that has developed rapidly over a few years. My oldest brother is amazed at how much is at out disposal now, compared to when he was a student at Brock. For my program, having ancient documents available on the internet is incredible. I can view items which are currently across the globe with a simple search for them and I can even discuss with other students who are in other areas of the world.

The main reason why Digital History is so interesting to be is because it has exploded with development is such a short time, really in a simple 15 years. It has turned from a luxury to almost a necessity. Which I believe to be an amazing quality that must be studied in order to fully understand. I am looking forward to this course as I feel it will provide details to some events and situations that might have gone unnoticed previously.

Blog Post #1 : Introduction / Chapter 1

Hi there, My name is Mitchell Witherspoon, I am a third year Business Communications student at Brock University. I am from Stouffville, Ontario, a small rural community located approximately an hour North of downtown Toronto. Once completing the Business Communications undergraduate program at Brock University I would like to further develop my skills and knowledge of agronomy and turf grass management practices to pursue a career in the golf industry. My seven years of developed skills from working guides my golf course management practices and processes that lead to my most satisfying and recent responsibility that was successfully managing a 27-hole golf facility with supervising a crew of 13. Therefore as a undergraduate of Business Communications, I would effectively be able to communicate to a diverse range of constituents from employees, members & guests to golf executive boards and vendors. On my spare time outside of the classroom and workplace you would most likely find me golfing with friends and family.

In an era of globalization digital history has effected us as a whole, as it is evident by society being excessively dependent to their smart phones and gadgets. The introduction chapter to digital history began with capitalizing on a number of positives and negatives towards digital history and how it is used. Daniel Cohen and Roy Rosenzweig also presented several promises regarding digital histories future. They began with assessing how easy it is for individuals to access information as well as emphasizing on the feature of being able to store all personal information into one place. Finally the chapter focused on the contrast between ‘hypertextuality’ and ‘nonlinearity’, of digital media which was defined by the movement of data in any possible direction. Although the on going mass media and digital movement has proposed many questions regarding potential threats for inaccessibility and eruption of possible monopolies.

After completing the second week of first semester, I still do not have a strong idea on what to expect from this course due to my shortage of history credits and as well as my knowledge towards digital history. Although I am looking forward to expanding my knowledge of digital history specifically in our current time era of economic globalization and technological advancements.

-Mitchell Witherspoon

 

Me, Myself and I

Hello, my name is Josh Anger and I am a second year Con Ed student studying History and Geography. I am originally from Hamilton, but am living in Thorold this school year. After Brock, I plan to become a high school teacher, teaching both History and Geography. Outside of University I still play competitive hockey for a local Junior Hockey Club in Glanbrook. Most of my past time enjoyments include sports and video games. I love almost all sports and love to follow professional sports.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The inevitable coming of digital information, such as eBooks, online libraries and data bases was first saw to be a threat to education and learning. The internet was seen as a non-creditable source, where all items would have the same credibility. But with these changes in the way we read, the way we learn, one of the major changes has been in the amount of items, articles or books we can now find on a specific topic, increasing the amount of information we have at our finger tips when researching topics.

A down fall to digital uses for information is how easy it is to find incorrect information. By using search engines, it will scan all the information in its database to fit what you have typed, and this can also bring up websites that are not accurate information, or even discussion boards where anyone has the power to post what they want.  With the use of digital information on the web, it also brings the possibility of losing the original form of the document, book or painting. This is a problem for historical purposes, because we lose some of the meaning and purpose from the physical copy, that would now be either a picture of the physical, or a word document copied by it.

I believe that digital history is an important topic that is very rarely considered in the historical world. Because of my age, I have never had to prepare a historical essay or writing without the use of the internet. And to be quite honest, I think it would be much more difficult to find resources for it. The internet poses a much easier way to find research and information, for not only just history topics.  Although I do understand the drawbacks of digital information, and the problems with using search engines and websites for information, I do believe that Digital History is such a large benefit to everyone studying History.

 

 

 

 

 

Introductory Post

My name is Allison Snobelen. I’m from Thamesville which most people have never heard of. It’s a tiny little town outside of Chatham, and if you haven’t heard of that either, then it’s about halfway between London and Windsor. I’m a third year student at Brock University, and this year my program is actually a bit different. I was previously in Concurrent Education until now my primary teachable being English and my second being history. I decided to make the change from this program to just general English Language and Literature because I want to explore my different options. If I want, I could apply to teacher’s college at Brock still. If not, I would like to explore the potential of teacher’s college in another country, preferably England.

Outside of school, my life pretty much consists of work. This past summer, I worked two full time jobs. The first half of the summer I worked in a field planting tomatoes as well as full time at a pizzeria. When the field work was don’t for the season, I finished the summer working full time for a call centre as well as, still, the pizzeria. Now being back to school, I work at two different places. I am working for a pizza place here as well as the Meridian centre. I enjoy to go to concerts and shows as much as I possibly can. Some of the favourites I have been to were Guns n Roses last tour and Motley Crue. I listen to a wide variety of music but I find that rock bands have more of a dominant stage presence and high energy.

I found an interest in digital history only when selecting courses. As I said before, I have been in history courses since first year and thoroughly enjoy it. When I saw that digital history was offered at a course, it seemed to much different from the typical history courses I have taken. I also want to learn about how technology is incorporated into history and how it has changed the society we live in from a historical standpoint. I didn’t know much about it until I decided to take this course, and I think that is why digital history is so interesting to me. Reading the first selection for the course and seeing the different advantages and disadvantages highlights a lot about the importance of the internet in studying history and using technology as a way to help understand the past.

The selection discusses the interactivity of history through technology and using distal media. I found the most important part was to talk about how the internet and publishing historical works can bring light to less influential historians and many different aspects of history. The example of this given in the text was of a retired history teacher that enjoyed putting his work on the web. This is important because it allows readers to see a different perspective and different explanations of things that happened. I find personally that sometimes it can be very difficult to read certain historical secondary sources because they’re very dry, but something else on the same topic could grab my attention. Also, the internet has tools that allow historians to take a look at things they may not have been able to before. There are so many different tools and programs that can do virtually anything on the internet. Using these system to analyze historical documents can bring new information to light that we may have never seen.

The selection also discusses authenticity however. This is probably the main peril of digital history. Something like wikipedia, where anyone can edit the page, is very dangerous. It could give false historical fact that is then used to draw her incorrect conclusions. Questioning authenticity is important for everything on the internet. Vigorous research should be done on any topic being researched on the web as it is something easily edited.

Overall, I am very excited for this course. There is a lot to be learned about digital history and what it has and can do. There are many aspects that I have not thought about that will be helpful not only in university research papers, but future research that could be done as well.

Introductory post: first blog post

Hello! My name is Alexis Rago. I was born in Toronto and lived in the city of Brampton for the majority of my life. When I turned eighteen, my best friend and I decided to move to the city of St. Catharines as a change of scenery. We have an apartment together and got jobs working as waitresses in Niagara Falls. Growing up, my parents owned a cottage not too far from Niagara so we would visit often. I always admired how beautiful the falls are, and the many tourist’s attractions located within the town. Although I loved visiting Niagara Falls, I never thought that I would become local to the Niagara region, but here I am.

When I finished high school I knew I wanted to take my education to the next level, but I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do with it. I decided that I would take the year off and work full time in order to save up. I then applied to Brock as a geography major, wanting to specialize in environmental geography. However, in order to do that, I had to take physical geography which I didn’t enjoy learning. During my first year, I had a history course that really caught my attention and it was then that I decided to change my major to pursue history. This being my second year at Brock, I now major in history and have many different kinds of past events and adventures to learn about. When I am finished University, I want to complete teacher’s college and become a history teacher. Teaching has always been a passion of mine and a goal I would like to achieve.

Other than school and work, I try to keep a healthy lifestyle. I attend the gym at least 4-5 times a week and try to maintain a good diet. During my spare hours, I enjoy binge watching historical action movies and shows. I also enjoy exploring the many hiking trails and waterfalls located in St. Catharines.

I am very happy with the courses that I have chosen for my second year. Digital history is one of my many choices, and it gives me an opportunity to not only look at the events that took place in the past but also a chance to look at what positive and negative effects technology has had on the world today.

I find it fascinating how advanced technology is and how much it can be used as an educational tool. It provides us with easy answers and makes learning and studying that much faster and more efficient. However, technology has also had many negative effects on societies. It has drastically changed the way people communicate with one another. Instead of people going out of their way to have more personal, face to face conversations, technology has made it possible to talk to each other from anywhere, anytime, losing a certain connection with others. When people are together, they are usually lost in their technology, or wasting valuable time surfing the web and checking social media. Social media has had some negative effects on society as well, pursuing people to look, think and act a certain way in order to fit in with the latest updates and trends. This affects people’s originality and creates problems amongst others who want to stand out and be different.

With the bad, comes the good. Technology allows for diversity amongst the world and helps to educate people on the different cultures and traditions that exist. This makes it possible for lifestyles to blend and become more modernized by learning new traditions aside from their own. This also gives people more opportunity to travel and find jobs that may not be available in their own country. It is also a plus that technology can hold a limitless amount of data making it easier to keep and share documents from the past without running out of space. This is a positive side to technology that historians may find very useful when going over past events. It gives them access to data at the touch of a button, compared to the earlier years when that was not possible. Technology can be an amazing tool when used properly and in moderation. Although useful in many aspects of life, it should not be relied on, which is sometimes the problem.

 

Me, Myself and I

Hello! My name is Adrian Marioselva and I am a third year Business Economics student at Brock University. I am from Whitby, Ontario and once I have completed my undergraduate degree, I would like to further my education in the masters program at Brock. Brock offers many opportunities for students and post-graduates alike to further there skills to better prepare for the future. After I have completed my masters program, I would like to pursue a career in management consulting or financial analyst at RBC. Outside of school, basketball is my burning passion on and off the court. From watching basketball games to playing on the court, anything revolving that environment will be a comfortable atmosphere for me. 

Sports in general have found a spot in my heart always, especially if it means to represent Toronto.

So, what does Digital History mean to me? Digital History reminds me of where all things from sources of information from Google to how a computer was built. In today’s world everyone has access to a huge variation of information due to the superpower of the internet. People are capable of now learning new languages or cook new recipes that can be learnt from a professional chefs based on one click of a button.

Communication has become a the very necessity to human society as a way to interact with people all across the world. From Canada to Germany to Australia, everyone is capable to obtain access to the powerful feature that can be used in different forms of communication. To online dating, business emails, and most important emailing your professor, digital communication has never been so easy.

What also comes to mind with Digital History is the understanding of the historians and how they were able to approach to such an advancement in technology. Not even a decade ago, the introduction of the internet was still relatively new, however now the internet is seemly used as a daily necessity. I would like to learn how historians were able to interact and influence the further understanding of digital studying and how so many people were able to adapt to this huge progression in such a quick process. Studying this material enables us students to further engage and appreciate methods of digital understanding and how everything all began.

I am excited and anxious to begin this interesting course with my fellow classmates and learn new things I would’ve never knew about in Digital History!