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The Digital Humanities research topic “Resistance and Reality” which I will be doing will focus mainly on the Educational part of this topic. My research will be done by focusing on the education systems we had in the Caribbean but, mainly in Dominica before emancipation to this present day. Furthermore, I will be looking at how and why schools were developed before to now, reasons why people went to school here and why people left here to receive further education in international countries and lastly, I will be looking at the educational systems in Dominica compared to other countries. To gather my information on this topic, I have visited websites, the National Documentation Centre as well as the National Archives Unit. My research questions are there to guide me with this research.

1. What’s wrong with the education system in Dominica?
2. Why do students choose overseas or other Caribbean countries to further their studies and not Dominica?
3. Do they move to explore other countries or is something wrong with ours?
4. Can’t our economic system withstand students that come to our island for studies or cant our economic system withstand us in wanting to further our studies?
5. Is there something wrong with our colleges and universities in Dominica?

Throughout my research I’ve used these questions as my guidelines to what I want to accomplish through my analysis of articles, handouts, books, that I’ve been reading through. However, gathering the relevant information for my research topic is not easy. I’ve faced challenges such as not finding exactly what I want such as the education curriculum in Dominica and not finding a lot of information of Dominica when it comes to the past that’s why I had to open up my research to the rest of the Caribbean to get the answers necessary to do this research. So far, I have mainly used online information such as articles, and books to do this research.

Furthermore, through my research I have learnt some facts about the education system in Dominica, America and China that I have never known before. I’ve also learnt that migration of education didn’t start in this day and age it started with the people before us because of the lack of resources before and the want to further educate oneself. The main feature I would like to include in my research will be a map which will illustrate a pattern of migration and one which will show the different educational institutions that we had before and those we have now. However, the only problem I face now is figuring out how I would like to display my maps.

To conclude, my research questions are guiding me through the journey of building this project. So far, I can say that I have been receiving a lot of information on the questions for my research and I can safely say 70% of my questions have been answered. However, I am still facing challenges on some questions that I want to be answered on Dominica and a challenge on how I want to see my maps being displayed.

The aspect of the Caribbean Resistance and Reality that is highlighted is this part of the project is Science and Religion. More often than not, the topics of science and religion are seen in constant contradiction. Undoubtedly, both setbacks and advancements have been experienced in the research and analysis phase of the project. Two challenges faced include the initial limited availability of information, the request of interviewees to remain anonymous and a major advancement includes the establishment of sub-topics under the main themes.

Initially, limited availability of information related to the topics could be found. The initial search for information began on the common search engines. A lot of information, especially related to Dominica, is usually inaccessible to students or not readily available. Thankfully, this problem was easily solved with the use of digital libraries such as JSTOR (Journal Storage) and DLOC (The Digital Library of the Caribbean) as well as visits to the Dominica National Archives and Documentation Centres. In addition to this, the Roseau Public Library has abundant resources for the efficient collection of research material for this project.

Furthermore, another challenge faced was the request of interviewees to remain anonymous. Gathering information from primary sources like individuals who are directly involved in the fields of medicine and religion is greatly credible and reliable. However, when the names of those persons are stripped from the content, some of that credibility is lost.

Lastly, a major advancement made since the initiation of the research project was the finalisation of the sub-topics that would be addressed. These sub-topics aid in honing in on more specific areas in which resistance can be seen. This finalisation can undoubtedly be seen as a significant milestone in the completion of the project as gives the team a sense of direction and will also enable them to focus their energies on these sub-topics as opposed to the broader topic.

 

The Annotated Bibliography assignment was scored according to the following rubric:

Appropriate citation method of each source: 1 point each (15 points total)

Relevance of source summary and description to the project: 5 points each (75 points)

Grammar, organization, syntax, presentation – 10 points

TOTAL possible score – 100 points

I found this list called “How to do Well in this Course” while browsing material to prepare for teaching this course. The author provides some useful tips for students that you may find valuable.

(“How to Do Well in this Course” adapted from a syllabus written by Christopher Douglas, University of Victoria Department of English.)

Read the material before we discuss it. Otherwise, you will not be able to follow conversations in class, let alone the lectures. Plus, demonstrating you’ve read the material means no quizzes.

Write while you read. For me this means annotating a text as I read it. You can annotate print and digital texts. (See me if you need ideas or resources.)

Come to class with ideas and questions. Be curious. Seek connections between texts, between projects, and between this course and others, even in other disciplines.

Take notes during class meetings. A good portion of your Final Project and Audit will intersect with what we talk about in class. Students who take good notes understand and retain the material better and then do better than students who do not.

Let me know when you don’t follow what I’m saying. I am not aware of what you do not know or do not understand, and I may assume more contextual knowledge on your part than you have. I find this stuff fascinating, but I will not always know what you want to investigate or know more about – so please tell me.

Persuasive projects take time. Before you submit a blog entry, and most certainly before you submit your proof of concept, consider circulating drafts. Ask friends or peers to give your work a gander. Come chat with me during office hours. Consider how your project can extend and even complicate our in-class discussions. Also avoid writing blog entries that are primarily descriptive.

Think of your blog entries as thought pieces that lead to your Final Project. Feel free to ask questions without answering them. The blog entries should also build upon each other (e.g., “In my last entry, I wrote…”). Over time, they should function as a way for you to refine your interests and pursue them—in a sustained way—through the collaborative project.

During class and in writing, be concrete when you comment on anyone’s work (including the texts we’re discussing). Quote it. Speak to specific gestures. And then respond with your own interpretations. When the work is by a peer, be sure to affirm his or her ideas (e.g., “I like how you…”).

Use the blog to share ideas and discuss the texts outside of class. If you have a question, then ask your classmates. If you hear something you want to remember, blog it for later reference. If you like an entry by someone outside of your cluster, then leave a comment saying so.

 

 

You’ve worked hard all semester on your digital research projects. This week, you will submit your final projects (by 9pm on Monday, May 2) and present on Wednesday May 4, from 12:00 noon at the Create Caribbean Research Institute classroom.

***Students are reminded that plagiarism is a serious academic violation. Students found committing various acts of plagiarism or academic dishonesty in the project and presentation will receive a grade of 0 for the assignment and may face further disciplinary action by the college.

Here are the grading requirements for the project:

Category	Points
Minimum of 10 items included	5
Simple Pages·      About Us/Site·      Research Proposal ·      Annotated Bibliography ·     References	5
Minimum of 3 exhibits	5
Minimum 10 secondary sources in References	5
Proper Citation Format of References Page and in-text citations; relevance of sources to topic	10
Analysis of Exhibits·      Incorporation of secondary sources (10)·      Evidence of researchers analysis and synthesis of secondary and primary sources (20) ·      Conclusions drawn by researcher from analysis of data (20)	50
Proper Grammar, Editing and Revision of display	10
Website Design·      Layout·      Legible print ·      Creativity ·      Balance of visual elements to textual elements	10
TOTAL	100

Here is what is expected of you in the final project presentation:

Category	Points
Introduction·      Topic Background ·      Research Questions	5
Description of Limitations and Challenges	5
Highlight of main exhibit findings	15
Conclusions and Implications drawn from research experience	15
Clarity of oral presentation·      Organisation of ideas ·      Verbal and nonverbal communication ·      Adhere to time guidelines ·      Response to questions	10
TOTAL	50

Hello everyone,

Each of your sites should feature at least 4 exhibits that will form the substance of your analysis of primary sources for the final projects. You may have gotten a wide range of primary and secondary source documents during your research period. Now your job is to make sense of all the information you received by organizing and analyzing it so your audience can have a clear sense of the key issues within your topic.

You may have received newspaper clippings, videos, interviews, images etc. and should have already entered those as items in your Omeka site or even put them in separate collections depending on how many similar groups of items you obtained. Now your job is to select a few that tell a story about a sub-topic within your larger topic. For example, “The Dread Act Law” would be a sub-topic under Domfari as would “Rastafarian religion.” Or “handcrafts and natural resources” could be a sub-topic under Natives of Dominica. For each of these sub-topics, you will use your secondary sources (or criticism) to give some insight or explain further the details of that topic. Use the Exhibit Builder feature in Omeka to do so.

Spreadsheet Mapper 2

Mapping Novels with Google Earth 

 

 

 

See the instructions for how to build a timeline at the link below:

 

Timeline Tutorial

 

This week, we are beginning active work on our digital research projects. Here are some important dates and critical information for you to keep in mind as we proceed through the rest of the semester.

Formal Research Proposal – Due March 6 at 9pm

• Should be approximately 1,200 words and should include rationale, a brief description of the appropriate target audience, research questions (about 3-5), and methodology. It should be posted as a Simple Page on your Omeka site.

Annotated Bibliography – Due March 20 at 9pm

• Should include 10 research sources, 5 primary sources related to your project and 5 secondary sources (academic peer-reviewed or non-academic verifiable periodicals). For each citation, you should include a 3-5 sentence description of the source and its usefulness to your overall project. It should be posted as a Simple Page on your Omeka site.

Progress Report – Due April 10 at 9pm

• This should be a 300-500 word report on any challenges or major advancements that you are experiencing with your project during the research and analysis phase. It should be posted as a Simple Page on your Omeka site.

Final Project – Due April 24 at 9pm

• All items, collections, exhibits and simple pages relevant to your project should be posted on your Omeka site by this date and time. Your project grade will be based on information posted at that time. Any changes made to the site after this date without the prior permission of the instructor will result in a grade of F on the project as it is a form of academic dishonesty.

Final Project Presentations – May 1

• You will present your projects to a group of your peers during class time. You will prepare a 5 minute description of your project, which includes challenges, successes and outcomes.

 

I’ve also included this information on the Assignments page for easier reference during the semester…

In the field of digital humanities and other disciplines, many scholars, researchers and teachers often collaborate and share ideas on best practices about conducting research and teaching college students. Much of my own training in the digital humanities began with collaboration via email, Twitter, Hangouts, and formal and informal conferences with mentors, colleagues and peers. The blog grading rubric is one of the many gems I’ve been able to adopt and adapt from my experience in scholarly communication – one of the key aspects of digital humanities practice. I borrow it from Mark Sample’s A Rubric for Evaluating Student Blogs and have used it for a number of semesters, with amendments to the scoring. Here are the key points that will matter to you and your weekly blogging exercise this semester: