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Reflective Post 2

Reflective Post # 2

Grounded on DH’s Value to Independent DH project

My experience working with the Microproject on Albert Chance Collection for the past weeks is phenomenal. I have not only gained a better understanding of the definition and the value of Digital Humanities, but I have also practiced applying it to a real project. It is very interesting to reflect on the theory and incorporate it with a real example.

Overall, I think that our DSSF 21 cohort have done a very good job at the application of Albert Chance Collection into a digital project. In this reflective post, I want to emphasis on three of the DH values that I see in the process of our work on the Micro project, and how I can ground myself to these value in my independent research.

Despite being physically distance and time different, we manage to work collaboratively based on our expertise and responsibility, and finally able to deliver the products on time. Among the six of us in the fellowship, three of us are on campus, and three are doing a remote fellowship, two of which are in different countries and time zone. Through a clear and constant communication, we manage to meet, discuss, and apply our work and expertise into this Albert Chance project. It was amazing to see how we can come together and accomplish something in a short period of time.

Moreover, I have learnt to find and appreciate the openness aspect of the Digital Humanity projects. I remember while we were doing the mapping and timeline for the Albert Chance Project, there are places where he went that we wanted to highlight but we do not have the photos of it (or rather Albert himself did not take a photo of). Therefore, we went online and surf for some photos to use so that the audience can have a better understanding of Albert’s journey. We are glad that there are photos with no copy right/under creative common license that let us use their material for educational purpose. In addition, we are using WordPress, an open-source website hosting that is really detailed, useful and helpful in many ways. Through this openness related to DH, I have come to consider putting my work out there and allow people to use it under educational purposes.

Finally, it was the experimentation value that teach me how to think outside the box when it comes to digital humanity project. When we were doing the Microproject together, it feels like plan was changing every time we have a meeting. It is not a bad thing though. From one meeting to another, we keep experimenting new ideas and digital tools and then think together and see whether what works best. We did something wrong the first time, but it was fine because then we can solve that problem and move on. This experience really put me in a good spot for applying it to my personal project. I do think that experimentation is an important value in digital humanities because it helps direct us to try something new, analyze whether what work and what not, and correct if there are mistakes.

I have learnt a lot working on this Albert Chance Micro project. It gives me a solid foundation on how I should approach digital humanities and what I should do with my individual project moving forward.

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