This is a simple liner map that as Ayers does not take into account the other factors that occurred during the march, The map is simple and informative but lack in other information such as is seen at the end of the essay when depicting freed slave movement in the years following emancipation. The use of visual aids to help the historian is one that would aid all types of learners.
To see history laid out in front of you would certainly aid me as I would have a better understanding of the details that surrounded the event being studied. For Ayers the event was Emancipation and the following effects it had on the freed slaves. It is interesting to see the movements of the freed slaves in the map but also to hear the harrowing stories.
Using models as visual aides would certainly help the historian in gaining a better knowledge of the topic but would also helps on numerous levels when teaching. For the student could gather far more information then simply reading a piece of text.
Another article I read was on the Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project at Northern Illinois University Libraries(http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu). This project is a digital library resource on Abraham Lincoln’s life and times in antebellum Illinois. What differentiates this resource from others is the use of multimedia platforms. The use of sound, interactive images and maps produces a more multi platformed learning experience. The boom in the use of the internet has enabled libraries to embrace technology and use the many platforms available to share what information they have.
A quote from historian Thomas Bender in 1986 worried about "the declining significance of history in the general intellectual culture of our time". Eight years later he argued that "Professional historians are becoming increasingly isolated from the general public and writing primarily for other historians". With the age of the internet and the sharing of ideas digitally historians have never been so connected with the general public. The many varieties that a historian can use can sometimes be overwhelming as to choose the right medium to share their knowledge in order to get maximum exposure.
The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a very beneficial tool. It provides project users with an opportunity to explore another type of historical resource: statistical data gathered by censuses or latter-day social scientists. The statistical data that is available to a user can be pin pointed to one data source such as the rail road in a specific place at a specific time. Putting all other irrelevant information to one side and highlighting only the information being sought. This helps the reader like in the previous reading by giving a visual aide to the information that the person seeks.
The beneficial factor of publishing all primary source data is that the reader can make judgement for him or herself. Thus learning to read documents and formulating their own opinion on the matter and then sharing it over online forums or blogs. Creating a new idea that can be open accessed and interpreted by others.
There can only be advantages when something like the Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project is launched. Where disadvantages occur is in the rise of more amateur based works. By only releasing primary materials and using this in the interactive media the users can create their own ideas. With blogs and secondary reading websites it is the authors opinions that are being expressed thus leading to a very limited learning experience.
The Article titled Digital World History: an agenda sets out to try document World history as new area of research. As the author Patrick Manning says 'how are we to encourage historical research at scales beyond the national?'. For me what interests me most is the national effect on the local. But for world history it would seem that the international has many different effects on the national. To try and study this would need a great amount of resources. It was with the birth of information technology that shrank the world and created a new form of learning. Where information could be sent shared and judged on an international level. Allowing for a greater investigation of the world history.
Manning states three forms when looking at world history;
- chronicling the totality of local events and processes
- assessing the dominant patterns
- tracing the interactions of processes
The main points raised are more in line with the study of a more global history for my thesis I will be looking at the interaction of lower and higher classes in society. Taking point three then this is where I would base my study. The use of digital history in my thesis will certainly come into play as I search through archives. It has become central to nearly all disciplines.
I'd agree that IT has helped us to create a way of writing about world history in a way we couldn't do before. It's helped immensely in letting us access information and allow for collaboration on a scale unimaginable even twenty years ago.
ReplyDeleteI would say that the best thing about the development of the Internet with regard to study of the humanities is that it allows us to capture a world view from a different perspective, in a way that wasn't possible before, unless you were a professional academic who travelled to numerous international conferences. The common access to similar knowledge means we can collaborate with academics from different cultures and views of the world; I find that very exciting.
I agree with you that visual aids can help the historian greatly and can not only be of benefit to the individual who is a visual learner but also every learner would gain from it.
ReplyDeleteIf visual aids were used more in the study of history not only would the student find it helpful in the understanding of the topic but also it would introduce something different to the class in comparison to learning in exactly the same manner all the time which is often from the reading of text upon text. Its both an aid to learning and to teaching I think.