In Small Things Forgotten

In his book, In Small Things Forgotten: An Archaeology of Early American Life, scholar James Deetz, “the past can be seen most fully by studying the small things so often forgotten. Objects such as doorways, gravestones, musical instruments, and even shards of pottery fill in the cracks between large historical events and depict the intricacies of daily life.” As historians, we gather, analyze and interpret evidence. We look at the world through our historical lenses and understandings. This week, I have had the opportunity to gain digital tools for my toolbox. This workshop gave us new, exciting, and challenging ways to study “the small things” by using digital tools and lens.

While I still feel like a novice just getting my feet wet, I am leaving the workshop with new knowledge and tools and more importantly confident in my ability to bring the digital humanities into my classrooms and college. And if all else fails, I know now the power of the tweet – #doingdh16 and a song (thanks @ProRoMo). As I move forward, my strategic plan is to start small and be intentional. I would like to start slowly by building my academic digital profile, revise my service learning reflection portfolio to include digital components, and tie the digital humanities to our program review action plans and create a backwards mapping template on what we as a history program define as digital history and what we can reasonably accomplish within the academic year.