6.10.22 Content Creation

My focus so far has been on creating online media to supplement the text passages of History Lab. Online media design and creation are not my strengths. My goal is to improve those skills, especially with the rising importance of online learning.

This week I've been working on a guide to facilitating historical discussion, or to facilitation assignments specifically. Facilitation involves finding a source (usually a textual primary source), analyzing it, and then using it to spark a discussion. These can be tricky because they challenge the student to engage in the deeper aspects of historical study and historiography - searching through archives and databases, examining and scrutinizing a primary source, and using that source to contribute to a wider discussion. I struggled to think of a good medium to create a guide for this type of assignment. I explored a few different options but ultimately settled on Canva - a program I have become familiar with. Facilitation is complex, so this guide required a more detailed form of presentation. I'm using the powerpoint-style presentation Canva offers. I've finished the core of the guide, but I need to add more design elements to make it more interesting. Here's an example of what I've created so far:

Because I'm a history major, not an online media design major, my design still needs some work. The idea here is to introduce students to analyzing a primary source - in this case the very first edition of the first (American) Floridian newspaper print. This is a fantastic primary source that contains plenty of interesting details if one looks closely. Unfortunately it's somewhat niche, so I might scrap this source altogether and use something more practical and familiar to a wider audience. The goal is for the students to learn how to analyze the source themselves by using the classic "W" questions guideline. The visual design also, obviously, needs work. It's basically a wall of text - not ideal for what is supposed to be a simple guide. I'll try to streamline the design, use a more general source, and add some visual flair.

There's more I want to create, and I'm already thinking of ideas for another project. The History Lab could use another sample set of essays, ideally with annotations that can give some specific tips and point out flaws and strengths. I'm the kind of learner that benefits greatly from a visual aid or example, so I'd like to provide that for any of the other visual learners out there. Next week will involve finishing these projects and possibly assisting students with upcoming assignments, and, of course, trying to stay dry beneath Florida's endless thunderstorms!

Nicholas, Cary and George Tunstall. The Floridian. Vol. 1 No.1 (1821). University of Florida Digital Collections.