During this class, I have grown exponentially in my digital skills and digital awareness. Regarding skills, I have learned how to use Microsoft Access, ArcGIS, Story Maps, Microsoft Excel, Zotero, WordPress, and Omeka. I have so many more opportunities on my hands now that I know how to use these programs. One of the programs … Continue reading A Review of Digital History
In Cal Newport’s blog post on Digital Minimalism, he emphasizes the importance of limiting the amount of time you use online. One of his hacks is to, “be wary of tools that solve a problem that didn’t exist before the tool.” He references GPS and Google as useful tools because they solve of the problems … Continue reading Projecting the Future of Digital History
As a student of history, I have heard the words "change" and "continuity" on numerous occasions. Whether it is a class on Modern American History, Premodern Civilizations of Asia, Ancient Rome, 16th century Germany, or Medieval Europe, these two terms have an inherent role in the semester-long courses. This understanding has shaped my perception of … Continue reading Change and Continuity in Harrisburg
GIS stands for Geographic Information System. Basically it is a technology that allows for information and data points to be placed on a map. While you may not recognize the name, you definitely have used it. In fact, most people use a version of it every day. Systems such as Google Maps and Map Quest … Continue reading GIS Technologies and Databases that Reveal Harrisburg’s History
This week we learned about and practiced using quantitative data in a historical study. We began by learning about Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and quantitative data that can be manipulated and interpreted. Originally a tool for scientists and architects to map numerical environmental and geographical data, it surprisingly found itself in the digital historian's toolkit. … Continue reading Constructing A Story With Quantitative Data
We have written on this blog in the past about the advantages of expanding into the digital side of history. The other students of Digital History and I have explored the benefits and hazards of this, along with the various methods of doing so. Often, the focus is on the “product”, so to speak. The … Continue reading History in the Spreadsheets
Not many cities are able to make the kind of turn around Harrisburg, Pennsylvania pulled off between 1900 and 1930. This town that started as a tiny grouping of houses on the east bank of the Susquehanna River was able to revamp its image and become the center of national attention within 3 decades. The … Continue reading Harrisburg 1900-1930: From Industrial Blight to Shining New Metropolis
I have always loved searching through census data. The first time I got an Ancestry account, I stayed up until four in the morning, searching through the sheets trying to find family members. If any of my friends have questions about their family or an antique book with a name in it, I would be … Continue reading Bringing to Life the Immigrants of Harrisburg
Understanding the City Beautiful movement involves understanding change. The actual definition of change from Merriam Webster is “to make different in some particular.” This definition does not encompass the whole reality of change. To change from one thing to another always involves losing something. Sometimes this is losing something bad and gaining something good, but … Continue reading Using Digital Tools to Track Change
Recently, our class has been looking at census data dealing with information from 1900 to 1930. Our census data includes information about each person who lived in Harrisburg during those thirty years. From records, we can learn the first name, last name, address, gender, race, age, birth year, literacy, birthplace, occupation, immigration status, etc. for … Continue reading What Difference Thirty Years Can Make: Harrisburg’s Transformation from 1900 to 1930
Digital Harrisburg 