Category: My Digital Project

Final Portfolio Post

This semester has been filled with nothing but new experiences. During this semester I learned how to write, edit, record, and publish a podcast. The entire process was somewhat new to me, especially when it came to editing the episode. Thankfully with the help of Dr. Kelly and Audacity tutorials, I believe I produced a good and enjoyable first podcast episode. One of the most enjoyable and difficult experiences I had during this process was finding public domain audio clips to put in the episode. I believe that audio clips in podcasts can help with the transition of the story. My search for free public domain audio clips was long but rewarding. I found two audio clips, one was of waves hitting a ship and the other was of the wedding march. I used these clips for the transitions in the story. The audio clip I struggled with the most was the main theme for the entire show. It had to embody the sense and tone of the whole series, which is why it took me so long to settle on one.

The main thing this semester taught me was patience, the value of working together, and being okay with asking for help. From researching to publishing the actual episode, I had to learn how to be patient. Every phase of creating a podcast takes time. I am a person who likes to finish a task right after I start it. So, when I had to slow down my process it made me feel anxious. However, through that experience, I developed more in-depth analysis and was overall happier with my final product.

Another lesson I learned during this semester was how important it is to work together. I never knew how important this was in the field of history. The monthly critiques and updates with our entire class allowed us to bounce our ideas off one another. These comments helped spark new ideas for all our projects. Also, I worked with a co-host for my episode. This made the over episode and recording process more enjoyable.

The last lesson I learned this semester was that it is okay to ask for help. This is something that I have always struggled with in my academic career. Asking for help is not something that should be discouraged. Dr. Kelly also taught me that if you need anything, whether it’s just advice or permission, all you must do is ask. The worst thing that can happen is that someone says no. If that is the case, then you’ll look for solutions elsewhere. Or you can ask, and they will say yes. Overall, this semester taught me that not asking for help or permission can become an obstacle when progressing in a project.

My Digital Project Reviews

Portfolio Blog Post #3

My digital project, All Eyes on Us, is a podcast that discusses and analyzes the lives of presidential children. Although not all of them were children during their father’s presidency, I will still refer to them as children. This project aims to delve into their personal lives and learn from their experiences. Their stories provide an interesting perspective into the daily routine of the White House. Not only were their families the center of the public’s eye, but also the eyes of the secret service. Therefore, my project aims to answer the question, How were their lives affected living under such close watch?” The project will focus on why they made certain decisions, and how their decisions were affected by their relationship with their family and the public.

I decided to go this route with my project for a few reasons. The first is that I realized how little I knew about the presidential children. I realized that maybe other people in the field of history had the same curiosities as myself. The second reason was that there are a lot of stigmas today concerning mental health. Many people do not realize how poor mental health can affect a person at any age. Therefore, I thought this project would be an interesting combination of these two realizations.

While creating this project, I needed to decide whether I wanted to host the show alone or have a co-host. This was a difficult choice because I was unsure of how this would affect the flow of the narrative. However, I managed to intertwine the narrative of the podcast with a constructive conversation about our main topics/themes. I believe that it was a good decision to have a co-host for this podcast. This decision was practical for me considering my co-host is my roommate. It made planning the episode much easier as I always have her in the same house as me. This was also an intellectual decision for me. The podcast is not only discussing and bringing awareness to certain historical figures. It is also mental health and familial issues. I figured that if I wanted to open the conversation up to others, a good example would be to show a comfortable conversation about these difficult subjects.

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My Digital Project

Project Update #4

My digital project is finally coming together. I finally decided on a name for both the podcast and the first episode. My digital project is called “Resident Rascals” and my first episode is titled “D.C.’s First It Girl.” I am confident about the episode title but unsure about the overall title. I have solved many of the issues I expressed in previous project update posts. Realistically, I believe I only have a few tasks left to complete. In total, I have three jobs left to finish. The first is tweaking the script here and there. I am currently working on recording and editing my first podcast episode. The episode has kept a consistent run time of 30 minutes during each recording session. I have also decided to try and create my little theme song/ instrumental for the very beginning and end of the episode. I have been tinkering with Garage Band for this element of my podcast. When a podcast has a theme song or little tune at the beginning of the episode, it is a good judge of the content and topics contained in the episode.

Another task I am in the middle of working on is my Omeka site. I have not made changes or edits to the physical website, but I have collected the articles I would like to provide. The research consisted of the materials used for the podcast and any source that I thought was interesting. Once the script is complete, I will place it on the website. I believe my Omeka site will pair nicely with my podcast. It will be a starting place for those who may want to learn more information about the topics discussed in the podcast.

The last task I have to complete is setting up my project’s social media account. I have decided to create an Instagram account for my podcast because I have found that the Instagram pages for podcasts have more attraction and engagement than their pages on other platforms like Twitter. I will be posting updates on current and future episodes and polls and questions for users to participate. I will post images and videos that express the topic of an episode and behind-the-scenes footage. I believe this online presence will help facilitate and grow my audience.

My Digital Project

Project Update #3

My digital project has been going swimmingly! Although I have encountered issues, I have made progress with the tools at my disposal. Also, the advice from Professor Mills Kelly has helped tremendously. His advice has also made me feel comfortable with the amount of progress I have made within my project. While it is nice to discuss progress, my project is not close to being finished. Taking the advice seriously from Professor Kelly, I have begun working on my focus sentences. Some have been easier to define than others. I decided it would be best to create one focus sentence for the overall episode and sub-topic sentences for each topic. I made progress in the creation of the sub-topic sentences. However, I have been struggling to create my main focus sentence. The focus sentence is the main goals and summary of what I would like to achieve in this podcast. I will fix this by simply spending more time with the material featured in the podcast.

I have also been considering different ways to use my Omeka website for this project. I think it would be helpful to create collections for each specific person discussed in an episode of the podcast. These collections would include the primary sources used in the podcast, the episode’s script, and other outside links. This action would extend my project’s audience. Some people who may suffer from disabilities would still be able to interact with my work. One thing that has been incredibly important to me is figuring out ways to include as many people as I can within my project. I believe that adding these elements to my Omeka website will expand my audience and help engage listeners.

Professor Mills also suggested locating a “moment of delight” within the episode. A “moment of delight” would be something a listener remembers from the podcast, something worth sharing with a friend. I think this is a great idea! There needs to be something interesting within the podcast that gets people to talk about it. Creating a “moment of delight” will be my next task.

My Digital Project Uncategorized

Progress Update #2

My digital public history project has been making progress! Some of the difficulties that I encountered last week have been resolved. The first of these issues was the script. Since last week, I have decided to limit unscripted conversations. Although it could be entertaining, it took away from the primary focus of the podcast and extended the length of the episode. The primary target time for a podcast episode is thirty minutes. This has been a huge challenge for me not only because of unscripted conversations but also because of the numerous details of Alice Roosevelt Longsworth’s story. It is difficult to pick which details are excluded from the conversation. This is an issue many in the field of history face, minimizing content without taking away from the overall narrative. I think many historians share the same discontent I feel when having to minimize details.

As of right now, I have not made progress on gaining access to certain primary sources. If this continues to persist, I think my only option is to include top-tier secondary sources. However, this could lead to an addition of unnecessary biases.

Another problem I am having is with the tool Audacity. I am not having any major problems with the software. However, I have been struggling with clearing all of the background noise. An easy solution for this problem is a change of location. Also, I believe that if I watch more tutorial videos concerning Audacity usage, this problem will be solved.

Lastly, I still have yet to create a name for the podcast and the episode. This problem is not close to a solution. While I am closer to picking a name, nothing has been set in stone. I have decided that I would like the episode titles to correlate to the overall title of the podcast.

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Project Update

My digital project is slowly but surely coming together. Although I have made significant progress in the depth of the topics discussed and the level of engagement with the listener, I have had a few setbacks. To separate this podcast from being purely just about gossip, I have restructured the way I discuss certain topics. I will achieve this by discussing how Alice Roosevelt’s certain actions lead to very successful consequences. This would be in terms of her personal life and political life. Other problems I have encountered include locating primary sources. My first episode will be on the life of Alice Roosevelt, so I have been searching for various letters, diary entries, etc. The issue I have been encountering is gaining permission/access to these documents through the Library of Congress and the National Archives. To move forward with this issue, I have sent request forms to receive access to these documents. So hopefully, this problem will be solved sooner than later. I have decided to have a co-star in my first episode, which is my roommate. She has a background in politics, international relations, and law. I think that she would be a good addition to the podcast because she is a member of my target audience. However, it has contributed to the issue of the length of the podcast episode. The ideal time length for a podcast episode would be thirty minutes. I have tried to condense the information as much as I can without taking away from the main message of the episode. I have also struggled with limiting conversation throughout the episode. To move forward with this problem is to just have a more concrete script. My first idea was just using an outline of the topics to have a more open conversation; however, this made the episode much longer than it needed to be. I think if I just write a more concise script, it will be easier to stay on task and keep the episode from running too long. The last issue I have encountered has been creating a name for the project itself. It has been something that I have struggled with because I want it to be catchy and memorable. I think the best way to move forward with this problem is to just create a list of descriptive words that encompass this project idea. From here I am hoping it will be easy to construct a name.

Although these setbacks seem overwhelming, I am still pleased with the progress I have created so far. I think if I take my time with these issues, I will find solutions.

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Project Proposal

My Digital Public History project is a podcast that discusses the lives of the children and young adults who lived within the White House. I came up with the idea for this project when I realized that as a society, we have constructed expectations for how the president and first lady should act, however, we have never created these expectations for their children. The first set of the podcast will be an investigation into the lives of Alice Roosevelt and Amy Carter. I choose these two girls to begin with because I believe we can learn from their experiences. Alice was the eldest daughter of Theodore Roosevelt and Amy was the daughter of Jimmy Carter. These two daughters led incredibly unique and different lives. This project will examine how they were able to create their identities. To gain a full perspective on their lives, I will be asking a series of history-related questions; How did they adjust to life in the White House? , How did external/ societal pressures affect their behavior? How did they engage with White House staff?, and Were there new responsibilities or duties given to them once arriving at the White House?. I believe these questions will allow me to analyze the period in which they lived.

The digital technologies that will be used in this digital project will include podcast software such as audacity. I will be utilizing various audio and visual clips on YouTube that have been provided by certain archival groups. An example of one of these videos is First Lady Rosalynn Carter escorting her daughter Amy to her first day at her new school. I will admit that it has been difficult to find primary sources from Alice Roosevelt, as the National Archives keeps many of these documents and audio recordings under “request only”. However, I have found many digital images of the two, which has helped me learn how to characterize their potential moods, thoughts, and feelings. I believe that these digital images, videos, and recordings will help us uncover the reasons as to what caused their behavior.

My target audiences for this project include two groups, young adults and adults. I am hoping to target those who live in urban cities or suburban neighborhoods. To get more demographically specific, the primary age ranges of these groups are 16-24 and 30-45, have completed high school or some form of higher education, and belong to the middle class. However, I am hoping to still attract those who may not belong to any of these groups. I encourage those who have the following interests to listen to this podcast; U.S. history, those who enjoy breaking the rules every once in a while, life in the White House, and the lives and families of the presidents.

The reason I chose these specific questions, topics, and audiences were to learn what makes these children/ young adults different from the rest of the public when they were that age. I believe that many children and young adults contract mental health issues due to the societal pressures and expectations that are established. I wanted to explore this connection between historical figures and the rest of the public. As many of us idolize certain historic figures, it is important to remember that they are just regular people. During childhood and young adulthood is when we begin our journeys of self-discovery. I imagine that it must have been quite difficult for the children of the presidents to fully engage with life. Therefore, this project will serve as a testament to those who grew up under the watchful eye of the public and the Secret Service.

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Persona #1 and #2

Name: Jessica Brown

Demographic: 17-year-old, female, middle class, high school, lives in Ohio

Descriptive Title: Jessica Brown, A typical high school student

End Goals:

Jessica wants to get an A on her history paper, but she needs to develop a topic first. She is embarrassed, as all of her friends have already turned in their papers. Jessica is hoping to find an interesting history topic without having to ask her friends for help.

Quote: “I want to follow my passions”

A Day in a Life Narrative:

Jessica Brown is like any ordinary high school student. She is a very active part of her community through her soccer team. She has organized many fundraisers including a car wash and a bake sale. Although soccer takes up a majority of her time, she does prioritize her friends and academic work. Jessica values the opinions of her friends and thinks very highly of them. However, this can lead Jessica to keep her feelings to herself. Although History has not been Jessica’s best subject, she does take interest in historical figures. Due to the fact that history is not Jessica’s best subject, she tends to neglect the work in that class. She is much more interested in her English class and the poetry of Seamus Heaney. However, with the History midterm looming, Jessica would like to write about an historical figure who is close to her age.

End Goals:

Name: Bobby Sherman

Demographic: 35, male, upper-middle-class, lives in Charleston, South Carolina, unemployed

Descriptive Title: Bobby Sherman, Career Crisis

Quote: “I want to follow my passions”

A Day in a Life Narrative:

Bobby Sherman has always had a comfortable life. His mother was a lawyer and his father worked at a large publishing company. Bobby has never needed to worry about money, which has allowed him to live his life frivolously. He recently proposed to his girlfriend and has begun moving into a new house together. To make this task go by faster, Bobby decided to quit his job at his father’s company to work on the house full time. This hard-manual labor has made Bobby realize that he never really enjoyed working at his father’s company. He reminisces on his old college days and begins to look toward subjects that inspire him. Bobby has an open mind and is willing to explore new fields of study.

End Goals:

Bobby is looking to find a new job in a subject he is passionate about. Although he has experience in the publishing world, he is looking for something new that will spark his interest.

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User Research Summary

My user research has allowed me to have a better understanding of those who might be impacted the most by my digital project. My ideal age demographic consisted of sixteen-year-olds to twenty-four-year-olds. The two people who I interviewed were twenty-one and twenty-two. They both were recent college graduates and have backgrounds in U.S. History. They appeared to have a good understanding of the project. It was enjoyable to discuss times and feelings of rebellion against your parents. This segment also illustrated that there is a shared moment in everyone’s life in which it is time to rebel. This point of my user research allowed me to have a better understanding of the ways in which listeners can relate to my project. Although these two people had a good understanding of the academic portion of my project, that does not mean everyone will. However, it has made me rethink the way I would like to talk about my project. I would like my project to be accessible and enjoyable for all.

My user researcher has shown me that my topic cannot be fulfilled solely through interviews. Although I was able to engage with those who had similar experiences, it was difficult to not delve into more about the presidential children. In order to make my project more focused on the history of presidential children, their story also needs to be told in depth. Although, it was very productive to address how unavoidable and external factors can play a large role in the person that we become. The interviews provided more depth to the topic, as first-hand experiences with mental health problems were discussed. This created a deeper human connection to the individuals we were discussing. In history, we tend to think of those who are in the history books as heroes, villains, and everything in between. However, we forget that they were also just ordinary people like the rest of us. This user research helped shed light on similarities and slight differences that we have with those in the history books.

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