Month: April 2018 (Page 2 of 3)

Las Voces de las Américas

Context:
You have a very good description of the course and of COPLAC. I think it might also bebeneficial to say a little about yourselves, including your college, your role as students, and the time period that this is taking place. I also think that some digital tools or links would add to the aesthetic of your website.

Oral Histories:
Still in progress. Side note: I felt very relieved when I heard that you found people to interview. I can’t wait to hear their stories!

Narratives:
Still in progress. Just make sure to incorporate them well with the oral histories.

Digital Recordings:
Still in progress.

Resources and Documentation:
Still need a page of background information and the sources.

Website Design:
Looks very nice, and the website can be translated! However, when you click on “About the  Authors,” nothing shows up. It might be useful to add some more information on that page. Even though there are other pages that take you to your descriptions, I think the user would like some sort of information on any page that they can click on.

Language and Editing:
The Spanish rocks!!! It makes your website very accessible to all people who are involved in the situation that you are covering. It might look more professional to use third person on your content page.

Overall, I know your website is still in progress, but what is already posted looks good. The large picture really draws the viewer in, and the Spanish is a wonderful asset to many people. If you keep formatting the website as you are now, it will look wonderful when you have included all the information.

Exploring Greek Migration to the Berkshires

Context:
You have a wonderful description! It is very professional due to your use of third person and your added details. Yet, you also are able to draw people in with your use of links and easy language. It is a good length and a good introduction to your website.

Oral Histories:
Don’t forget to insert the link to your transcription. Could you add that link so that when  the user opens it, it won’t stop the audio or close the page? I look forward to hearing the  interviews of your other interviewees.

Narratives:
Could you add a picture to go along with the narratives? I would like to see what your  interviewees look like. I appreciate the story-like narrative and the description of the atmosphere. It makes it more like a story rather than a research project, which encourages the viewer to continue reading.

Digital recordings:
It might hold the viewer’s attention more if you split up your interview by theme. For example: a clip on her childhood, a clip on her quotes about community and the church, etc. Audacity is a good tool to use to edit out these clips.

Resources and Documentation:
Still in progress. Don’t forget to include background and social information about their community. This would be a good area to include digital tools.

Website Design:
Your menus and the sidebar make your website easy to navigate. However, I thinkpictures would be a good way to enhance the look.

Language and Editing:
I found only a few punctuation errors. Also, be sure to cite everything for the information you post in the future.

Overall, your website looks very nice and you seem to be going in the right direction. You have a good balance between conversational and professional. Make sure to include research and citations on your website.

Las Voces de Las Americas

Off to a good start! It’d be cool to find ways to make the information interactive, once you have it up. Sound bites from interviews interspersed throughout the site would be useful, since the word voces/voices is so central to your theme—make sure to integrate those conversations as much as possible!

Latino Migration in the Central Savannah River Area

I liked the idea of an ArcGIS map to get to know the area; however, when I clicked on different points, it merely said “Point,” and no background info was given. It would be helpful to fix this. More pages with more info about the people and the area may be helpful as well. What are important aspects for us to know?

Joe and I were able to meet yesterday, and I felt that even though we only did a little bit, we made pretty good progress. Our website officially has an “About” page and a page for the interviews. In fact, Joe was able to upload some of his interviews that he’s already had. I’m still waiting to record mine, but I’m excited to see what it will look like when we have them all uploaded.

To add to that, I received confirmation from the student at Job Corps in Iowa saying that he will be home this weekend to interview with me. I don’t know what time, yet, but hopefully our plans so far will remain secured.

On another page, I realized that for my intentions with the story map, it would be more useful to use StoryMapJS instead of ArcGIS. While ArcGIS gives the user access to go where he or she pleases and to read the information in any order, StoryMapJS creates a more structured slideshow. ArcGIS is still my go-to site for the language map, since the information is less specific and the order doesn’t matter. However, for the map of places that are important for the Congolese population, I found it useful to begin with DRC and then take the user on a trip around Kirksville and then to Milan. Chronologically, the immigrants began in DRC and then travelled to this area. Plus, it’s much easier to show details specific places with StoryMapJS. When I make my language map, the marked areas will be much larger, so it won’t be necessary to pinpoint specific towns or streets.

In the next few days, I plan to edit the Story Map and to move forward with my language map on ArcGIS. I also still need to do more in-depth research on the Diversity Visa. Until later!

I was finally able to get my first and second interview done. I actually had a really great time doing it. I drove to Lewiston and set up camp at the Immigrant Resource Center of Maine. I was able to interview Fatuma who runs the Immigrant Resource Center of Maine. Hearing her story was so interesting because she was among the very first wave of immigrants to Lewiston, so she was here for everything: the letter from the mayor, the rallies held, and started this nonprofit. I can’t wait to be able to share her story.

My second interview was with a young lady who has only been in the country for about two years. One of the more interesting things she said was that she believes the different communities need more interaction with each other. There are many shops that carry ethnic food and goods that have been set up by the new immigrants to Maine. She told me that the white residents rarely visit those shops and vice versa and it would help the community to work together if there was more cross-cultural interaction. Since I was in town I decided to check one out and get some lunch there. It was definitely a different atmosphere from grocery stores that I am used to, but the chicken and rice I got was mighty delicious.

I was finally able to get my first and second interview done. I actually had a really great time doing it. I drove to Lewiston and set up camp at the Immigrant Resource Center of Maine. I was able to interview Fatuma who runs the Immigrant Resource Center of Maine. Hearing her story was so interesting because she was among the very first wave of immigrants to Lewiston, so she was here for everything: the letter from the mayor, the rallies held, and started this nonprofit. I can’t wait to be able to share her story.

My second interview was with a young lady who has only been in the country for about two years. One of the more interesting things she said was that she believes the different communities need more interaction with each other. There are many shops that carry ethnic food and goods that have been set up by the new immigrants to Maine. She told me that the white residents rarely visit those shops and vice versa and it would help the community to work together if there was more cross-cultural interaction. Since I was in town I decided to check one out and get some lunch there. It was definitely a different atmosphere from grocery stores that I am used to, but the chicken and rice I got was mighty delicious.

This blog post is dedicated to providing an update on the project website. My partner and I are using WordPress as a medium for our migration narrative. While still in the process of completion, we are conveying this narrative by the actual uploaded text,  the ‘physical’ layout of the website, and specifically chosen digital tools.

While the actual text is still being work-shopped, the website’s layout is nearing completion/finalization. The largest contribution of the website design to conveying the narrative is through its user-friendliness. I want the website to be so easy to navigate that it does not hinder the message from the interviewees. Through dropdown menus, the content is neatly organized and, with the menu and sidebar, information can be located through multiple means of navigation. However, I am not finished with the website design and my plans for improvement can be found in the last paragraph of this post.

Regarding the digital tools, both the ARC GIS Story Map and JS Timeline are being utilized. Ryan is working with the story map digital tool, so I will leave that update for him to explain. I intend to use the timeline tool for a visualization of the Greek migration context. Like most aspects of the project, manipulating this digital tool is taking longer than expected. I am confident that I will have it completed and uploaded on the website by the middle of this week. It is my hope that this particular digital tool will further convey our narrative by providing another mode of representation for the audience’s engagement.

Without surprise, the WordPress website still needs improvement. For one, the actual digital tools need to be completed and uploaded onto the website. In addition, after receiving feedback during last Thursday’s class, I have another rounds of edits to make the site more logical and user-friendly (rearranging some categories, adding different heading titles and a Greek community resources page, etc.). Thank you for checking in and I will be back next week with more updates!

Mo and I have been working on our website, choosing colors and themes, coming up with the basic design and layout that we want for the final product. We also have been working on a timeline through Knightlab, and a story map through ArcGIS. We plan to incorporate both of these tools into our website in order to provide visual context for the narratives that we collect. We have not made many changes since we showed the class our progress this past Thursday, but you should all be able to see some updates in the coming days! I am really looking forward to adding narratives to our website in the next few days, and to seeing how everyone else’s sites develop!

Mo and I have been working on our website, choosing colors and themes, coming up with the basic design and layout that we want for the final product. We also have been working on a timeline through Knightlab, and a story map through ArcGIS. We plan to incorporate both of these tools into our website in order to provide visual context for the narratives that we collect. We have not made many changes since we showed the class our progress this past Thursday, but you should all be able to see some updates in the coming days! I am really looking forward to adding narratives to our website in the next few days, and to seeing how everyone else’s sites develop!