Digital History is broadly considered as approaches taken in order to examine and represent work from the past using new communication technologies, the internet, and software systems. Digital History is multi-leveled. Digital History consists of scholarly production and communication facilitating the development of new information along with scholarly data collection. Digital projects emerge from a main question about some historical topic. Having access to records of the past in the form of millions of pages of newspapers, government documents, letters, etc. makes it possible for Digital Humanists to digitize the past by creating projects that define, query, and map out many topics like history and literature for example. By doing these projects, we are able to ask questions about the past and create interpretations of our own using different media tools for analysis.
However, with each project that we create, it is important that they are made sustainable. In order to do this, one must really understand what the research question is asking and has to be familiar with new and already existing technologies. V.Pitti mentioned that when a digital humanist has a clear understanding of his or her intellectual objectives and is able to use the tools required to achieve the goals of the project, this makes the whole process easier and faster. I totally agree with this point. As I am about to begin my first digital project, I can already see how my familiarity with and comprehension of certain digital tools will influence my efficiency and performance since I am not experienced with them. However, it is a learning process and with practice and determination, I will successfully complete my role in the creation of that project. V.Pitti also mentioned that as a scholar, one should analyze, define, and represent the data in detail. All of these are points that I will surely take into consideration.
After these readings and doing some research work for our first project, I became aware of the fact the necessary information and materials needed for the research project is certainly not amassed in the same place. I experienced this when I had to search for information. It became clear that it would be impossible to use one website to find all the necessary information. I have recently gained insight into how information technologies open up new doors of endless possibilities for creating products of research.
After reading the blog by Laura Estill, I was quite surprised. Ever since primary school up to college, all my teachers would always tell us how we should not use Wikipedia, however, the reading gave a completely different insight. Estill mentioned how Wikipedia can i.e. benefit students in an undergraduate literature class