Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Digital Humanities Club: Week 12



On December 6, we wrapped up our semester of activities with our East St. Louis Digital Humanities club. We closed the session by having the students reflect on their experiences. We also gifted the students with books.

Over the course of the semester, we've had a good time talking about and working with technology, especially utilizing Audacity. The high school students were really invested in producing audio mixes. We concentrated on blending excerpts of poetry with instrumentals.


Each of the college student team leaders spent some time talking with one or two of the high school students about their thoughts about the first semester. The team leaders reported to me later that the conversations went well and that the high school students expressed really enjoying themselves during the program.

I want to push a little harder though. I'm glad that the students like the program, but I still see areas for improvement that I hope to address moving forward. Having said that, we've come a long way from where the program began. There's been steady development and incremental growth.



I was pleased to be in a position to give away books to the students. I allowed them to choose a couple of books, and I asked them to discuss with our group why they chose what they chose.

The most important part of the session was listening to them reveal that they rarely have quiet moments during the day to discuss their interests and ideas concerning reading materials. I took a note to my self that I'll make sure quiet moments for reflections are embedded in our weekly meetings next semester.


Week #12 reflection from graduate student, Rae'Jean Spears:
Twelve weeks of the East St. Louis project have come and gone. Throughout all of the changes with the Digital Humanities Club over the semester, the experience has proved to be a great one. From working with students who thought technology was “boring” or “only for men” during week one of the club to having students excited about coming back from winter break to continue working with audio editing speaks volumes within itself. From the excitement conveyed through the students, I can only wonder if we’ve begun to cultivate one of the creative geniuses of the future.
Related:
The East St. Louis Digital Humanities Club

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