Learning & Reflection

Would like to share …

 

What I have learned …

1. Comparing with “blog” and “facabook” which both accumulate cultural products, research findings, data or collected materials in a timeline, “database” organized with themes and categories which will be much more easier to retrieve, both for manager or users.
2. It needs to have very good conceptualizing mindset in the first place to design a good database. Needs a good ‘tree-map’ to go from a title theme, to sub-theme, to catergories, to fields, to items, … etc.
3. I’ve learned the technical issues and operations and some basic concepts for web-database management.
4. I’ve experienced, just a little bit, how to link personal cultural practices to an web-database for public use. Personally, have developed some initial secret ideas of web-database(s) for HK cultural activisms (e.g. a collection of HK protest songs and music, with artist’s profile, stories, recordings, lyrics and scores, … ). 🙂

 

Some reflections …

1. The course is struggling to maintain a balance of time between teaching the technical know-how and teaching the possibilities of “Digital Humanities”. May be a 3-credit course will make the teacher’s and the tutors’ life easier, and, the students will have more time to learn and reflect.
2. The short period of time also put difficulties among students to develop a commonly interested and committed ‘title theme’ of the collective database. Time and some team-building activities also needed for the students to develop smooth and trustworthy collaborative relationships needed at the later half of the course.
3. Saying so, I am also aware of the fast-changing free web tools available, and, wonder if it’s worth spending time to learn a specific one. Though, I trust very much the teacher and tutors have made the best choice for us.
4. Am very interested to know some histories of “Digital Humanities”, its current status, the debating issues, and some good (Asian) examples. And, are there any theoretical explorations on this topic?
5. Sometimes I feel uncomfortable with very strict differentiation of concepts or categories. Am wondering how should I put the balance point, one side maintaining a well organized database, another side allowing fluidity of thoughts and imaginations.