Recently in a few of our classes we have been reviewing online exhibits and games for their utility as historical or educational tools. Many games already use history as their base although these are usually solely for entertainment. They are not meant for educational purposes but could have the by-product of introducing players to new subjects, and getting them interested in history. This includes games like Assassin’s Creed, a game that has won awards for its historical details. Another example would be Victoria, a resource management game set in the Victorian age, in which players steer a country through the 19th century. (Full disclosure: I’ve never played either of these games but they sound interesting. I may check them out when I’m not in the middle of school.)
Given the popularity of these games, more and more people are looking at games as a way of teaching historical skills or events.
Making a game for educational purposes is different then making one for entertainment. A guest speaker in our class, Robert MacDougall, discussed how no matter what the background for a game is; it’s the core activity the players learn. So for entertainment games, people may pick up some historical information, but they’ll really be learning the mechanics of the game. So, to make a game educational, the developers have to make the mechanics of the game into what they want the players to learn. MacDougall did this with his pervasive alternate reality game, Tecumseh Lies Here. ARGs are played on and offline and usually take the form of large scavenger hunts. The game was based around the War of 1812, focusing on the controversy around the burial place of Tecumseh, a Shawnee chief who had a large role in the war. The game was designed to mimic historical research in order to teach historical research skills.
The game the last part of this blog will review is more of an app then a game. It is also meant for entertainment rather than education. Slate’s Interactive Game of Death is a spinner that lets you pick a different year from 1647 to 1990 (although mostly in the 19th century) to discover what your cause of death would be in each year. The mortality statistics are drawn from a different source for each year in the timeline. The sources include private casualty records, church records, bills of mortality, and Centre of Disease Control historical data from both the UK and Boston. The player can press the spinner as many times as they like, and it will display a likely cause of death for each spin depending on the statistics found in the sources. The purpose of the game is to describe how the nature of death has changed over time as our knowledge of medicine and health has changed. The spinner clearly shows how longer-term diseases such as cancer and heart disease took over as infectious diseases died out.
As an educational tool, it’s not that useful. There’s a short blurb preceding the spinner that serves to contextualize the tool, but it doesn’t have as much background material as other historical sites. For example, there are no definitions for some of the more obscure diseases, which would be helpful for further info. There are a few links to outside sources that could add information if people were interested, but they would have to leave the site to get it. Also, if the core activity is what the player learns, then really all you’re learning is how to press a button. However, as an entertaining app, which is really what it’s meant for, it’s great. It’s fun to bounce around the timeline and see what causes of death pop up at each year. The player can see all the different names for diseases that may or not exist anymore, as well as the changes in causes of death over time. Overall, the spinner is a fun little app that can waste a few minutes, with the benefit of perhaps interesting viewers enough to research different diseases and begin to understand how diseases have changed over time. Even if it’s not completely educational, that’s a pretty good result.
Sunday 30 November 2014
Review of the Canada Goose
For our last project for our Digital History class, we have to develop websites on a subject of our choice using the various tools we have learned about during the semester. If we wanted, we could build on our previous project, the Digital Doors Open, or work on something completely new. I decided to build my website around the sliders I built for Lansdowne Park in Ottawa. If I can figure out how to embed the sliders into the new website, they will be part of the final product. However, the main feature of the website is will be an interactive timeline describing the history of Lansdowne Park with a focus on the uses of Aberdeen Pavilion. This will expand upon the information I included with the original sliders. I may also include links to further resources on Lansdowne Park and it’s uses, especially the major redevelopment project that is almost finished on the site.
As part of the project, we had to present our progress to the class, and review someone’s website. I was assigned to review Emily’s website. She chose a completely new subject for her website then her last project. Her website is aimed at exhibiting the results of paper she wrote for her Environmental History seminar. The paper discusses the history of Canadian Geese in North America from the early 1900s until now, with a focus on how urbanization has affected the migratory patterns of the geese. She examines the vocabulary used to describe Canadian Geese in three major newspapers to trace changes in migratory patterns, and changes in attitudes towards the geese throughout the 20th century and early 2000s.
The website is powered by the paid version of Wordpress, which allows users to customize their site more then the unpaid version. Wordpress.org has more widgets, and layouts that users can choose from; allowing for a more professional look, than the simple blog format permitted by Wordpress.com. The whole website is nicely organized and easy to navigate. The title bar is complemented by a band of Canadian Geese silhouettes, but these do not detract from the legibility of the text. The main page is headed with a slider to showcase various pictures of geese. The pictures are well chosen to illustrate geese in nature and urban settings. All the pages also have a comment function, and social media buttons which add to the interactivity of the site.
Navigation of the site is easy. The main page has links to the top pages of the site. When a user hovers over the links, a description of the page appears over the picture. This is a useful feature to help users find which page they want to visit first. There is also a tab bar across the top of each page, which also allows for easy page-to-page navigation. Finally, to reach the main page, all users have to do is click the title bar.
The tabs include information on the project; Canadian Geese; the sources used; textual analysis; strategies to deal with geese in urban settings; and a contact page. Not all the pages are filled yet, as the project is not due for another week. The two that are filled are the sources page and the textual analysis page. The sources page is well organized now, but may get a little cluttered when all the sources are added. The textual analysis page uses word bubbles to illustrate changes in vocabulary over time. Word bubbles are an interesting feature that allows researchers to visually display the frequency of words in any given text. They are similar to tag clouds in that the more frequent words are displayed in larger text, while the less used words are shrunk to fill in smaller parts of the display. Each individual bubble can tell a story, while across a whole series, the viewer can see the shift in vocabulary as some words shrink and others grow. The project is not finished yet, so this will probably be included, but it would be useful to include small explanations for each bubble, so the viewer has a little more context to explain their significance. This could also be done as an overall explanation at the end of the series.
Overall, the site is well organized, easy to navigate, and will probably be very informative once finished.
As part of the project, we had to present our progress to the class, and review someone’s website. I was assigned to review Emily’s website. She chose a completely new subject for her website then her last project. Her website is aimed at exhibiting the results of paper she wrote for her Environmental History seminar. The paper discusses the history of Canadian Geese in North America from the early 1900s until now, with a focus on how urbanization has affected the migratory patterns of the geese. She examines the vocabulary used to describe Canadian Geese in three major newspapers to trace changes in migratory patterns, and changes in attitudes towards the geese throughout the 20th century and early 2000s.
The website is powered by the paid version of Wordpress, which allows users to customize their site more then the unpaid version. Wordpress.org has more widgets, and layouts that users can choose from; allowing for a more professional look, than the simple blog format permitted by Wordpress.com. The whole website is nicely organized and easy to navigate. The title bar is complemented by a band of Canadian Geese silhouettes, but these do not detract from the legibility of the text. The main page is headed with a slider to showcase various pictures of geese. The pictures are well chosen to illustrate geese in nature and urban settings. All the pages also have a comment function, and social media buttons which add to the interactivity of the site.
Navigation of the site is easy. The main page has links to the top pages of the site. When a user hovers over the links, a description of the page appears over the picture. This is a useful feature to help users find which page they want to visit first. There is also a tab bar across the top of each page, which also allows for easy page-to-page navigation. Finally, to reach the main page, all users have to do is click the title bar.
The tabs include information on the project; Canadian Geese; the sources used; textual analysis; strategies to deal with geese in urban settings; and a contact page. Not all the pages are filled yet, as the project is not due for another week. The two that are filled are the sources page and the textual analysis page. The sources page is well organized now, but may get a little cluttered when all the sources are added. The textual analysis page uses word bubbles to illustrate changes in vocabulary over time. Word bubbles are an interesting feature that allows researchers to visually display the frequency of words in any given text. They are similar to tag clouds in that the more frequent words are displayed in larger text, while the less used words are shrunk to fill in smaller parts of the display. Each individual bubble can tell a story, while across a whole series, the viewer can see the shift in vocabulary as some words shrink and others grow. The project is not finished yet, so this will probably be included, but it would be useful to include small explanations for each bubble, so the viewer has a little more context to explain their significance. This could also be done as an overall explanation at the end of the series.
Overall, the site is well organized, easy to navigate, and will probably be very informative once finished.
Sunday 2 November 2014
Aberdeen Pavilion and How to Make a Before/After Image Slider
Aberdeen Pavilion has had many uses since its construction. Standing in the center of Lansdowne Park, on the edge of downtown Ottawa, the building has a long history of agricultural fairs, conventions, and military uses. Built in 1898 for the Central Canada Exhibition, it was designed by Moses C. Edey, and named for the incumbent Governor General, Lord Aberdeen.(Hofley, Chris. “Aberdeen Pavilion set to make more history in new revamped Lansdowne.” Ottawa Sun, August 2, 2014; Canada's Historic Places. "Aberdeen Pavilion National Historic Site of Canada." Accessed October 14, 2014) The redevelopment of the park caused a large amount of controversy over the plans for the site. Many were concerned about how the existing heritage buildings would fit in with the plans for large new shops and restaurants. The park went under construction in 2012 and just recently opened to the public, although many of the new shops are finished yet. Deachman, Bruce. "Elephants, Pandas, and Pigs, oh my! An Illustrated History of Lansdowne Park." Ottawa Citizen July 31, 2014) The park and Aberdeen Pavilion have gone through many changes since their establishment, and yet there are constants as well. The pavilion rests in the same location as it always has, with its purpose remaining much the same as ever. Meanwhile, the uses and form of the park around it have changed with time. This state of change and continuity provides the perfect subject for a series of sliding before/after images. These images use code to layer two images on top of each other, and then slide back and forth to show the differences from one time period to the next. (Zurb University. “jQuery TwentyTwenty Plugin.”) This post will explain the method used to create these images, as well as discuss the historical significance of the Aberdeen Pavilion.
I chose images that would best illustrate the variety of uses and changes the site has experienced since its construction. The images used were drawn from Creative Commons, Library and Archives Canada, and photos I took myself. The images depict pavilion’s use as an exhibition hall, while the land around it has changed from fair grounds to a military base, to sports and shopping grounds. Gathering the sources was the easy part; putting them together proved more difficult.
Before starting this project, I had no knowledge of html or coding. I learned early on in my research on tools, that coding would be essential to this project. Many of tools included templates for the images which you supposedly able to simply copy and paste the code into posts to publish them. (Northwestern University Knight Lab. “Juxtapose JS;” Flashxml. “Image Before and After FX.”) I tried various programs with little success at first. This is most likely because there were mistakes in my code, or I was missing steps the instructions assumed were evident. If I had a little knowledge of coding I may have been able to spot these errors and fix them myself. Another issue I had to deal with was website compatibility. I soon learned that the tool had to be specific to the site where the images were published. This meant that the original tool I settled on, TwentyTwenty, would not work on Blogger, as it was designed for Wordpress. This sent me on a search for a site that would work with Blogger. My first attempt was with Juxtapose JS from Knight Lab. The site produced good previews of images, but the code for publishing the images did not work on my blog. (Knight Lab. “Juxtapose JS.”) This was a common issue. My second attempt was with FlashXML, which would allow up to 3 pictures in a slider. However, the tools benefit of not requiring online links to images meant that the publishing site required file hosting, which is not allowed on Blogger. (Flashxml. “Image Before and After FX.”) These are the tools I spent the most time with, but there were a few others that I reviewed but dismissed due to code or site requirements.
I finally settled on a site specifically designed for Blogger called Helplogger. The blog provided instructions for creating sliders. I had tried this earlier but moved on to another site because the instructions called for a plugin, which I had difficulty activating. I also found the codes did not work where the instructions said to enter them. (Helplogger. “Before/After Photo Effect with jQuery.”) These problems were solved once I talked to a friend with coding experience. She told me that the code did not require any plugins. She also changed the instructions to enter the code as part of a post rather then a gadget as the original instructions required. Finally, she explained that the image links had to be public for the code to access them, something the instructions skipped over. Using these instructions I produced my first working slider. To complete the rest of the sliders I followed the same process. First, the images had to be the same sizes, so I modified them in Photoshop, another program I have not used before. I then uploaded the modified photos to the public file on Dropbox to provide the links for the code. Each slider required its own line of code in the template and the post of the blog, which I copied from Helplogger’s instructions. As I copied the codes over to my post, I made sure there were no extra symbols that would make the code malfunction. To finish, I filled in the links and dimensions into the code for each slider.
Aberdeen Pavilion and Lansdowne Park has gone through multiple uses throughout its history. Its use as an exhibition building has been constant throughout its history, with multiple conventions and fairs using the building to present their wares. It was also used as a military base during both the First and Second World Wars, and for basic training after that (Canada. Department of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada). Now with the redevelopment of the park, the site has undergone another major change. Many were concerned with the city’s process and plans for the redevelopment project. Major criticisms revolved around the City’s bidding process, and the plans for a large shopping complex on the grounds. Opponents argued that the plans would harm the heritage buildings on the site, as well as the businesses along Bank Street.(Friends of Lansdowne. “Backgrounder.” September 9, 2010) Legal challenges to the plans were defeated, and site development began last year. (CBC News. “Lansdowne Park legal challenge rejected.” July 28, 2011.) In the place of what was essentially a giant parking lot, there are now multiple shops, a skateboard park, a large field, paths and benches around the pavilion, and a revitalized stadium. Despite the changes, the park is still mostly public grounds that is still used regularly by the city and its residents. Time will tell what effect the redevelopment has on the neighbourhood. In the meantime, the controversy propelled me to learn more about a site that is a large part of my neighbourhood. And that interest gave me a chance to learn a new tool that could be useful for many other sites in the future.
I chose images that would best illustrate the variety of uses and changes the site has experienced since its construction. The images used were drawn from Creative Commons, Library and Archives Canada, and photos I took myself. The images depict pavilion’s use as an exhibition hall, while the land around it has changed from fair grounds to a military base, to sports and shopping grounds. Gathering the sources was the easy part; putting them together proved more difficult.
Before starting this project, I had no knowledge of html or coding. I learned early on in my research on tools, that coding would be essential to this project. Many of tools included templates for the images which you supposedly able to simply copy and paste the code into posts to publish them. (Northwestern University Knight Lab. “Juxtapose JS;” Flashxml. “Image Before and After FX.”) I tried various programs with little success at first. This is most likely because there were mistakes in my code, or I was missing steps the instructions assumed were evident. If I had a little knowledge of coding I may have been able to spot these errors and fix them myself. Another issue I had to deal with was website compatibility. I soon learned that the tool had to be specific to the site where the images were published. This meant that the original tool I settled on, TwentyTwenty, would not work on Blogger, as it was designed for Wordpress. This sent me on a search for a site that would work with Blogger. My first attempt was with Juxtapose JS from Knight Lab. The site produced good previews of images, but the code for publishing the images did not work on my blog. (Knight Lab. “Juxtapose JS.”) This was a common issue. My second attempt was with FlashXML, which would allow up to 3 pictures in a slider. However, the tools benefit of not requiring online links to images meant that the publishing site required file hosting, which is not allowed on Blogger. (Flashxml. “Image Before and After FX.”) These are the tools I spent the most time with, but there were a few others that I reviewed but dismissed due to code or site requirements.
I finally settled on a site specifically designed for Blogger called Helplogger. The blog provided instructions for creating sliders. I had tried this earlier but moved on to another site because the instructions called for a plugin, which I had difficulty activating. I also found the codes did not work where the instructions said to enter them. (Helplogger. “Before/After Photo Effect with jQuery.”) These problems were solved once I talked to a friend with coding experience. She told me that the code did not require any plugins. She also changed the instructions to enter the code as part of a post rather then a gadget as the original instructions required. Finally, she explained that the image links had to be public for the code to access them, something the instructions skipped over. Using these instructions I produced my first working slider. To complete the rest of the sliders I followed the same process. First, the images had to be the same sizes, so I modified them in Photoshop, another program I have not used before. I then uploaded the modified photos to the public file on Dropbox to provide the links for the code. Each slider required its own line of code in the template and the post of the blog, which I copied from Helplogger’s instructions. As I copied the codes over to my post, I made sure there were no extra symbols that would make the code malfunction. To finish, I filled in the links and dimensions into the code for each slider.
Aberdeen Pavilion and Lansdowne Park has gone through multiple uses throughout its history. Its use as an exhibition building has been constant throughout its history, with multiple conventions and fairs using the building to present their wares. It was also used as a military base during both the First and Second World Wars, and for basic training after that (Canada. Department of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada). Now with the redevelopment of the park, the site has undergone another major change. Many were concerned with the city’s process and plans for the redevelopment project. Major criticisms revolved around the City’s bidding process, and the plans for a large shopping complex on the grounds. Opponents argued that the plans would harm the heritage buildings on the site, as well as the businesses along Bank Street.(Friends of Lansdowne. “Backgrounder.” September 9, 2010) Legal challenges to the plans were defeated, and site development began last year. (CBC News. “Lansdowne Park legal challenge rejected.” July 28, 2011.) In the place of what was essentially a giant parking lot, there are now multiple shops, a skateboard park, a large field, paths and benches around the pavilion, and a revitalized stadium. Despite the changes, the park is still mostly public grounds that is still used regularly by the city and its residents. Time will tell what effect the redevelopment has on the neighbourhood. In the meantime, the controversy propelled me to learn more about a site that is a large part of my neighbourhood. And that interest gave me a chance to learn a new tool that could be useful for many other sites in the future.
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