Molly Taylor-Poleskey

Molly.taylor-poleskey@mtsu.edu

Susan Myers-Shirk

History

Discipline specific equipment

PH 243

N/A

N/A

The History Department requests the equipment necessary to update the Digital History Lab to facilitate cutting-edge digital history projects. Digital History is a rapidly-changing field that requires equipment that is light, flexible, and integrates easily with the internet. The camera and computer equipment below is essential for students to undertake mobile project assignments and create digital content for their (predominantly) web-based projects. This equipment will be used by 25 undergraduate students annually in the "Doing Digital History" course. Each year, this course focuses on a different neighborhood in Middle Tennessee to produce an interactive, online historical map and mobile application. For the purposes of experiential learning, students will report "from the field"--filming in neighborhoods, recording a podcast of the local soundscape, and interviewing current citizens. This equipment will also serve history graduate students, particularly the 12 students enrolled annually in "Digital Tools for Historians." This course provides highly-sought professional skills to Public History students who conceptualize, design, and implement their own digital group projects. The current camcorders in the lab were purchased by my predecessor and are obsolete and not web-enabled. Digital History is known for its collaborative nature; the video conferencing equipment will enable the digital historians to visit our history classrooms virtually and facilitate meetings with consultants and collaborators at other institutions.