Owens HIST 390

When studying the history of our soldiers I learned several new ways of gathering and analyzing online information. Some general guidelines when dealing with this type of research are to avoid generalizations, look for historical moments, and consider context. Professor Robertson advised to try and see the world through the subject’s eyes. Then, one must also consider other points of view on the history to better understand and collect information.

One of the best ways to study this information is to gather and analyze primary sources online. This tactic is an area of research that is relatively new to me. The process of reading head written letters and personal accounts seems difficult yet rewarding. Primary sources include, but are not limited to, letters, ledgers, and journals. Once a primary source can be acquired the true study and analysis can take place. In class, I learned that beyond acquiring a primary source it would be equally beneficial to find additional sources that compare and contrast the similarities of the specific event or person being analyzed. Then, for even further study one should research and find information that was compiled and created after the time of the event or person’s life. After, considering the personal primary source, the secondary on-looking source, and the historical source that has recounted the subject you can have a fairly accurate understanding of the history.

The in depth and multifaceted steps of this process are different for me, simply because I am not a history major and haven’t had to do research to this extent and in this way. In my field of study, Communication, we focus on theory so research consists mostly of scholarly journals and articles. However, this process seems new and intriguing to me. In class, I learned that after considering all sources of study one should ask the following questions: what is the background knowledge? Where do you see connections? What is the context? After I do this for myself with the soldier I will be studying, I feel that I will have a better appreciation and understanding of the process.

On the first day of class we watched videos about the internet and I learned a few new things about how the internet functions. Firstly, in the beginning computers worked on batch processing which had computers working only on one task at a time. Next, computers had remote connection with time sharing and that connected multiple computers togethers. Then, I learned that the internet is an actual wire in the ground that connects servers to other servers with the specific IP addresses of each device. Computers are not servers but instead called clients that are connected to servers through a provider. Lastly, a quick fact I learned is that URL stands for Uniform Resource Locater.

Later in class, we googled ourselves and I found some interesting things. Now, having a common name like Michael Owens brings up a variety of profiles. Some things I found were about the famous soccer player Michael Owen, whose nam is very close to me. Then, I found an IMDB websites for a Michael Owens who works on visual effects for some very successful movies like Letters to Iwo Jima, Star Wars : Episode VI Return of the Jedi, Gangs of New York, and countless others. In my general search however I did not find any personal information on myself. I had to refine my search further to my include some background information. After adding the virginia area to my search and my high school’s name some of my old swim records appeared. That was about all that I found though.