Owens HIST 390

In one of our last classes we were working in our Omeka accounts today. Omeka is the website we are using to build the website for our soldier. In today’s class we went step-by-step in how to best utilize Omeka’s functions and capabilities. We discussed in class how we first would choose to break our soldier’s story into sections and then subsequently proceeded to actually creating the digital sections on the Omeka website. These function will make navigating through the website easier for viewers because they can read and research certain specific aspects of each of our soldier’s lives now. We are required to have a minimum of three separate sections of our soldier’s life represented in our Omeka website.

For my soldier, Amos Phillips, I thought it would be best to divide the information I have collected on him into the following three sections: military service, life after the civil war, and a final section on his family. I chose these specific topics for my three sections because it is where I have the most wealth of information on Amos Phillips. Many other students in class chose to do a section on their soldier’s life before the civil war but since I don’t have very much information, other than that he was a farmer, I chose to discuss his family instead. There is solid information on his mother, father, and wife. Also, his military service was extensively recorded through muster rolls, medical records, and other sources. Then, I will finally conclude chronologically with his life after the civil war because I have records of his time spent after his service. He faced several medical troubles and I think that ending the project with his the date and information I have of his death will be the best full circle representation I can create.

Today in class we discussed the concept of text mining. Text mining is also called data mining sometimes and helps people to extract valuable information from a lengthy text or document. The program and concept of text mining has several pros and cons to its use. When analyzing lengthy online information its purposes can be useful for dissecting the information. Text mining has been a developing tool for online users and researchers. Major corporations and companies have utilized text mining for its innovative benefits.

In class we discussed several instances where you can utilize text mining. For this blog post we were asked to compare and contrast text mining a document versus reading a document. First and foremost, I think that one of the most beneficial aspects to using text mining is that is provides a visual of your data. The data can be categorized and presented in terms of its frequency and repetition. This type of differentiation can help researchers to better see and understand patterns that may develop in a text, spikes of information, and identify outliers. On the other hand, if you read the document that you are reviewing you will have a first hand understanding of the information. In comparison, if you simply use text mining on a document then you trust the technology completely. Keep in mind; no program is without its errors and glitches. While there have been several great advances in the technology of text mining, specifically by Google, no system is perfect. Still, after text mining the website we were provided in class I got to experience the convenience in using it. I believe that if a text is too lengthy to comprehend through traditional reading than text mining can be useful. Also, if you can utilize text mining for its intended purposes and understand the boundaries in using then it is worthwhile.

Today in class we all learned the in’s and the out’s of digital mapping. This process is particular and takes a keen attention to detail. When considering all that a people does in just one day it is quite a lot of important information to collect. Also, the visual of someone’s life is always easier to understand than the verbal because it gives people something to look at rather than imagine. Now to chronologically represent someone’s life on a digital map you need to be patient and decisive in your choices of life events. You could create a digital of someone’s life with someone they did every day but this would be unrealistic for developers. Instead, we learned in class how to decide what we should record and categorize into a digital map.

I think after seeing the information of my soldier put into a digital map I understand his journey more than before. However, the process in creating a digital map can be quite tasking. The aspects one must consider during the creation of a digital map are minuet. Still, it is better to provide a visual than not to provide one. After seeing the benefits of creating a digital map I believe that it is a worthy component to my project. Amos Phillips’ life is keenly important for our nation’s history. Therefore, when developing this project I want to represent him and his story properly. Beyond that I think it is also important to create a project that pays respect to the soldier who fought so hard so our nation in the Civil War. It is due to their efforts that we are the Unites States and I emphasize united in this statement. All in all, the addition of a digital map will be appropriate and useful in my project.

For our blog post this week we were asked to chronicle some every day activities through a website called Daytum. This website, Daytum, provides a way to log data that occurs frequently. We downloaded the app in class to see how the program functioned. You can record tons of different information about your daily habits and routines. We, as a class, decided to try and record on Daytum how often we drank a beverage, changed cloths, and talked with people. The concept behind Daytum is a bit eerie to me. I would prefer to not dwell on how often I repeat the same behavior because after conducting the experiment and recording the data daily the results were staggering and always more than I expected.

Furthermore, I thought that the app wasn’t very user-friendly and could have been simplified to become an easier process. Also, the use of the information is not very feasible or in my opinion necessarily consistent. What I mean by this is that I think my daily routine, in terms of what we recorded, can not be properly represented within just a fews days. I think to have an accurate representation the recording of this data would have to go on for quite a while. In class, we discussed a man who has been recording in this way for years. He recorded data of every thing he did every single day for years. Now, while this would be the most accurate way to create a logical and accurate line of information I don’t think the a level of user error is being considered. How often was this man forgetful? What accountability can he be held to? Could he be falsifying data? These are just some of the questions that I think correlate with our discussions in class about the dangers of online information.