Posted by W. Caleb McDaniel on August 31, 2012 (full article)
Dr.
McDaniel talks briefly about the fact that his graduate program did not have a
digital aspect but that recently he had decided to learn about digital history.
He stated four reasons for this change in attitude:
1. He
realized that more and more primary sources are being digitized and it would be
counterproductive not to make use of these readily available sources.
2.Even if
he chose not to use computers and digital history all his peers writing on
subjects that he was interested in and need to study were using them. He also
felt that he must know how to use these sources to be able to teach his
students how to use them effectively.
3.He spoke
about how when he was working on his dissertation he used a printed map and
drew the movements of American abolitionist Henry Clarke during his European
tour. HE realized how much easier and beneficial this could be done now using GIS
software.
4. Finally he
found that working with digital history was fun and did not make him a nerd.
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