This page contains a checklist of all that should be completed by 16 December, 11:59pm. NO EXTENSIONS.
All work should be completed in your web hosting. If you choose to delete anything, please do not do so until after you receive your grade.
Blog Roll (30%)
You should have completed four (4) of the seven (7) different prompts on the syllabus. You must do prompt #7. If you do more than four (4), then I will count the highest grades. If you have done four or more already, but have not done #7, you must do #7 and I will count it and the other best 3 postings.
Individual Open Content Creation (10%)
You have created visual data for use in Wikimedia Commons in Drive and have uploaded one such item already to Wikimedia Commons.
Please upload nine (9) additional, original images using your Wikimedia avatar, making a total of ten (10) images. Each image should satisfy Wikimedia criteria: (1) it is your own work (2) you explicitly agree to a Creative Commons license for its reuse. In addition, in the description of each image should include a description in at least one language, the latlong (either from the EXIF data of the photos) unless it is a private location, as well as at least three categories describing the visuals and how you want it to be discovered in WikiMedia–only use categories that are pre-existing in WikiMedia for now.
Every single image has its own page in WikiMedia. For example,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jazirat_al_Hamra_building.jpg
has a large view of the image at top. After that, there is a summary (including the description, statement of own work, date/time and latlongs. After that, there is an explicit license. At the bottom of the page is the metadata, with the categories I have chosen. For the picture above, I used “Al Jazirah al Hamra,” “United Arab Emirates”, “Ras al-Khaimah”.
Create a post on your course blog entitled “Wikimedia”. In it, please include a list of the ten images by their names using embedded links to their main WikiMedia page. Discuss in no more than 200 words, any decisions that you had to make about your choice of images. Explain who you think will reuse the pictures and in what contexts.
Individual project (30%)
Your individual project should be an Omeka Classic installation in your NYU web hosting. This is distinct from your WordPress. Your WP should include a link to your individual exhibit and the collective one. (To do this, try inserting <li><a href=”http://link here”>Name of Exhibit</a></li> in the title of a new page that you create).
(1) Items and metadata. In your individual project you should have been collecting items (this probably means for most of you, images). These items should be reproduced with permission (from the creator) or be otherwise in the public domain with a Creative Commons license. These items should be described using consistent and complete metadata. This includes giving a URL for all images found in online collections. The description field in the metadata does not need to be very long, but should give an idea of what the item is and how it is important. It is difficult to say how many items your project will require. I would imagine that there should be around 15-25 items in total. It is not required to build “collections” from your items. It is not required to use all of your items in your exhibit.
(2) An Exhibit. In your Omeka installation containing the items, you should use the plugin “Exhibit Builder” to arrange those items. The exhibit should have three or four pages in it. You can think about the item like one would think about citation or evidence in a written paper.
(3) Pages. Each exhibit should be composed of 3-4 pages and potentially a map or timeline that details elements of the exhibition. Each page should contain at least 3 items. You might think about this as paragraphs in a research paper. For example, in my exhibition about islands, I would have two exhibits “Natural features of Islands” and “Climate Change and Islands”. In the “Natural features of Islands” exhibit I would have four pages, “Estuary Systems,” “Low-Lying Vegetation,” “Low-depth plant life,” “Island springs.” In the other I would have similar topics that follow a new train of thought, but that also allow me to connect to the pages of the other exhibit. Links between the pages of the individual exhibit are encouraged, but especially across the exhibits. You may also link to your research blog, if appropriate. Each page should be close to, or slightly longer than, a blog post. Brevity and concision are important. Each page should not take more than about 5 minutes to read. This being said, rty to avoid large blank spots on the page as well.
(3) About the project. There should be an “about the project” tab in the Omeka installation that explains your reasons for choosing this subject and any challenges you faced. This should include the places you collected items from, any background information for the materials, other exhibits that were of influence as well as a concise thesis statement or “thread” for the exhibit. You might think about this as an “abstract” for a general audience about your work. You also should include in it any concerns, particular challenges as well as a concise version of your thoughts after our conversation in class dedicated to the exhibit presentations. Key here is to discuss how your design choices had something to do with the kinds of cultural materials that you were curating. Other questions you might address include choice of theme, plugin, etc. Does your exhibit look good on a tablet or a phone? You can also explain here what you would like to be able to do in Omeka that you couldn’t. This is your opportunity to look back on the class, the learning outcomes, the course description and to reflect on what you have done (or want to learn more about) in this individual project.
(5) Citations. It is very possible that you will have footnote-like citations in your project from analog sources. Please use an endnote style and create a “To Read More” tab in your site. More likely, you are going to be summarizing and critically writing about online sources you find. In this case, do not use an endnote, instead use an embedded link.
Collective project (20%)
The collective project should be carried out similar to the individual project (3 pages, at least 3 items per page, no more than 5 minutes of reading time per page) except that it is built in Omeka S by a group of three people to which you have already been assigned. The groups can decide how the work is carried out. As a group, you should create a number of items that illustrate the subject of your collective exhibit. You may use some of the items from other groups, but not a majority.
In your “About the Project” page give some context about the subject that you chose. Your WP should include a link to your collective project. (To do this, try inserting <li><a href=”http://link here”>Name of Page here</a></li> in the title of a new page that you create).
Please be sure in blog #7 to explain who did what parts of the work as well as reflect on the difference between Omeka Classic and Omeka S.
LAST STEP: Create a backup of your web hosting. Submit and describe it here. Your course work will not be counted if it is not submitted in backed up form. Nothing will be archived without your permission–if you choose to keep your work private, it will not affect your grade.
For additional information about Lorimer’s Gazetteer you might consult these sources:
Dan Lowe, “Colonial Knowledge: Lorimer’s Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia”
Nelida Fuccaro, “Knowledge at the Service of the British Empire”
Lorimer’s Gazetteer (Wikipedia)
John Gordon Lorimer (Wikipedia)
Good sample exhibits from last year can be found here: