Here are the notes from the Altmetrics meeting:

docs.google.com/document/d/1_CpzYHp6TOapcEU6UM-KjX9DFLuad0sh80zCVXC1xS4/edit?usp=sharing

I thought we could start by looking at Tapestry, an app for creating simple stories/essays in your browser and viewing them on the web or in one of Tapestry’s mobile apps.

The Tapestry platform was inspired by Robin Sloan’s essay-as-app called “Fish.” I’ve been using the platform with my students for the past two semesters on a “Tap Essay” assignment. (If you’re interested, I wrote a blog post about my experience.) All of their tap essays are archived on the Tapestry website:

• Fall 2013 collection of Virginia Tech tap essays
• Spring 2013 collection of Virginia Tech tap essays

If we have time, we might want to explore other platforms and tools for digital storytelling, with a focus on free, web-based apps:

• Creatavist
• Cowbird
• Storybird
• PopcornMaker
• WeVideo
• Haiku Deck
• Pixton
• Dipity

Note: Most of these tools follow a “freemium” model, which allows students to create their first project for free or use a limited version of the app without creating an account.

What am I forgetting? I’d love to hear about what other people are using to teach digital storytelling in their classes.

Find notes and links from the discussion here:

docs.google.com/document/d/1rWaxO7tt2f85sFVuKz9CQRXuWJ7YdEiFtpboK1XOPkE/edit?usp=sharing

Hi ThatCampers,

Here is the link to the document where we gathered recommended programs to approach this problem with modular solutions.

docs.google.com/document/d/1axIiEKHwDErIDB_4lv4iEz0JFAmaWScQfDGW4brE0Q8/edit

At this point there is not one overall program that we could come up with to do all these things at once.

I am interested as a person squarely in the humanities to partner with an IT/library science people to help to develop something that would be usable and very user friendly for humanities-types.

-Kelly

docs.google.com/document/d/1LIQRA67V72w1HRFMi0rkEoTxTj0sJcaZQY1VCqXV8Z0/edit?usp=sharing

We just posted a schedule page for our THATCamp next weekend! Our workshop day on Friday, November 8 will start at 1PM, when we’ll open up the registration table for you to pick your name tag and other swag. Our workshop schedule starts at 1:30, and will wrap up around 5PM. Later that evening, THATCamp organizers will head to a local restaurant for dinner. Anyone else is welcome to join us!

We’ll start back up on Saturday morning, November 9 at 9am. Registration will be open again, and we’ll provide some breakfast and coffee, and then dive into the session scheduling fun! If you haven’t already, do post a session proposal here to our blog, so folks can get a sense ahead of time what kinds of sessions we might consider on Saturday morning. There are already a few good ones, so be sure to read through what’s already been proposed!

Balsamiq is a web-based, collaborative wireframing program that functions as a playground to design mockups for software projects. We (Jamie Henthorn and Sarah Spangler) are interested in using this to design a writing accountability app, and we are hoping that some of you might want to play with us. We propose a workshop for wireframing beginners wherein participants will dabble in designing applications using this online mock-up tool. Participants should come prepared with their own ideas for projects that are conducive to a mock-up process. We recommend laptops rather than tablets for this session. Participants will download a trial version of Balsamiq the day of the conference.

To give an example of Balsamiq’s functions, we are interested in developing a social media application for writers that accountability tool for writers. At its basic level, writers would set up an account, friend other users, create groups, set writing project goals (e.g., daily word count, dates) and deadlines, and share this information with other writers in the group. We would like to include a comments feature as well as a way for users in the group to encourage each through “cheering” icons, both visual and audio (?). We are aware that other writing apps exist; however, our vision is to create something with a sleeker user interface design, which leads to the second level of our project proposal.

Before development happens, we obviously need to begin with some design concepts for the user interface as well as define more clearly the various specifications and features we want for this application. We hope that you will join us in developing these wireframing skills.

We’re excited to say that registration is now open for approximately 80 participants at THATCampVA!  Slots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so register early.

Register now!

CLOSING DATE: September 30

What’s this now?
You know! A regional THATCamp.

When?

THATCampVA will be held on Friday and Saturday, November 8-9, 2013. We have plans for workshops starting Friday afternoon, but if you send us your fabulous workshop idea, we may be able to offer a workshop track on Saturday as well.  On Saturday the THATCampVA unconference itself, with a track designed especially for kids and adult track sessions generated by the participants, will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  Opportunities for social time with friends old and new will be available on Friday night, November 8, at nearby establishments.

Where?
Charlottesville, Virginia (at UVA Library’s Scholars’ Lab)

Who?
Organizers include digital humanities folks from UVA, Mary Washington, and Virginia Tech— but this is your unconference!

Anybody with energy and an interest in the humanities and/or technology should attend: graduate students, scholars, librarians, archivists, museum professionals, developers and programmers, administrators, managers, and funders; people from the non-profit sector, the for-profit sector, and interested amateurs.  We say any- and everybody, and especially those who would find this interesting but who may never have been to a THATCamp or anything like it before.

Questions in the meantime? Email us!

Watch this space for more news soon — and follow us at @THATCampVA.

We’ve updated the dates for the VA 2013 camp: November 8–9. We’ll have a slate of hotels reserved for attendees, and will post that information soon. The unconference will be the second day, November 9. We’re planning to offer workshops as well, and depending on the number of and interest in those, we may offer them both days. We’ve already got a few workshop ideas in the works:

• Introduction to Git & Github – Eric Rochester
• Teaching Digital Humanities – Jeff McClurken
• 3D Modeling and Printing – Wayne Graham and Jeremy Boggs
• DIY Aerial Photography – Chris Gist
• Data Management for Digital Humanities – Purdom Lindblad and Andi Ogier

If you like these ideas, or if there’s a workshop you’d like to see us organize, please leave a comment! And if you have a workshop you’d like to offer, let us know that too!

We’re also planning to have a track specifically for kids. A few ideas we have for that include:

• Sandbox room/game play room? (minecraft/scratch loaded computers)
• 3D print Minecraft creations e.g. www.printcraft.org/
• Kodoble and Hopscotch are free iPad games aimed at teaching young kids to code
• “Soft circuit” maker materials?
• Board game session. (Something like Forbidden Island or Settlers of Catan?  Or have kids create their own board games?)
• GPS Scavenger Hunt

We’d love to hear from folks planning to attend in November. What workshops would you like to attend or do you think would be interesting, for kids’ or adults? Interested in helping out with the kids’ track? Please share in the comments! We’ll formalize the slate of workshops and events for both tracks in September, so you’ve got plenty of time to contribute.

There’s a new THATCamp being planned! The details will be published here when known. Meanwhile, read more about the THATCamp movement and browse other THATCamps at thatcamp.org.