- When using Scalar, I found importing media to be the most intuitive. This process felt the easiest because most computer users are already familiar with the process of navigating to a specified location, such as when uploading photos to our class blog.
- It took me multiple attempts to realize that you need to create a new book in order to make use of the book splash feature. I thought by just creating a new page, I would be able to utilize this feature. Also, I couldn’t figure out how to add metadata to media once it has been uploaded.
- I’m most excited to use the media annotation feature. I think my project will benefit greatly from this by providing additional context to the media. I am also very interested in utilizing the map feature, because it is a visual element that adds a level of interactivity.
- For my project, I envision four main sections, each with 3-5 pages each. The sections will be (working titles) the Introduction, The Old World, The Voyage, and The New Home. The entire project will be somewhat text-heavy, so I want to break up the text a bit with some graphics and other media elements. I would also like to incorporate a map with a timeline that flows between all the sections. Most of the images will have some form of annotation, to give some context. I still need to draft most of the text that will be used in my project. I have a few sources that I will be working with, but I do need to find a few more, especially ones that are a bit more media-rich. My tentative table of contents is as follows:
- Introduction – 3 pages, consisting of my central argument/theme, one page on colonialism, one page on indentured servitude.
- The Old World – 3 pages, consisting of an overview of the Indian geography, Indian caste system, one page on the conditions that the Untouchables were faced with.
- The Voyage – 3 pages, consisting of an explanation of the times/locations of the journey, one page on living conditions aboard the vessels, one page TBD.
- The New Home -5 pages, consisting of an overview of the destinations in the Caribbean, one page on conditions in the new locations, one page on the expectations of the indentured servants, canecutters in particular, and one page TBD (leading to a concluding page).
- I would like to learn how to create interactive maps on Scalar, specifically one that charts a voyage or population density through a given time period.
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Hello Dan,
I also found the importing of media to be the easiest of Scalar since I feel like we do it on a daily basis without even realizing it. It does feel intuitive like you said.
I’m also very interested in using annotations since I think it lends us, the owners of the site, to add our own personal input or add useful information that maybe doesn’t blend in with the other information on the page.
I think it’s very wise to spend around 3 pages to focus on specific sub-topics of your project– it lets the viewer really learn about each sub-topic so they can understand the main one in full.
Hi Daniel,
I admired how you find the importing of media to be easiest of the scalar. Yes, it seems like something that we do frequently. I do like the annotation aspect of it as well as I think it give that personal and creative touch for the project. I like the fact that you will be incorporating a map. The interactive map would fit well into your project. The fact that most of the images will have annotation makes it even more personal. It seems like this project will have lots of information on colonialism based on the table of content.
Dan,
I have to admit I also didn’t realize that you could only to the Book Splash layout once, though that makes sense! If you want a title page for your project, you could try the “Blank Slate” feature, which allows you to have a large image or video and text without structuring it as a title + text + media style.
I am not very familiar with the Map and Timeline features (they are rather new) but will explore them in case you run into any difficulties getting them set up!