Looking back on learning: what are the most important things you’ve learned this semester? What advice would you give your past self about becoming a Vivero Fellow and learning how to do this work? 

I think one of the most important things I learned this semester is how important it is to draw things out before translating them to the screen, or simply incorporating the handwritten into the “technical” process. While I was simply doing research on these glossary tools, it felt overwhelming to see all these tools with very similar functions and visually unappealing layouts. I found that taking a step back from the screen and just writing it out was helpful and rejuvenating. Another important thing I learned this semester is the real difference it makes to tell myself to dedicate a good chunk of time to Vivero work, rather than just doing it casually. It was a struggle for me this semester to get into my work very easily. But I found that the problem was that it takes time to reacquaint myself with digital tools each time I sit down. Personally, it’s better for me to tell myself I will work on my Vivero project or this tool for an hour, rather than just pulling out my work to do in short breaks between classes. 

Reflection on the training model: what worked and what didn’t work for you? What stuck with you? Are there things you found confusing or not helpful? 

I thought the training models were alright. It was nice to be able to dip my toes into a couple of new tools but I think it’s preferable for me to work with a tool for an extended period of time and with a real goal in mind. 

What are your next steps for project work next semester? What documentation have you created, and what documentation do you still need to create?

My next steps for my project are to continue troubleshooting WordPress Tooltips. There are some features that were promised on the tool’s documentation page that I could not find on my own website. Right now, I have documentation on various glossary WordPress plugin tools. I am still working on my WordPress Tooltips documentation because I am still trying to figure out how to implement it, like filtering each glossary entry by language. Once a very solid, presentable version of digital thesaurus is done, I will continue exploring an interactive game version. I will also go back to using ArcGIS to make an interactive map displaying where Haitian art can be found. 

What digital scholarship topics, methods, or tools might you be interested in exploring next semester, or in the future?

Next semester, I would be interested in exploring more what a digital presence means, whether this be for personal or professional means. I think there is a big push for college students to get on LinkedIn, but I wonder if a personal website, like what we do in Vivero, would be a better avenue for people.