Week 12: Exploration + Inspiration

November 10, 2025

Plan for the day:

• Framing: Why do we do this? How will today work? (~9:00-9:15)
• Presentations: first half
  • presentation 1 (~9:15-9:40)
  • presentation 2 (~9:40-10:05)
  • presentation 3 (~10:05-10:30)
• Break (10 minutes)
• Presentations: second half
  • presentation 4 (~10:45-11:05)
  • presentation 5 (~11:05-11:30)
• Homework for next time:
  • project presentations, iteration 3: and…?

Framing

Why do we do this?

Alison is most welcome to say more here!

But as far as I (Ben) am concerned: Prize-winning digital projects are often the result of teams putting in significant effort over a long time. When I sent you to look for inspiration, it was less to find something you could emulate in the next four weeks or even four months, and more to find some stars to steer by. I want you to notice the kinds of questions the creators are using digital tools to investigate and the ways they use their tools to make arguments in response to those questions. Even if you can’t muster the same levels of evidence or interactivity right away, you can start to position yourself to get there; you can consider what tools or techniques you want to invest time in, based on the models they offer you.

This is why, in the homework preparations I assigned last week, I told you to be ready to present “sources, methods, and presentation choices, as well as the arguments [your chosen project] makes or questions it helps us investigate.” As you share, see if you can notice and clarify those three layers of (1) sources, (2) processed and (3) presented, as per Miriam Posner’s “How Did They Make That?” from the beginning of the semester.

Also, it gives us an opportunity to talk about how you discover work in your field: what searches did you conduct, in what engines? What roundups or awards are you aware of or did you just learn about this week? And if you didn’t find any, might I suggest checking out dhawards.org/? (I didn’t want to constrain your search by giving you all the same starting point, but I recognize now that maybe it would have helped some of you. I can include that in the prompt next time I do this assignment.)

How will today work?

A little randomly! Since everyone is prepared, we can use this Wheel of Names to choose who will present in each slot. We’ll have five slots: three before the break, two after.

Aim for each presentation to last about five minutes, and we’ll help you keep track of time. We should then have 10-15 minutes for Q&A. Any extra time at the end can be used for studio.

If you’re selected, sign on to the Zoom at https://pitt.zoom.us/my/benmiller314. Mute your speaker and microphone – I’ll pick everything up via the OWL.

Anyone who doesn’t present today will present their own DSAM project next week for Iteration 3 (brought to you by “and…?”).

Presentations: first half

Let’s keep track of who’s presenting in the shared notes doc.

1. What’s the project/site? Who made it?
2. What source material is it built around? What questions is it designed to answer?
3. How have the materials been processed? What does the digital medium facilitate?
4. What do they use for presentation? What arguments does this approach support?

Break (10 minutes)

I’m guessing we’ll hit the break at around 10:30 today. Aim to be back in 10 minutes.

Presentations: second half

As above! Two presentations here, 5 minutes up front plus 10-15 for Q&A.

EXT: Studio

If by some luck we have extra time at the end of class, let’s use it to move your own projects forward. Take notes in your Mindful Practice Journals. What are your goals? How did you spend your time? What are your takeaways from the day?

Homework for next time

For next week: Iteration 3: “and…?”

For week 13, prepare a 5-minute presentation on your independent project, which we can view in class and discuss.^* If you want to time yourself, you can even post a recording; but you must have some presentation file you can share or link to.

For this iteration, you should be able to look back through your journal to answer the following:

• What questions are you pursuing by processing your sources / objects? (Briefly remind us or update us)
• What answers do you have so far, however tentative?
• What are your next steps to deepen your questions and answers?
• What have you learned about digital research in the process?

Post your presentation files, along with a link to your developing public-facing project, to the discussion forum.

NB: Bring your own dongle, if you need one.

Optionally, schedule a meeting with Ben in office hours for early feedback as you build your presentation.