Thanks for your patience during our recent outage at scalar.usc.edu. While Scalar content is loading normally now, saving is still slow, and Scalar's 'additional metadata' features have been disabled, which may interfere with features like timelines and maps that depend on metadata. This also means that saving a page or media item will remove its additional metadata. If this occurs, you can use the 'All versions' link at the bottom of the page to restore the earlier version. We are continuing to troubleshoot, and will provide further updates as needed. Note that this only affects Scalar projects at scalar.usc.edu, and not those hosted elsewhere.
Practical Scalar Guide for the Field of Digital HistoryMain MenuMediaNavigationAestheticsAdvanced Scalar TechniquesContextCitationsBlake Hatton668ed8e064332293f5252d57bb106581fc79a416Jonathan Rees3c1d30e7d6075de94f4565f942234014223611d6
Context for Instructors
12017-02-27T11:49:12-08:00Blake Hatton668ed8e064332293f5252d57bb106581fc79a416153793plain2017-12-19T14:37:00-08:00Jonathan Rees3c1d30e7d6075de94f4565f942234014223611d6Because Scalar is an online publishing platform that allows authors to integrate digital media into the work housed within it, students who use Scalar will be able to gain both writing and computer skills while learning the program. While a conventional history paper might sit in a student's closet for forty years, the work students do on Scalar contributes to the global repository of shared knowledge because it is readily available on the Internet for anyone to see. In other words, it matters more when people besides professors get to read the final results of student efforts – both to the students, and the people who eventually read it.
This is particularly important for history classes as there is practically an infinite amount of knowledge available for students to examine and post as part of their Scalar projects. I have made great use of local archives in my classes, all of whom are grateful to have undergraduates interested in posting their materials on the Internet for them and to not have to pay for hosting themselves in the bargain
There are certainly other tools available for digital projects, but Scalar is simple enough that students can learn its basics over the course of a few weeks and spend the rest of their semesters learning the history they need to complete their projects.