Practical Scalar Guide for the Field of Digital History

Context for Students

My name is Blake Hatton, and I began working with Scalar in the Spring of 2016.  In May of 2017, I graduated from Colorado State University-Pueblo with my Bachelor's degree in history.  I have found that Scalar allows for a much more dynamic presentation of information than a conventional paper.  In conventional college papers, the inclusion of pictures is anathema to many college professors.  In a Scalar project, however, they are almost required.  Yes, you can write a Scalar without pictures or any form of media, but a Scalar project is so enhanced by media and pictures, which will interact dynamically with your text with minimal effort, that not including media in a Scalar almost as unthinkable as including media in a conventional paper is.

Also, your work will be visible for years to come.  Unlike a paper that you write and then proceed to stuff in a box somewhere or throw away, a Scalar will be visible not only to you but to the internet consuming public as well.  Your work, should you choose, will be public and consumable for anyone with an internet connection.  As my adviser Dr. Jonathan Rees puts it, your Scalar books will become the sources that future 7th graders will use to write their middle school papers.

If your professor will allow it, I strongly suggest using Scalar.  Conventional papers do have a purpose, but that purpose is rapidly becoming fading as the world moves ever faster to the digital from the analog.  Not only does Scalar make your work accessible, it will aid you in embracing the future that is rapidly approaching.  Do not abandon conventional papers, but also do not ignore the technological advancements that are revolutionizing nearly every field of study, history included.

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