Presentation Reflection

On March 23rd I presented my online exhibit along with a few other classmates to show what progress we had made, and more importantly, get some feedback and suggestions as to how to move forward.

                 I think the presentation of my Omeka online exhibit was pretty good. My presentation was simple and was meant to give people a good idea of the content of my project but without getting bogged down reading text verbatim to them.  I tried to stress the utility of the site and its simplicity. At the same time I wanted people to see the mapping work, pictures and other visuals I had included to give viewers a better context of the story I was trying to tell. All in all I think the presentation went pretty well.

The feedback I got was actually really useful. First of all, I was reassured that my project did not appear too bland or lacking in visuals. I was worried and had mentioned my concern during the presentation that my project lacked the same visual appeal as other classmate’s projects. In the end many classmates seemed to think the simple esthetic was quite appropriate for my project. Personally, I was quite relieved that its layout, as simple as it was, still came across as professional and well structured.

Another big piece of advice came from Trevor who suggested I make a title page that briefly outlines the content of my exhibit to let people know generally what to expect. I think this is a really good idea especially when I had not yet designed a definitive front or home page. So from that suggestion I think my home page will explain to viewers that the exhibit contains information pertaining to the Suffolk swing riots, British immigration, the  Grosse Isle quarantine, and Upper Canadian farm life just to name a few. This I think will really help people not only discover the site and learn more about the Freure family’s immigration but also other information that ties into the greater Freure story for their own use. Despite its purpose to promote the Freure family story and give context to their immigrant diary, I would also love for people to use the exhibit to find additional sources for their own project. For example I would love for an undergrad student to use this site to locate information on immigrant quarantines even if they have no interest in the rest of the Freure story. All in all, I think my project is coming along really well and has received new inspiration from my classmates.