Connecting with the Past, Networked for the Future

1. Connecting with the Past, Networked for the Future   Fort Vancouver Mobile Project & The Mobile Tech Research Initiative Dene Grigar & Brett Oppegaard The Creative Media & Digital Culture Program Washington State University Vancouver

2. Fort Vancouver Mobile & The Mobile Tech Research Initiative Appname: Fort Vancouver Mobile Appname: Dick Hannah Dealerships

3. Public-centered, user-centered Photos courtesy of (L-R): Computer History Museum, Troy Wayrynen and Matt Wastradowski.

4. Public-centered place Part of the National Park Service, and the only National Historic Site in the Portland, Ore., area; dubbed the “Williamsburg of the West” More than 1 million visitors last year Through this work, one of the first NPS sites to develop a mobile app; given a prime chance to be a national leader in this field Rich history to explore Thousands of objects, hundreds of volunteers, costumes, etc. High support among staff; high interest among park visitors Photo courtesy of: Jones and Jones Architects

5. Hawkins block anecdote, interview • The failure of the Tandy Zoomer (and the Apple Newton) sent Hawkins into his shop • Hawkins asked Newton owners, “What did you think this was going to do?” • Hawkins always had been working under the constraints dictated by others; had ideas wanted to try • Hawkins: “I wanted the feel. I wanted to hold it in my hand and test it out.” • Action Research. … Photo: Courtesy of the Computer History Museum

6. A clustering of content data With the wood block in hand, learners asked for: “So I might want to know more about some of the people who inhabited the village at this point. And so look at maybe what was available, I would assume they just have various scenarios available, and it might be about the people or what kind of work they were doing, or where they got their materials.” – (1A) 50-64 years old, female A real name and a real person would be cool, if available. Just because I think that, when you hear that it tends to make it a little more personal.” – (1B) 25-34 years old, male Photo courtesy of Greg Shine. Permission to use photo granted by research subject. I would love to find out some interesting stories about the people who lived here and how their lives might have been different if they had, if they had different cultural backgrounds.” – (1C) 35-49 years old, female “Controversy. … People being upset or excited is more interesting than people being happy.” – (1D) 25-34 year old, male

7. Comparative analysis Pilot studies show promising results: System-wide, only 22 percent of National Park Service visitors receive information through personal services, such as lectures, demonstrations and informal visitor contacts. Initial sample (N=9, 3 each) showed a dramatic difference in the amount of time visitors spent in the area (engagement): No new media = 6 minutes / +1.00 Brochure = 9 minutes / +0.67 Story-Based App = 23 minutes / +2.67 (out of 7) Photo: Brett Oppegaard Based on these results, a second pilot study was done, just focusing on the experience with the app

8. More field research Pilot studies show promising results (n=9, with a more robust app in place, the amount of time in The Village – engagement -- increased to an average of 30 minutes): Users marked distinctly positive responses to the experience, in a Likert-type set of scales Examples: The media provided in The Village enhances the quality of the site. 7 Strongly agree 2 Agree 0 Neutral 0 Disagree 0 Strongly disagree I had fun when using the media in The Village. 5 Strongly agree 4 Agree 0 Neutral 0 Disagree 0 Strongly disagree Five of the nine looked at the first wayside sign, but only two looked at the second Photo: Brett Oppegaard

9. More field research Pilot studies show promising results: Several of the test subjects used terms and phrases such as “informative,”“education,”“walk away with more knowledge,”“exploration,” and “it helps me understand” to describe the experience; the app makes visible “the hidden histories,” that the signs “do not do justice” to the depth of The Village story, and that the app simply provides “more information.” But they also said the following: “fun,”“engaging,”“provocative,”“intriguing,”“exciting,”“fulfilling,” and that the app “brought (the history) alive.” Photo: Brett Oppegaard

10. Fort Vancouver Mobile Modules Module 4 “Opening of The Village” Jon Nelson, Director Module 1 “Kanaka” Brett Oppegaard, Director Module 2 “Women & Domestic Life at The Village” Dene Grigar, Director Module 3 “Kane’s Wanderings” Brady Berkenmeier, Director 10

11. The “Kanaka” Module 11

12. Example of content

13. Example of content

14. Fort Vancouver Mobile Modules Module 4 “Opening of The Village” Jon Nelson, Director Module 1 “Kanaka” Brett Oppegaard, Director Module 2 “Women & Domestic Life at The Village” Dene Grigar, Director Module 3 “Kane’s Wanderings” Brady Berkenmeier, Director 14

15. The “Women and Domestic Life at The Village” Module 15

16. Fort Vancouver Mobile Modules Module 4 “Opening of The Village” Jon Nelson, Director Module 1 “Kanaka” Brett Oppegaard, Director Module 2 “Women & Domestic Life at The Village” Dene Grigar, Director Module 3 “Kane’s Wanderings” Brady Berkenmeier, Director 16

17. The “Kane’s Wanderings” Module 17

18. Fort Vancouver Mobile Modules Module 4 “Opening of The Village” Jon Nelson, Director Module 1 “Kanaka” Brett Oppegaard, Director Module 2 “Women & Domestic Life at The Village” Dene Grigar, Director Module 3 “Kane’s Wanderings” Brady Berkenmeier, Director 18

19. The “Opening of The Village” Module 19

20. Fort Vancouver Mobile Modules Module 1 Video GPS Text as Tweets Module 2 Augmented Reality GPS Sound files Video & Images Module 4 Video Images Module 3 Animation GPS 20

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22. Artifacts & Field School at The Village 22

25. Goals • Develop a local body of expertise in the emerging technology field of mobile application design and development • Contribute actively to undergraduate research, an important mission of WSU Vancouver • Connect STEM education with the humanities by fostering synergies between digital media and science

27. The MTRI Fellows & Faculty

28. MTRI Courses Summer I:  May 9-June 17, 2011 DTC 336 Composition and Design Professor:  Dr. Dene Grigar; MW 11-2:20, VMMC 111 DTC 478 Usability and Interface Design Professor:  Dr. John Barber; TTH 2:30-5:50, VMMC 111 Summer II:  June 20-July 29, 2011 DTC 477 Advanced Multimedia Authoring Professor:  Prof. Will Luers; TTH 2:30-5:30, VMMC 111 DTC 338.01 Special Topics: Development for iPhones and Androids Professors:  Profs. Nicholas Schiller & Nicholas Hill; MW 11-2:20, VMMC 111

29. Summer 2 • JQuery, JQuery Mobile, Apple SDK, Phone Gap, some Objective C, JavaScript, & Xcode • Developing multimedia (i.e. video, sound, images) • Working with the GPS & camera features • Additional training in Oral Presentations • Producing Legacy Notebook • Additional training in Project Management, Working in Teams, & Working with Clients • Summer 1 • Research into apps • Design Principles & Theories for Apps and Tablets • Usability Theories & Practice • Workshops in PhotoShop, Garage Band, Illustrator, Final Cut • Training in Making Oral Presentations, Writing Proposals, Developing Wireframes, & Prototyping • Project Management, Working in Teams, & Working with Clients

32. Implementing the camera function, building local storage for the image, and anticipating the possibility of a default image if the user does not choose to use it • Scripting dynamic storage functions to provide multiple car profiles • Researching ideograms to best represent the myriad service options that are available • Executing multiple functions that work in concert while testing to insure functionality between elements Unifying language and design principles across the project sections

33. Research Focus Multimodal Content Structure Visual Vocabulary Oral Communication Documentation Argumentation Cohesive Identity Language Acquisition MTRI Proposal to Dick Hannah Dealerships

34. Two Stories

35. Thank you. Personal Website: www.nouspace.net/dene Fort Vancouver Mobile: fortvancouvermobilesubrosa.blogspot.com/ Mobile Tech Research Initiative: www.dtc-wsuv.org/wp/appcamp The MTRI Fellows’ Website: www.dtc-wsuv.org/mtri/idmaa2011/ The CMDC Program: dtc-wsuv.org/cmdc

36. References Primary Sources Beaver, Herbert.  Reports and letters, 1836-1838, of Herbert Beaver, chaplain to the Hudson’s Bay Company and missionary to the Indians at Fort Vancouver.  Ed. Thomas E. Jessett. Portland, Or. : Champoeg Press, 1959. Chambers, Elizabeth Harrison.  Incidents in the life of Elizabeth Harrison Chambers : collected from memory’s pages and compiled November 23rd, 1910, after the hand on the dial-plate of time had measured me off 82 years.  1910. McLoughlin, John.  Letters Written at Fort Vancouver 1829-1832.  Ed. Burt Brown Barker.  Portland:  Binfords and Mort (Oregon Historical Society), 1948. —.  The Letters of John McLoughlin from Fort Vancouver to the governor and committee.  Ed. E.E. Rich ;   introduction by W. Kaye Lamb.  London : Published by The Champlain Society for the Hudson’s Bay Record Society, 1941-1944. Townsend, John K. 1834.  Narrative of a Journey.  Corvallis, OR:  OSU Press, 1999. Secondary Sources Armitage, Susan.  “Making Connections:  Gender, Race, and Place in Oregon County.” One Step Over the Line.  Ed. Jameson and McManus.  Alberta, CAN:  U of Alberta Press, 2008. Boyd, Robert.  The Coming of the Spirit of Pestilence.  Seattle:  U of Washington Press, 1999. Brown, Jennifer.  Strangers in Blood:  Fur Trade Company Families in Indian Country.  Vancouver:  U of BC Press, 1980. Campbell, Marjorie.  The North West Company.  NY, NY:  St. Martin’s Press, 1957. Hussey, John A.  “Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.”  Denver : Denver Service Center, National Park Service, 1972-1976. —. The history of Fort Vancouver and its physical structure. Tacoma : Washington State Historical Society, 1957?. —.  “The Women of Fort Vancouver.”  1977.  Online: http://www.nps.gov/fova/historyculture/historical-studies.htm Jackson, John.  Children of the Fur Trade:  Forgotten Metis of the Pacific Northwest.  Corvallis, OR:  OSU Press, 2008. Kubik, Barb.  “A Very Neat and Beautiful Village.”  Unpublished text? Peterson, Jacqueline. The new peoples: being and becoming métis in North America.  Minneapolis:  U of Minnesota Press, 2001. Ray, Arthur J.  Indians in the Fur Trade.  Toronto:  U of Toronto Press, 1998. Robinson, Greg.  Chinook Nation.  Volume 1, 3rd Edition.  Online:  http://www.chinooknation.org/Default.aspx?PageContentID=3&tabid=38 Sinclair, Donna.  “Voice of the Past: Re-visioning this place: Chinookan Cultural Persistence on the lower Columbia.” Vancouver Voice, Volume 3, Issue 20, August 27, 2009. Shine, Greg.  “Interpretation in the Fort Vancouver Village.” Northwest Cultural Resources Institute Report. August 2010. Sleeper-Smith, Susan.  Indian Women and French Men.  Boston:  U of Massachusetts Press, 2001. Van Kirk, Sylvia.  Many Tender Ties: Women in Fur-Trade Society.  Norman, OK:  U of Oklahoma Press, 1983. Williams, Jacqueline.  The Way We Are:  Pacific Northwest Cooking, 1843-1900.  Pullman:  WSU Press, 1996. 36