GC Digital Fellows Workshops
The GC Digital Fellows host a range of workshops each semester, which may be viewed below, as well as at the central calendar for GCDI events on the GC Events and Workshops Calendar. Our workshops are usually several hours and serve as introductions to familiarize participants with a tool or topic. Sometimes workshops will be aimed at participants with an intermediate or advanced level of familiarity with the tool or topic, so please read the workshop description for each. Participants are encouraged to bring their own laptop to the workshops. Please see descriptions of this semester’s workshops, as well as links to register, below.
All workshops focus on practical tools for academics with a focus on applications in research and pedagogy and are open to Graduate Center students and faculty. Registration opens a week prior to the workshop and is required for attendance. Visit the link for each workshop to register.
Fall 2016 Workshop Series
Introduction to Programming with Python
Thursday, September 15th, 6:30-8:30 PM
Registration opens September 8th
This workshop introduces the fundamentals of programming using Python, a language popular in both academia and industry. Topics will include basic programming concepts such as loops, variables, and conditionals, installing and importing libraries, and creating simple scripts. No previous programming experience is necessary.
Establishing a Digital Academic Identity: WordPress I
Thursday, September 22nd, 6:30-8:30 PM
Registration opens September 15th
The purpose of this workshop is to help you establish a digital academic identity while becoming familiar with the WordPress platform. We will focus on utilizing the CUNY Academic Commons, helping you establish your digital CV, a blog, or both. We will focus on organization and design, including theme editing, managing content, custom menus and image use. We recommend that attendees come prepared with their CV (digital format preferred) and / or a blog idea or sample blog post. If you are not already a member of the CUNY Academic Commons, we recommend that you sign up before the workshop.
Introduction to PressForward
Friday, September 23rd, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Registration opens September 16th
In this introductory workshop, new users will participate in a hands-on introduction to PressForward. The workshop will cover accessing PressForward from the WordPress Dashboard, adding feeds, selecting content to review, and organizing and publishing curated content. Attendees will also explore the editorial practice of group curation, and consider how PressForward might be integrated into a range of projects inside and outside the classroom at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. There are no prerequisites to enroll, though some familiarity with WordPress would be useful.
PressForward: Train the Trainers
Friday, September 23rd, 1:00–5:00 PM
Registration opens September 16th
In this “Train the Trainers” workshop, participants with some experience using PressForward (including those who attended the Introduction to PressForward workshop and who wish to stay) will look at examples of PressForward’s use across a range of institutions, explore how to organize and activate communities of users, explore methods for recruiting and training new users, and learn how to engage with PressForward’s active support community and forums.
The Lexicon of DH
Thursday, September 29th, 6:30-8:30 PM
Registration opens September 22nd
Digital humanities scholars have a treasure trove of digital tools at their fingertips, but particularly in the research phase of a project, it can be difficult to determine which ones you’ll really need. This workshop will focus on how to clearly articulate a research question that can be answered through digital humanities methods, and how to find the right tools for the job. We’ll discuss the genres and lexicon of DH, from types of text analysis to geospatial mapping, as well as online resource directories and resources at The Graduate Center. Feel free to come with your project ideas and questions.
Databases Part I: Introduction to Data Management with Databases and SQL
Tuesday, October 4th, 6:30-8:30 PM
Registration opens September 27th
Databases are invaluable tools for organization and are better than a spreadsheet for working with multiple data sets, asking questions, and adding structure to your data. SQL is a programming language for working with databases. This workshop will introduce you to the basics of SQL, and will include hands-on practice creating databases and tables, importing data, and querying the database. The topics covered in this workshop are applicable across different SQL implementations, including MySQL, SQLite, and PostgreSQL. No previous experience with SQL is necessary. This workshop is the first part of a two-part series—the second part will take place on Oct. 13th.
Introduction to iOS Programming
Tuesday, October 18th, 6:30-8:30 PM
Registration opens October 11th
In this workshop we will look at how to create your first iOS (i.e. iPhone/iPad) app. The focus will be on giving an overview of the entire workflow and decision making process for creating an app rather than detailing specific technologies. Some prior exposure to a programming language will be helpful, but is not required to follow this workshop. Topics will include the pros and cons of choosing to develop your application for iOS versus other platforms (e.g. the web), the tools needed to build an app (primarily XCode), a cursory introduction to the programming languages (Swift and Objective-C), and how to compile, test, and upload your app for distribution on Apple’s App Store. Resources will be provided to help participants learn the many details which cannot be covered in this workshop.
Databases Part II: Querying in the Real World
Thursday, October 13th, 6:30-8:30 PM
Registration opens October 6th
Databases are a ubiquitous piece of software on our computers and on the internet. They enable the storage of data in such a way that computers can access them in a reliable and robust way. One of the most important types of databases are ones that store data in structured tables and provide users access to the data through SQL, a querying language which allows us to filter, sort, and combine our data. This workshop will build on the basics of SQL covered in Databases (Part 1) on Oct. 4th. Moving into the “real world” of querying, we will covers topics like table indexing, foreign keys, inner vs. outer joins, aggregation, and more! We will use a MySQL database set up for a WordPress website to reveal one of the many secrets to the magic of the internet, though the scope of the workshop will be more general than just WordPress and also applicable across different SQL implementations, including MySQL, SQLite, and PostgreSQL.
So You Want to Make a Map: Starting a GIS Project
Wednesday, October 26th, 6:30-8:30 PM
Registration opens October 19th
Description Coming Soon.
Introduction to Physical Computing with Arduino
Wednesday, November 9th, 6:30-8:30 PM
Registration opens November 2nd
We spend plenty of time with our computers, websites, and maybe even code: but how familiar do we feel with the circuits, wiring, and sensors that make all this possible? Physical computing uses hardware and software to build digital devices that respond to our analog world–or perhaps more poetically, to make vivid the relationship between humans and computational materials. In this workshop, we will explore the foundations of physical computing as a practice in process, rather than product. Join us for this absolutely no-experience necessary workshop to introduce you to the basics of using Arduino, an open-source hardware and software prototyping platform, so you can begin to consider and develop your own physical computing projects in collaboration with the Maker Space at the Digital Scholarship Lab. We’re serious: no experience required! Here, we’re using experimentation and play as a way to think about interactivity in our computational world.
Introduction to Tableau Public
Wednesday, November 16th, 6:30-8:30 PM
Registration opens November 9th
Description Coming Soon.
Introduction to Natural Language Processing with NLTK
Thursday, November 17th, 6:30 – 8:30 PM
Registration opens November 10th
Description Coming Soon.
