Lab Activity: Digital Humanities

 This blog is  assigned by Dr. Dilip Barad Sir as a part of our  Lab Activity: Digital Humanities. The purpose of this activity is to engage with digital tools and platforms to better understand how technology intersects with literature and human decision-making. Through activities like the Moral Machine experiment and the exploration of pedagogical shifts from traditional texts to hypertexts, this blog documents my personal experience, learning outcomes, and reflections. It also includes supporting screenshots, PDFs, summaries of presentations, and embedded recordings to provide a comprehensive overview of the lab exercises.

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Moral Machine Activity 

While doing the Moral Machine Activity, I realized how difficult it is to make quick moral decisions when human lives are at stake. In each scenario, the self-driving car had to either save the passengers or the pedestrians, and I had to decide who should be spared. Sometimes the choice was between young and old, humans and animals, or people following the law versus those breaking it. I noticed that many times I was guided by emotions rather than logic, which made me reflect on how values like age, gender, social role, and even law-abiding behavior influence our decisions.

The biggest learning outcome for me was understanding that morality is not absolute; it changes from person to person and culture to culture. What seems “right” to one individual might not be the same for another. This activity also showed me how important ethical programming is for artificial intelligence, especially for technologies like self-driving cars. Machines will act based on the values coded into them, so our human biases and preferences will directly affect their decisions. Overall, the Moral Machine made me more aware of the ethical challenges that come with AI in real-life situations.

Part - 1  

Pedagogical Shift from Text to Hypertext: Language & Literature to the Digital Natives

If the presentation does not display above, open it directly: Open presentation in a new tab.

My Learning Journey: A Shift from Text to Hypertext

(Based on the FDP Presentation by Dr. Dilip Barad)

The FDP on “A Pedagogical Shift from Text to Hypertext” gave me a deep understanding of how education is transforming in the digital era. Each slide presented not just a single idea, but a step in a larger journey from traditional classroom teaching to hypertext-based, interactive, and student-centered learning.

Conceptual and Theoretical Foundation

• Slide 1 – FDP Introduction
  The first slide set the stage by showing the purpose of the FDP. It highlighted that teaching today must go beyond the delivery of content. Instead, it should connect old and new traditional knowledge with digital methods. This made me realize that the real task of a teacher is to create a bridge between classical literature and the digital habits of today’s students.

• Slide 2 – Objectives of the FDP
  Building on that, the second slide explained that moving to online platforms is not enough. Many teachers upload notes or give online lectures, but that doesn’t guarantee engagement. The objective is to make learning meaningful and interactive. This connected with Slide 1 because once we agree that traditional teaching needs to adapt, the next question is: how do we engage students in the digital world without losing the essence of literature?

• Slide 3 – Defining Hypertext
  This slide gave me the technical foundation. It explained that hypertext is not linear like a printed book; it allows connections across text, images, videos, and links. HTML structures the content, while HTTP makes it accessible. This connects with Slide 2 because if our aim is interactive and meaningful engagement, then hypertext is the medium that makes it possible. I understood that hypertext forms the backbone of digital pedagogy.

• Slide 4 – Theoretical Shift: Decentering
  Here the focus shifted from technology to theory. Traditionally, the teacher and the text were seen as the center of authority. But in the digital era, this “center” is broken. Now students can explore multiple perspectives, click on different links, and form their own interpretations. This is called decentering. It built directly on the idea of hypertext: once knowledge is non-linear, students are no longer passive readers they become co-creators of meaning.

• Slide 5 – Pedagogy in the Digital Era
  This slide tied everything together by explaining the teacher’s new role. Instead of being the sole source of knowledge, the teacher becomes a facilitator or guide. Models like Flipped Classroom and Blended Learning support this shift, as they encourage students to take more responsibility. It connected back to Slides 1–4 by showing the logical outcome: if students are active and knowledge is decentered, then teachers must act as guides, not dictators of knowledge.

Designing the Digital Classroom

• Slide 6 – Digital Pedagogy Models
  This slide introduced practical teaching models. The metaphor of a “Salad Bowl” showed that we shouldn’t rely on just one method, but mix different ones. Flipped Classrooms (where students study content before class) and Mixed Mode (blending online and offline teaching) make learning flexible. This built on Slide 5 by showing how teachers can actually take on the role of facilitators.

• Slide 7 – Tools and Techniques
  Once the models were clear, this slide explained the digital infrastructure needed to support them. Tools like LMS (Learning Management System), CMS (Content Management System), and digital portfolios allow teachers to organize lessons, track learning, and give feedback. This slide connected with Slide 6 because effective models can only work if there’s a proper digital setup to support them.

Integrating Innovative Production Tools

• Slide 8 – Lightboard
  This slide introduced a specific tool: the Lightboard. It allows teachers to write and explain while still facing the students through a camera. I realized this makes abstract or complex topics more engaging and easy to understand. It connects with Slide 7 because after talking about the need for tools, this gave a concrete example.

• Slide 9 – OBS + Lightboard: Teaching Plays
  Here the use of Lightboard was taken further by integrating OBS software, which allows multimedia elements like images, animations, or videos. This makes plays normally complex texts more vivid and understandable. It builds on Slide 8 by showing that Lightboard is not just for notes, but can also be enhanced with digital creativity.

• Slide 10 – OBS for Poetry
  In this slide, the idea was extended to poetry. For example, teaching Simon Armitage’s lockdown poem alongside Kalidasa’s Meghaduta showed how visuals and sounds can connect different traditions. This connected back to Slide 9 because it showed the flexibility of the same tool (OBS + Lightboard) for different genres of literature.

• Slide 11 – Deconstructive Reading
  Finally, the Lightboard was applied to critical theory. Deconstruction is usually difficult to teach, but showing diagrams and annotations on Lightboard makes it easier. This connected with the previous slides by demonstrating that the same tool can work across different areas plays, poems, and even theory.

Structuring Engagement

• Slide 12 – TED-Ed Platform
  This slide introduced a structured way to design lessons: Watch → Think → Discuss. Instead of passive learning, this sequence ensures students reflect and engage. It connects with Slides 8–11 by showing that tools are not enough; we also need structured methods to keep students involved.

• Slide 13 – Flipped Learning Example
  Here, the focus was on how flipped learning encourages students to prepare before class. This frees up class time for deeper discussions. It connects with Slide 12 because both slides emphasize active engagement, where students are not passive listeners but active contributors.

• Slide 14 – Mixed Mode Teaching
  The last slide explained how even complex theories like Derrida’s Deconstruction can be taught through a combination of live discussion and digital tools. This slide tied everything back to the FDP’s main goal: to show that literature can be taught effectively in digital formats without losing depth.

Learning Outcome from Part 1

From this FDP, I understood that each slide was not isolated but part of a larger story:

• Slides 1–5 explained the conceptual foundation of digital pedagogy.

• Slides 6–7 showed how to design a digital classroom.

• Slides 8–11 gave examples of innovative tools in practice.

• Slides 12–14 structured how to engage students effectively.

Together, they taught me that:

• Teaching is moving from linear text to interactive hypertext.

• Teachers are now guides, not just knowledge-givers.

• Students must actively create and interpret knowledge.

• Digital tools and models make learning engaging and flexible.

• Pedagogy today is about interaction, creativity, and active learning.
  
  
  
  
  Part 2 - Pedagogical Shift from Text to Hypertext
  
  

  If the presentation does not display above, open it directly: Open presentation Part II in new tab.

The second part of the presentation, “Pedagogical Shift from Text to Hypertext: Language & Literature to the Digital Natives,” focuses on the practical challenges of teaching language and literature in the digital era. It also highlights how hypertextual tools and online resources can solve these problems by creating richer, more interactive learning experiences.

I. Challenges and Solutions for Language Instruction

The presentation begins with the difficulties faced in teaching language skills digitally. One major challenge is helping students grasp the subtleties of spoken language such as pronunciation, stress, and modulation. These elements are crucial for understanding the rhythm and meaning of language but often get lost in online or even traditional classroom teaching.

To address this, several tools are introduced:

• Live Caption in Chrome automatically provides text captions for spoken words in media. This tool supports students in understanding accents, speed, or unclear pronunciation by offering real-time text.

• Google Meet transcription extensions such as Meet Transcript or Tactiq allow spoken words in online classes to be instantly converted into text. This means students no longer need to worry about missing important points while taking notes, as transcription provides “hands-free” note-taking.

• Google Docs Voice Typing is another versatile tool that turns speech into written text. It helps with drafting assignments, taking notes, or even transcribing longer discussions.

Together, these tools show how hypertextual solutions can bridge the gap between spoken and written forms of language. Instead of passively listening, students get interactive support in understanding and processing language more accurately.

II. Challenges and Hypertextual Solutions for Literature Instruction

After addressing language, the presentation shifts to the teaching of literature, where the challenges are even more complex. Students often struggle with foreign texts because of cultural distance, geographical unfamiliarity, and differences in collective imagination. Literary images and references that may be natural to one culture often appear strange or abstract to another.

A. The Need for Visual Context

One example given is a poetic line:

“Hawthorns smile like milk splashed down / From Noon’s blue pitcher over mead and hill.”

For many students, this image is difficult to understand because they may have never seen hawthorn blossoms or know what “Noon’s blue pitcher” refers to. To solve this, hypertext and digital resources provide a visual and cultural bridge:

• First, a photograph of hawthorn shrubs in full bloom is shown. This makes the poetic image of “splashed milk” much clearer, as students can visually see how the white flowers cover a field or hillside. The abstract line becomes more relatable once the natural reference is revealed.

• Second, “Noon’s blue pitcher” is explained through Google Image Search. It is identified as a reference to a painting by Susan Noon, Blue Pitcher with Flowers. By making this cultural connection, students understand how the poet compared scattered petals to milk being poured from a blue pitcher.

This demonstrates how hypertext supports teaching literature by linking words to visuals and cultural artifacts, reducing the distance between the text and the learner.

B. The Power of Hypertext as a Resource

The final slides present Google Arts & Culture as a powerful hypertextual platform. It contains artworks, historical records, and cultural archives that teachers can use to make literature more engaging.

An example lesson plan is based on the myth of Icarus and Daedalus. Instead of simply reading the story, students are guided through a Webquest approach: searching for “The Fall of Icarus” on Google Arts & Culture. The platform then provides:

• Visual Art: Landscape with the Fall of Icarus, which visually represents the myth.

• Interdisciplinary Resources: Collections like 7 Poems About Famous Artworks, showing how literature connects with painting.

• Interactive Exhibits: Digital exhibits such as Watch Icarus Falling! which bring the myth alive through multimedia.

This hypertextual exploration not only enriches students’ understanding of the myth but also introduces deeper theoretical ideas such as the Mythical Technique and the postmodern concept of “decentring the centre.” By seeing multiple interpretations of Icarus, students realize there is no single authoritative version of a text.

Learning Outcomes from Part 2

From this section of the presentation, I understood that:

• Teaching language digitally requires tools that make the spoken word more accessible through captions, transcription, and voice typing.

• Literature instruction becomes more meaningful when abstract images are supported with visual and cultural context through digital resources.

• Hypertext platforms like Google Arts & Culture allow literature to be taught in an interdisciplinary way, combining text, art, and history.

• Students become active learners as they explore, search, and interpret multiple layers of meaning in a text.

• Most importantly, hypertext teaching fosters critical thinking by encouraging students to question fixed meanings and engage with literature in creative, interactive ways.
  
  

  Part 3 : Generative Literature, Digital Humanities, and Digital Assessment
  

  The third section of the presentation explores how the digital era is reshaping literature, analysis, and pedagogy by introducing new creative practices, analytical methods, and assessment strategies.

  I. The Rise of Generative Literature

  • Definition (Jean-Pierre Balpe): Generative literature is a form of digital literature where computers produce continuously changing texts using dictionaries, sets of rules, and algorithms.

  • Significance: This challenges traditional notions of authorship and reading, as texts are not created by human writers but by machines. It requires a new kind of interpretation that accounts for fluidity and temporality in literature.

  • Example: Poem Generator Machines demonstrate practical applications of algorithms in creative writing, producing forms like Haiku, Sonnets, and Song Lyrics.

  II. Digital Humanities: New Analytical Methods

  • Matthew Jockers – Microanalysis and Macroanalysis: Jockers’ work shows how digital methods allow for literary study on different scales. While microanalysis focuses on close reading, macroanalysis uses computational tools to examine vast corpora, offering insights into large-scale literary history.

  • Culturomics (Aiden & Michel): Defined as the “quantitative analysis of culture,” culturomics uses Ngram data to track linguistic and cultural changes over time. Their book Uncharted: Big Data as a Lens on Human Culture highlights how Big Data can reveal hidden cultural patterns.

  • Corpus Linguistics in Context (CLiC): The CLiC web app applies corpus stylistics to study 19th-century literature, particularly Dickens. Using tools like Key Word In Context (KWIC), it shows how readers perceive fictional characters and enables a computer-assisted approach to literary analysis.

  III. Digital Assessment and Pedagogical Shift

  • Digital Portfolio: A new method of assessment where student work is collected and hyperlinked on personal websites. This creates a dynamic, interconnected record of learning achievements.

  • Rationale (Holly Clark): Digital portfolios encourage students to curate, archive, and expand their work while building digital citizenship and literacy skills. They help students purposefully share their learning with the world.

  • Conclusion: The presentation emphasizes that the digital era has created “unbelievable positive change” in teaching-learning processes. Moving from text to hypertext not only transforms literature but also enhances pedagogy, preparing digital natives for the future.

  Learning Outcome from Part 3

  From this section, I learned that literature and pedagogy are no longer confined to static texts and traditional methods. Generative literature shows how machines can create endlessly new texts, raising fresh questions about authorship and creativity. Digital Humanities methods like macroanalysis, culturomics, and corpus linguistics prove that Big Data can reveal trends in culture and literature that a single reader could never notice. Finally, the idea of digital portfolios inspired me to think about assessment in a new way, where learning is not just submitted and forgotten but becomes part of a permanent, evolving digital presence. Overall, this section helped me understand how moving from text to hypertext truly reshapes both the way we read and the way we learn.
  
  

  Video Lecture: From Text to Hypertext in Digital Pedagogy
  
  
  

  
  

  The video lecture offered a comprehensive reflection on the shift from traditional text-based teaching to hypertext pedagogy in English language and literature, a transition that has become more urgent in the digital age and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The speaker began by introducing hypertext interactive, digital text enriched with links, multimedia, and non-linear pathways and emphasized its relevance for today’s digital-native students.

  One of the central themes of the lecture was the digital divide among educators. While many teachers have adopted platforms like YouTube and Google Classroom, only a few maintain personal blogs or websites. The session stressed the importance of educators owning digital spaces, which provide autonomy, flexibility, and independence in sharing and curating content.

  The lecture highlighted both challenges and opportunities in online and blended learning. Loss of face-to-face interaction, limited student engagement, and the absence of non-verbal cues were acknowledged as serious issues. To address these, the speaker demonstrated tools such as glass boards for real-time writing, collaborative Google Docs for language activities, and captioning/transcription features to overcome network and comprehension barriers.

  Key Highlights of the Lecture

  • Transition from text to hypertext pedagogy as essential for engaging digital-native learners.

  • Most teachers rely on institutional platforms but lack personal digital spaces such as blogs or websites.

  • Innovative tools (glass boards, Google Docs, captioning tools) enhance interactivity in online teaching.

  • Blended, flipped, and mixed-mode teaching models offer flexibility and active participation.

  • Hypertext enriches literature studies by linking texts with multimedia, mythological references, and cultural contexts.

  • Generative literature, created by AI, challenges traditional ideas of authorship and creativity.

  • Digital portfolios serve as authentic, hyperlinked records of student work and assessment.

  • Privacy concerns highlight the need for secure communication platforms like Google Groups instead of open social media.

  The video also delved into generative literature, where artificial intelligence creates literary texts. This phenomenon raises new questions about creativity and authorship and calls for updated teaching models and critical approaches. Similarly, the importance of digital portfolios was underlined as a meaningful way to document students’ learning journeys, combining blogs, multimedia, and presentations into an interconnected assessment record.

  Key Insights for Teaching and Learning

  • Hypertext as Pedagogy: It is not only a technological shift but also a new way of teaching and learning that values interactivity, decentralization, and student engagement.

  • Digital Presence: Teachers need to cultivate personal digital platforms to share resources effectively and adapt content without institutional delays.

  • Tool Simplicity: Free, user-friendly tools like Google Drive, Classroom, Meet, Docs, and YouTube are most effective for inclusive learning.

  • Blended and Flipped Learning: Combining synchronous (live sessions) and asynchronous (recorded lectures) methods ensures flexibility and deeper student involvement.

  • Enhanced Literature Teaching: By linking texts to images, archives, and mythological references, hypertext bridges cultural gaps and fosters critical thinking.

  • Ethics and Privacy: Digital pedagogy must respect learners’ privacy and promote responsible online practices.

  • Professional Development: Teachers must continuously upgrade digital skills to keep pace with evolving pedagogy.

  Conclusion

  The lecture ultimately conveyed that moving from text to hypertext is not just a change in tools, but a transformation in pedagogy. It equips students with digital literacy, fosters creativity, and supports authentic assessment. By integrating multimedia, interactivity, and digital portfolios, educators can create a vibrant, student-centered learning environment. The message was clear: the future of education lies in embracing hypertext, where knowledge is dynamic, collaborative, and continuously evolving.