BloGadgeTech

Draft video showing cellphone diary method, process, and one example of narrative. Cellphone Diaries is an overview of ongoing research using mobile technology to enhance the community engagement and design process. The project was conducted as a part of a Landscape Architecture studio in partial fulfillment of a Multi-Disciplinary Faculty Research and Professional Development (MFRPD) Grant comparing multidisciplinary approaches to documenting place-based narratives. Co-investigators included researchers in Graphic and Design and Sociolinguistics. In Cellphone Diaries, Assistant Professor Kofi Boone and seven (7) graduate assistants trained senior African-American residents of South Park East Raleigh, NC in the use of “smartphones” to document places that had meaning for them. The focus of the study was Chavis Park, a significant open space in the heart of Raleigh’s historic African American Neighborhood. 17 participants independently created 58 digital videos recorded onsite. The videos were geo-referenced and linked to an online map. The videos, map, and narratives will be used in ongoing community education and tourism activities. Future efforts include making these narratives available onsite to visitors via mobile devices.

Tags: CELLPHONE, diaries, gallery4.m4v, Video