Abstract
This is a hands-on class exploring how archaeologists can learn in a digital world. While digital tools like Python, R, 3D modeling, and GIS are becoming ubiquitous in archaeological research, there remains huge accessibility gaps for archaeologists who want training in these skills. Technology support, training, and time can become barriers for students and their faculty, meaning fewer opportunities for hands-on learning in the classroom. This class will address these issues by creating a digital archaeology repository from scratch. The class begins with outreach. Through discussions about effective pedagogy and increasing accessibility, we will devise a plan, approach, and the start of a usable tool kit. We will consider which methods/skillsets to teach, which software and datasets to use, how to record tutorials, and which platform(s) are best to disseminate our work. Students will learn through discussions and active demonstrations about digital technology's role in archaeology. Students will be challenged to think about the digital past in a critical way: how is technology aiding or abating our discoveries, and where should our efforts and resources best be applied? Students will also explore how digital technology can act as a gateway between occasionally divergent ways of thinking. They will learn to challenge the function of disciplinary categories like STEM and Humanities and discover how they can contribute towards making more equitable educational experiences. Students will leave a significant footprint: their contributions will help equalize educational disparities in this field.