DEFINING THE SCOPE OF YOUR PROJECT

Before diving into the details, clearly define your project’s scope:

1. Objective: What are you aiming to document? (e.g. everyday conversations, specific domain vocabulary, dialectal variations between towns, processes or actions such as cooking or dancing…) Narrowing down your objective will help you determine a lot of the details of your project, like your naming convention or what formats makes more sense to use (e.g. audio may be good enough to document dialectal variations, but you might need video to document conversations between large groups of people.)
2. Scale: Is this a short-term, casual project or a long-term, comprehensive effort? Are you embarking on this project alone or is it a team effort? Do you have a deadline and hwo strict is it?
3. Resources: What time, equipment, and help are available? (See the text, audio and video collection entries for examples of apps and equipment you might want to consider.)
4. Timeline: Set realistic start and end dates for your project phases. We recommend that you start small, especially as you gain confidence with your filing system and equipment.

CREATING A FILING SYSTEM

It might feel counter-intuitive, but one of the first things you need to decide is how you are going to save and manage the data you are about to collect. It’s not very exciting, but it will save you a lot of headaches in the future.

A well-organized filing system is crucial for managing your collected data efficiently:

1. Choose a consistent naming convention:
   • Use descriptive, concise names
   • Include date, type of content, and brief description
   • Example: “20240506_Ljouwert_CoffeeOrder.mp3”
2. Create a logical folder structure:
   • Main project folder
     • Text samples
     • Audio recordings
     • Video recordings
     • Transcriptions
     • Metadata
   • Consider subfolders for different themes, locations, or difficulty levels
3. Use metadata files or use a template:
   • Create a spreadsheet (e.g., Excel, Google Sheets) to track details about each sample
   • Include fields such as:
     • Unique ID
     • File name
     • Date collected
     • Content type (text, audio, video)
     • Source/Location
     • Participants (anonymized)
     • Language level
     • Key themes or vocabulary
     • Copyright status
4. Backup regularly:
   • Use cloud storage (e.g., Google Drive, Dropbox) for easy access and automatic syncing
   • Keep a local backup on an external hard drive

TRACKING PROJECT PROGRESS

To ensure your project stays on track:

1. Keep a project journal or management board:
   • Use a simple spreadsheet or notebook with columns for “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Completed”. This is especially important if you plan to record video, as processing the files can take a long time.
2. Break down your project into achievable tasks:
   • Data collection goals (e.g., “Collect 5 restaurant menu samples by the end of the spring term”)
   • Processing tasks (e.g., “Transcribe 1 audio recording with each classroom”)
   • Analysis and application tasks (e.g., “Test listening skills of each classroom with my best recording and ask students for feedback”)
3. Set milestones:
   • Define key points in your project (e.g., “50% of data collected,” “All video samples processed”)
   • Align these with your project timeline (if you have one)
4. Regular check-ins:
   • If you’re working with ateam or with your students, schedule time for reviewing your progress and evaluate the quality of your recordings.
   • Adjust your timeline or scope if necessary.
5. Stay creative:
   • Use your project journal to document challenges, insights, and decisions made during the project.

SHARING YOUR PROJECT

Sharing fosters collaboration, sparks new ideas, and can lead to unexpected insights or applications of your work. It also ensures that your efforts have a lasting impact, potentially inspiring or supporting other projects in the future. In the context of language preservation, sharing documentation of less-commonly taught languages or dialects can be particularly valuable, contributing to the collective effort to maintain linguistic diversity. Remember, a shared project has the potential to benefit not just your immediate circle, but your entire community.

Effectively sharing your collected materials enhances their value for teaching and research:

1. Organize materials for easy access:
   • Create “packages” of related materials (e.g., a video with its transcription and vocabulary list)
   • Develop a clear index or catalog of available resources
2. Ensure privacy and copyright compliance:
   • Remove any personally identifiable information
   • Clearly mark the copyright status and usage rights for each item
3. Choose appropriate sharing platforms:
   • For students:
     • Learning Management Systems (e.g., Moodle, Canvas)
     • Shared cloud folders (e.g., Google Drive with restricted access)
   • For fellow educators:
     • School libraries and institutional repositories
4. Create user guides:
   • Explain how to navigate your file system
   • Provide suggestions for how to use the materials in teaching or research
5. Encourage collaboration:
   • Encourage other educators to contribute to the project
   • Consider using collaborative platforms like wikis or shared documents
6. Use the data in teaching:
   • Test new language samples with your students and invite their feedback.
   • Try more activities in this Practical Guide with texts and recordings that you’ve made yourself.