Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
4
Gearing Up
Ethnographic Equipment
On smooth surfaces the staff helps maintain an easy rhythm to my walk
and gives me something to lean on when I stop to stand and stare.
—Colin Fletcher
Notepads, digital voice recorders, computers, PDAs, cameras, camcorders—all
the tools of ethnography—are merely extensions of the human instrument, aids to
memory and vision. Yet these useful devices can facilitate the ethnographic mis-
sion by capturing the rich detail and flavor of the ethnographic experience and then
helping to organize and analyze these data. This chapter surveys ethnographic
equipment, ranging from simple paper and pen to high-tech laptop and mainframe
computers, from digital voice recorders and cameras to digital camcorders.
Database software, Internet telephony, and videoconferencing technology are also
discussed. The use of Internet-based tools, such as blogs, collaborative documents,
spreadsheets, and Web pages, reflect the collaborative nature of ethnography in a
high-tech world. The proper equipment can make the ethnographer's sojourn in an
alien culture more pleasant, safe, productive, and rewarding.
PEN AND PAPER
The most common tools ethnographers use are pen and paper. With these tools,
fieldworkers record notes from interviews during or after each session, sketch
an area's physical layout, trace an organizational chart, and outline informal
social networks. Notepads can hold initial impressions, detailed conversations,
and preliminary analyses. Most academics have had a great deal of experience
with these simple tools, having taken extensive notes in classes. Note-taking
skill is easily transferable to the field. Pen and paper have several advantages:
ease of use, minimal expense, and unobtrusiveness. There are many occasions
where it is disruptive, inappropriate, and/or dangerous to record notes, ranging
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