Ways to Begin Implementing Minimal Computing Into Your Workflow, from Easy to Extra

The following are some actionable tips, some inspired by real minimal computing projects, that individuals can use to incorporate minimal computing in their research, teaching, or other areas of their digital life. I would like to recognize that although individual actions and taking responsibility for one’s personal digital footprint can be empowering, rewarding, and a useful proof of concept, they are not the only work that needs to be done to mitigate the issues minimal computing sets out to address (inequity in tech access, erosion of user privacy and agency, and environmental impact of digital media, among others). I will address these larger issues and how to engage with them in a later post, but for now, I encourage readers to consider these tips as a place to begin engaging with minimal computing.

Guide 1: A MinComp Tipsheet

Make an audit of your digital life, and consider your findings in light of Gil’s minimal computing question: “What do we need?” Get a clear of what you’re storing digitally and where. Which platforms or services do you use most, and which have you not used in a while? You may find that there are areas where you can contract your digital footprint, areas where you could make a swap of one solution for a lighter-weight one, or areas where you need a larger or more robust digital solution (which is fine! I think minimal computing must begin with an honest accounting of your needs, large or small).
Be conscious about what you choose to store digitally-consider retaining physical records where possible, or store your digital records on a physical hard drive.
Try switching to a plaintext editor for your writing, rather than a rich text document editor.
Consider alternative platforms like Cohost or Mastodon for your social media/networking needs–these platforms don’t use algorithmically curated feeds or endless scrolling, and they have more restrictive policies around the collection and use of user data.
When devising curriculum, make sure not only that your digital content is accessible, but test that it is equally functional across different types of devices, from PCs to netbooks to smartphones. It is important to keep in mind that your students may have varied access to tech, and that what works well on a PC or laptop may not on other devices, which has the potential to restrict students’ ability to fully engage with your curriculum.
If you have or manage a dynamic website where you host content, consider converting to a static site. This saves on bandwidth, making your site require less server space and making it more accessible for users on low bandwidth.
Make a fully downloadable version of your website that can be shared via sneakernet, allowing users with no internet to access your website!
If you’re feeling handy, consider repairing your own digital devices. This takes time, but opens the door to reclaiming ownership of your digital life through increased understanding of hardware and reduced reliance on opaque repair/replacement services.
If you’re in the market for a computer build project, look into Raspberry Pis, which have been used to good effect in pedagogical contexts.
For a major project, try building your own server! This could be a great class project and if properly maintained could host digital materials for teaching or research, digital editions, or anything else you want to make available online.

Minimal Computing in Secondary Education

Suggesting minimal computing as a pedagogical and curricular tool for secondary school teachers may seem like one of many additional tasks laid at the feet of a workforce that is already spread thin. And, it must be said, the most easily quantifiable incarnations of minimal computing do involve an upfront investment of time in learning new and potentially unfamiliar skills-if you want to make a static site without using a building/hosting service, you will likely have to do some coding. However, initial effort can return dividends in terms of curriculum longevity, and minimal computing as a way of thinking, beyond the creation of websites, is something that teachers in various disciplines could fruitfully apply to their pedagogy and curriculum development. For most teachers and students from secondary education onwards, a computer is a primary tool for learning and teaching. Before returning to graduate school I worked in schools for several years-first as a preschool teacher with students aged 18 months to 5 years, then as a middle school paraeducator with students aged 12-15. I served students from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds, and I often saw students’ access to digital curriculum affect their academic success in ways we as teachers struggled to address. I think minimal computing as a toolset and a critical lens can offer a more just way forward for students and teachers. Since minimal computing offers a lens on a broad range of personal and community computing practices, I think students and teachers could use it to expand their agency and examine how structures of power affect their digital lives. Below I analyze a few examples of minimal computing pedagogy and activities at the college level and offer some ideas for how these could be adapted for use in a secondary school classroom.

Guide 2: Notes for Teachers

In their case study, "Teaching DH on Raspberry Pis," Dillen Wout and Joshua Schaeuble outline their work on a one-week intensive module at Antwerp Summer School. They begin by acknowledging that we shouldn't simply assume that our students are universally tech savvy! I think a lot of teachers, especially those who struggle with the tech they're expected to use for teaching, consider their students to be technologically adept because they are comfortable with user interfaces, but this doesn't mean they have a good understanding of how tech functions or how to fix technological problems. It is worth making the distinction, for our students and ourselves.
SUGGESTED ACTIVITY: Have students write a personal computation narrative-similar to a literacy narrative, in which students are asked to reflect on experiences and memories around reading, but instead focused on experiences with the digital. This will help teachers get a sense of their students' skillsets, which will not only allow them to adjust curriculum accordingly but may also surface relevant skills that teachers (and students) weren't aware they had.
In "MicroDH: Digital humanities at the Small Scale," Roopika Risam discusses doing digital humanities work at an underfunded state school; this will likely have relevance for a lot of teachers working on slim annual budgets. Especially well made Is Risam's point that "[minimal computing] principles privilege access and openness for stakeholders across economic and technical barriers. More importantly, they are precepts that envision how digital humanities practices might be available to those who work outside of macro structures that have historically shaped digital humanities" (Risam 2017). "Micro DH" could prove an excellent entry point for secondary school teachers who want to examine digitality with their students. Risam's emphasis on "the primacy of local resources" invites adaptation for non-archival resources that kids have in their communities. The fact that Salem Sate's Digital Scholars Program is "student-centered and student-led" (Risam 2017) aligns with collaborative pedagogy techniques already used in some secondary school classrooms.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITY: Do a scavenger hunt with students to identify resources in your classroom and community-these can be objects such as computer hardware, information sources such textbooks or shared knowledge, or skills such as language proficiency, drawing, or typing. Once you have a list, have students brainstorm in small groups what they would like to build with those resources.