ETEC 540 – Task 1: What’s In My Bag?
Hello 540! My name is Carlo DeFazio and I’m born and raised in Vancouver, BC. I currently teach Grade 7 in Burnaby at an independent elementary school. I have been part of the MET program now for a little bit and have come to realize the importance of educational technologies in my day to day work. This assignment really had me think about some of the reasons for particulars in my backpack and how they might represent me at all. Allow me to share with you the contents of my work backpack to see what they might reveal about me and how they relate to text technologies.
I’ll start with the most vital and important item in my backpack, my laptop. This is not just a laptop to me. This tech tool holds everything sacred to me. It contains work and personal files, photos of my two beautiful daughters and it’s overflowing with random digital memories that I simply can’t even categorize. On a day to day basis, I use my laptop for communication and for creating work related documents for my students. I frequently use it to post assignments to my students and write reports on. It’s my bread and butter, I never come to work without it!
Next is my iPad, which I also use from time to time. Complete with an Apple Pencil, I can honestly say that I find more pleasure out of this object doodling on Notepad during a staff meeting or a long conference. It’s definitely nice to have, especially when I airplay it to my projector and use it with my students.
My USB storage device is another critical item in my backpack. It contains backups of important documents, lesson plans, photos and student assignments. This small device ensures that I have access to crucial files, even if my laptop or internet connection fails. I’ve panicked and got the instant sweats when I thought I lost it once, so I make sure that I always keep it in this backpack where it’s safe and sound.
Among the more personal items, I have a recently used Canucks Playoff towel. As a Canucks fan, I guess that I could say that I keep this towel with me as a reminder of the excitement and passion that sports bring into my life. However, I only really had it in my backpack to take to the pub with me after work and watch the game with a few friends.
I also found a ton of tax papers shoved into my backpack, which includes various forms and receipts that I needed to scan at work. This documentation is essential for my personal record-keeping and ensures that I stay organized during tax season. It also shows my scatterbrain that can’t seem to take it out of my bag and file it away at home where it belongs.
An apple is a staple in my backpack, providing a simple, quick and healthy snack option during my busy days at work. It’s a small but important item. But, I was out of apples last week and ended up with an orange. Didn’t eat it. Need to grab some more apples.
A microfiber cloth is another practical item I carry. It’s perfect for keeping my laptop, iPad and other devices clean and free of smudges, which drive me crazy! I need to always ensure that my screens are clean and easy to read.
My writing tools, including a marker, highlighter and pencils, are indispensable. Maybe my favourite thing in here is a pencil. I’m a big pencil and paper kind of guy and not having a pen in this bag actually fits me perfectly. Despite the prevalence of digital devices, there are still more times than none when writing by hand is necessary, especially for quick notes.
Reinforcements also show my love for the old school parts of education. Although a lot of my curriculum and planning revolves around technology and assignments completed and submitted online, I still feel that being able to organize a binder is essential. My students know how serious I take it when I see papers falling out of their binders and they would get a kick out of the fact that I actually have an old sheet of small adhesive rings in my backpack.
My wallet is also in my backpack, containing my physical identification, like my driver’s license, and access to my debit and credit cards. It’s a crucial item that I always have on hand.
Work keys are another important item, granting me access to all parts of my school. I feel that they symbolize my role and responsibilities within the school community in which I take a lot of pride in.
Lastly, I have a White Spot gift card, received as a gift from a colleague for a job well done coaching a soccer season. That reminded me of my dedicated lifestyle through my work and nice reminders and thoughtful gestures from those around me make a big difference in all that I do.
Comparing the items in my backpack to what might have been found in an educator’s backpack in the past, it’s clear how much has changed over the past 10-20 years. I’d like to think that my blended method of technology use and paper would have me survive being an educator in the past. They definitely didn’t depend on a laptop or carry a digital file folder around with them everywhere. Perhaps I would have preferred that lifestyle. If someone were to look through my bag, I don’t think that one would suggest that I’m an educator but they would definitely see me as a student. Overall, my backpack demonstrates the importance of text and literacy in my role as an educator, highlighting how crucial language and text technologies are to me moving forward.
2 replies on “Task 1: What’s In Your Bag?”
Hi Carlo – I clicked on your name first as I believe we’ve had a previous class or two together. I learned more about you from your bag than from any previous interaction! What was especially telling was that Canucks flag. If you were to visit my site, you’d see that I was raised in Edmonton – and yes, I still bleed blue and orange. BUT know that the Canucks have always been my #2.
We have quite a few commonalities in our bags once we move beyond hockey allegiance, including clear indicators of a blended method in terms of technology. I cannot get through the average day without my laptop either, yet the notebook, pens, and hard-copy student work in there speak to my belief that not everything should be done online. In fact, my students will often CHOOSE hardcopy assignments over work that requires more screen time.
Nice work with the post, and I look forward to reading more of yours.
Hey Steve,
Great to see you again in another course! Thank you for your comment, much appreciated. And, yes… that one still hurts. I have to agree with you here about student choice, I do the same thing and often find that my student prefer to be more “artistic” as they put it and turn in hard copy work. Maybe it’s a change of times as we know it! Not really, but I can continue to make progress with technology and move in that direction. This program has been instrumental in my growth in this area and I look forward to continuing along the way.