Task 1 – What’s In My Bag?

My name is Adriana Silvestre, and you will get to know a part of me through the contents in my bag.  I chose this bag, as this is the bag I use on a daily basis when I am going to work.  I like a tote bag, as I can just throw in anything that I need, and this can often change. I am very organized, and I see my tote bag as a place for compartmentalized areas. The first thing that goes in my tote bag is my purse. I like to have a small purse that is easy to just grab and carry with me, so the tote bag will stay in the car or in my classroom and the small purse will go with me. In my purse, I have just what I need, my wallet, my car and house keys, a pen, and my phone. Then inside the tote bag, there are a few pockets, where I carry some items that are always there, such as sunglasses, chewing gum, classroom key and fob card, hand sanitizer and mask. The next section will be my pencil case, that has my USB key, where all my teaching files are, an extra USB key I take to the printer at school, and a pen. The last section in the picture is my lunch bag, my water bottle, and my tea travel cup. These are mostly what often goes in my bag. Other times, I add my laptop, or a folder with files or student work that needs to be marked. When I am not at work, I throw a bag with snacks for my sons, or a changing pad with a diaper and wipes. So, depending on what I am doing, my tote bag will be adapted based on smaller compartments. 

The most prominent text is my “keys”, keys to the car, keys to the house, keys to the classroom, key fob for the school, and ultimately my USB key.  This is a text that indicates access, in a way privilege. I have access to a car that allows me to go places, I have access to a job, where I am trusted, and where I have my own space, which is my classroom, and I have access to a house. I have access to clean water, and I can enjoy my tea as I commute to work, and I have access to food. This text demonstrates that I inhabit a first world country, in a culture that is busy all the time.  I need to make sure I have my tea with me as I commute, and my lunch ready to eat, compared to other cultures, such as Spain, Brazil, Greece, even France, a culture where people can take a two hour break to enjoy lunch at home, even take a nap. Don’t get me wrong, I much rather, have a quick lunch and come home early to be with my kids, and enjoy time with them. So, as much as I rush in the morning to go to work, I rush back home. 

Now, let’s talk about the text technologies. My USB Key! That’s all I need, and obviously access to a computer. That USB key is my LIFE, my work life, I should say. All my files for teaching, all my resources are in that USB key. That USB key indicates that I am someone that’s well versed in computer technology as it is pretty much the only item that is not a “need”. I don’t carry teacher manuals or paper versions of many resources, I don’t even have a paper agenda. I access everything I need using my phone, I have my google calendar, and google drive, and google classroom, and so many other apps that allow me to do my work, and have everything digital. In fact, most recently, I have started using the cloud to store all my files and my resources for my work, so in a few years, that USB key will be obsolete, and out of my bag. The only text technologies left will be my car fob and my phone. 

It is clear, from my bag, that the way I engage with language and communication is mostly digital, and digital is my main literacy.  Although, you won’t be able to tell just by a USB key, I think that this little item, this USB key, is the one item that best represents me in my bag. I have a background in New Media, graphic, and web design. I have always been passionate about computer technology and computer literacy, and I have been using computers from a very young age. I am passionate about using digital technology. 

The narrative of my bag is the narrative of a working woman, who uses computer technology, who is on the move, and who is a teacher. If you look closely at my work fob, you can tell that I am a Catholic, as I work for a Catholic board. Another literacy I have which is evident by this item in my bag is my Catholicity. I believe that the narrative of my bag is not much different than the narrative produced by the image I project outwards as a teacher. Of course there is so much more that you can’t tell about me and my private life, such as whether I am married, or have kids, or what is my cultural background, or what hobbies and activities I enjoy, and how good a teacher I am, how kind, etc. 

An archaeologist will definitely look at the mask, and know that public health is a concern, along with the hand sanitizer. The archaeologist will definitely notice the USB key and the pen, and understand that computer technology is essential to me, but that there is still space for physical writing. 

The contents of my bag 15 years ago, would have been different in the sense that I  was carrying more textbooks and binders and notebooks. I was carrying a much heavier load. I enjoy my current bag, I like things to be efficient, organized, light, modular, agile and adaptable. Most interestingly, I wonder what others might see when they look at my bag.