Task 1: What’s In Your Bag?
Hello! My name is April and I’m currently a classroom teacher. When planning through this task, I realized that there are many moments when I leave my house with nothing but my phone, keys and wallet in hand. As such, I have chosen to document my work bag as for the most part, it is something I use daily.
My work bag carries the following items: classroom keys, hand lotion, eyedrops, car keys, wallet, lunch bag, laptop charger, laptop and phone.
I would consider my current workbag to be very minimalistic and organized. What isn’t shown here is how everything has a place. Of course, dependent on the day and month of the year, my bag may change, and the items inside will change as well. For example, last week I had taken my class on a field trip and in my backpack, I had extra snacks, wipes and a first aid kit.
Looking at the current state of my bag, I would consider a high digital literacy presence. Technology is very present as everything I need for my day to day can be found on my laptop and/or my phone. In fact, many apps are connected off both devices. From sending emails, creating lesson plans, writing report cards to watching videos, making phone calls, and for financial transactions, I rely heavily on my phone and laptop to get me through the day. Through my daily practice, I find that I rarely pull out anything from my bag aside from having my phone in my hand – whether that’s for texting, phone calls, taking photos or for using Apple Pay, I don’t seem to need anything else.
I can see how technology speaks volume about my preferences for communication. At first glance, it’s clear I rely on digital communication like messaging and email for convenience. However, unless you go through my phone usage, you might not realize that I also engage in a lot of verbal communication through Facetime, making phone calls, or using audio recordings in messaging.
Thinking back 15 years ago when I was in school, my bag would have been packed with textbooks, books, binders, and school supplies. Back then, I wasn’t as reliant on technology as I am now. Everything that I needed would have been hand written or typed up on a desktop computer. That definitely wouldn’t have fit in my bag! Carrying cash would have been more common for me then, unlike now where it’s a rarity unless I know ahead of time to bring cash. With all the walking I did back then, lugging around a heavy backpack was a daily occurrence. It’s surprising to see how much lighter my bag is now, especially since I have the luxury of driving everywhere.
I do wonder what an archeologist would think when they find this bag. With society’s progression, I imagine there will be a decreased need to carry so many items. Smartphones now replace cameras, banking, and even serve as keys for cars. It would be interesting to see how this bag may change in the future.
I really enjoyed reading your post as it is from the perspective of another educator. Like you, I really only reach into my bag for anything but my phone. But I’m surprised you don’t have a pen in there!
Your post reminded me that I wear an Apple watch and generally will pay for things that way, so I don’t often reach for my wallet/credit card either.
You mention that 15 or 20 years ago you would have had textbooks, binders, etc. Don’t you find it hard to imagine packing our bags with all that now? It makes me think back to high school and university where I still carried a shoulder bag with all those heavy items because I thought fashion was more important than practicality. (I’m pretty sure I have lifelong back and neck problems because of it!!).
It’s interesting to think about our relationship to the texts and technologies in our bags, I find that I keep some things in there, like my wallet which has cards I NEVER use, simply because I don’t like the idea/discomfort of not having it in there? Maybe I need to reflect on why I feel comfort having certain things in my bag, even if they aren’t used.