Link #1 (Voice-to-text)
My first link is to our classmate Anneke Nussbaum. Upon viewing her website, I was quite impressed by her website design and the depth of content she includes in each post. I appreciated the website architecture and her detailed reflections on each task. Furthermore, I noticed we also both teach ELL students. Upon comparison of our task 3 assignment, we both used a voice-to-text app and commented on the lack of punctuation generated from the technology. Anneke included a great picture of the importance of using punctuation, which made me laugh. The text from the picture says, “I like cooking my family and my pets”. I think this is a great example of visual literacy as it shared the importance of punctuation. I may share this image with my ELL class as well. Her inclusion of pictures makes me reflect upon how powerful visual images can be. Reflecting upon my site construction, I think adding more pictures could make it more interesting to read and add more depth to my reflections. One great addition she incorporated was to complete the assignment using two different programs. I like how she used a highlighter to color coat the differences in the text. Furthermore, I was quite surprised by the variation in text generated from different programs using different devices (iPad and laptop). Although I printed my script generated by AI, and color coated them with a highlighter for my reference, I did not include that within my post. I also enjoyed how visually her post looked quite different from mine, as she incorporated many pictures, and it was very neatly organized. My page was all written text and only included one small picture. Anneke also makes the link to AI which is an important aspect of the technology used within this assignment.
This assignment reminds me of a friend that uses AI to generate texts. Upon reading the first few messages my friend sent, I was very confused by the messages. She then told me her process of how she creates her messages, which is very different from my process as I use the keyboard on my iPhone to create messages. She mentioned she uses the speech-to-text feature as she is multitasking, and it saves her time. However, the downside is the errors that are generated from AI.
Furthermore, Anneke discusses how it was challenging to create a story on the spot, without having the time to generate your thoughts. This was something I also found difficult as well when completing this task. Even though we were not supposed to script the story, I did make a note of the places I wanted to discuss before starting the task so that was no were large pauses within my script. Anneke also did this and the reason that is similar we both scripted our story is our memory is poor. Lastly, Anneke shares that oral speech is becoming permanent through audio and video recordings, for instance, podcasts. This is a great point she brings up, as the way we are communicating with each other is changing.
Link #2 (What’s in your bag?)
My second link is to our classmate Amy Jazienicki. Below is the comment I posted on her page for her first task, “What’s in your bag?”
Hi Amy,
Thanks for sharing an interesting post! Your post resonated with me as you presented your assignment uniquely. The minimalist sentiment you value is preset as you explained your thoughts concisely. I enjoyed how you mentioned financial literacy, which I also mentioned in my post but you also included technical literacy which is nice. Mostly, I was able to connect with the last sentence of your post where you mention “text technologies reflect a hybridization of my choosing.”
Further reflecting on her post, I use text technologies in a hybridized manner similar to how she explains through her post. However, we both like to write our notes by hand. Amy explains how she uses the traditional method of writing using a notebook. Throughout my MET journal, I have also used a notebook to document the key ideas from each module and made notes manually. Although I can type out my notes faster on the computer and it is neat on a computer, I prefer to have my notes all located in one place within a notebook. This allows me to revisit previous concepts learnt easily, as I can flip through my notebook. Digitally, I am not organized as my information easily gets lost. For instance, if I type a note on my phone, I forget that it is there most of the time, as I do not regularly check the notes section. Amy also mentions she uses the notes on her device. However, she shares how the space for writing is smaller (in comparison to a notebook), which is true. Furthermore, my USB is full of many digital resources, most of which are not organized very well. Therefore, I usually prefer to flip through my binders for each class, to see the student handouts I have for students. We both use technology, but we choose when and where to use technology.
I also hope to embrace more of the minimalist sentiment that Amy values. I tend to keep a lot of extra things I do not need, and as a consumer, I buy so many items. Over the years, I have collected so many extra items within my teaching binders for the various courses I have taught. I do not enjoy the cleaning up process as it is time-consuming, and therefore I have so much extra stuff. I also do not like to waste money and save and collect many items at home as well. However, most of the time I have forgotten I have these items, or they are stored so far back in our storage unit that I do not bother to dig up these items. Having two young girls and seeing how they quickly grow out of clothing items, I have collected and stored so many of their clothing items if my sister will need them for her kids in the future. Collecting clothing is an attribute that portrays I am not a minimalist. I would like to start to change my mindset to this minimalist mentality that Amy alludes to. I know it will be very difficult to change my mindset as I am not able to easily give up materialistic items.
Click on the link below to view her assignment.
Link #3 (Potato Printing)
My third link is to our classmate Karen Wang for task 4 on potato printing. My first impression of her website was it was visually appealing, especially as she had completed it in a different format which is through WIX. I noticed we both made a few errors when completing the potato stamp. Both of us did not write the letters of the stamp backwards, and initially produced an image that was backwards. However, the methodology we used to solve our problem was different. Karen used a mirror app from her phone to guide her through the process. On the other hand, I wrote the letters backwards on a sheet of paper and flipped them around to make sure they were in the correct orientation. Reflecting on my methodology of fixing my letters, Karen used technology to assist her. Contrastingly, I used what I am most comfortable and used to using, which is paper.
Furthermore, we both had difficulty carving out our stamps, and therefore a portion of our stamp was cut off by mistake. However, her mistake of creating a 2D stamp was something my 6-year-old daughter tried to create purposely, so she could have a tiny mini stamp to play with when we both completed this activity together. It was great how she made the link to Gutenberg in the difficulty of creating a perfect stamp. Additionally, she mentions how Gutenberg must have also had a trial-and-error method before he was able to create the perfect stamp. The point she brings up about problem-solving is important, as it is important to be able to come up with a variety of solutions for various problems you encounter. This is an important skill to be able to apply in your everyday life.
A few points Karen brings up that are interesting are how her elementary students get confused when they see the typed-out letter “a” and the handwritten letter “a” as they look different. I had not noticed this difference until she pointed it out. This would especially be important for elementary teachers when they teach the alphabet as students would get confused on worksheets if the letter “a” looks different. As my older daughter is in grade 1 now, I have not noticed getting confused with the letter “a” so far. Conversely, I have seen her write some of her letters backwards, and gets some letters confused that look similar to another letter.
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Link # 4 (Emoji Story)
My fourth link is to Kirn Bhela for her emoji story. One reason I resonated with her post is we both found it difficult to create an emoji story. Though I enjoyed the process, it challenged me to create only a story using emojis, as it was the first time I did this. I also completed this assignment with my students, and we tried to guess their stories. A lot of these English Language Learners (ELL) found it difficult to create a story just using emojis. I later asked them to write a script after using their emoji story to present to the class. Overall, they found the assignment fun to complete.
One part I found particularly interesting that Kirn mentioned was “Almost anyone, with or without an education, can communicate using visuals, however, not everyone can communicate in written text, and if they can, it is generally in only a few languages, not all. Hence, language has divided us.” I never deeply thought about this idea and it is interesting. With my ELL students, some of them that are in the beginner class, one method I communicate to them is through visuals. Kirn also mentions “My parents native language is not English, but whenever we watch English movies, they can always understand the plot if the acting and visuals are strong.” Further reflecting upon the ideas she has alluded to, as my in-laws are born and raised in India, they are also able to watch English movies as they have learnt English in school. However, as English is not their first language, and they are not accustomed to watching English movies, they prefer to watch Indian movies. Additionally, I have seen the notion of language dividing people especially with my in-laws, as they are not so confident speaking and writing the language, they don’t have the confidence in speaking English with others. It takes them more time to express their thoughts in English, as they communicate with family and friends primarily in Hindi and Marathi. Within my ELL class, the concept of language may divide individuals, as their class is a separate class full of ELL learners. They all want to quickly finish the ELL program, so they can be with the rest of their peers in the mainstream regular classes. However, language also unites individuals as these students are from various grade levels and they now have a new class and friends that unites them. Most of the students in this class speak one language, and therefore that language also connects them as they communicate with each other and help each other understand class concepts in a language they are most comfortable in. In a mainstream class, they would feel isolated and language becomes a barrier.
Upon viewing my emojis present on my iPhone, I did realize that most of the emojis did represent happiness and love which Kirn mentioned. Although there is a section of emojis representing sadness and anger, the ones portraying happiness do dominate the keyboard.
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Link #5 (Mode Bending)
My fifth link is to Natalie Cheung for Task 7 (mode bending). The reason this post resonated with me and I choose to comment on it is Natalie represented her assignment uniquely through a poem. Furthermore, she attached a copy of her poem on her page, as well as the lyrics to her poem. Through her poem, she was able to express many emotions, connections, and the importance of these items she carries. Lastly, as I have found it difficult to articulate my thoughts through poems and I have not written a poem since high school, it was refreshing to see a unique representation of the task.
In Task 7 Natalie states “This collection of items is a still life painted in time, of what is available and accessible in the location of where that person resides and of what is embedded within their culture and social norms. It’s a gallery of objects curated from an experience or manifested in a dream to add to the ongoing exhibit of that person’s life. ” She makes connections in her poem to her place of residence in Hong Kong where she mentions she has the cooling wipes to fight the heat. I agree that the items in a person’s bag will change upon their experience and are items individuals accumulate over time. She mentioned in her poem she had faded receipts and expired coupons, which are also items I collect and usually do not clean out until many months later. Natalie mentions in her wallet she has ” polaroids of the ones dear in my heart.” This is interesting all I do carry pictures of the ones that I love as well. However, I do this digitally. My phone is full of pictures of my family, and my screen saver and phone lock has a picture that rotates between my daughters or my husband. The significance of carrying these pictures digitally is convenience in access. I can easily access photos and videos of my loved ones, and I have a much larger collection of photos to view. There are more than 6000 photos on my phone, and more than 2000 videos I can easily access at the press of a button. However, reflecting upon why she may carry around hard copies of pictures is possibly they are authentic (i.e. due to the feel), and she can easily view those selected pictures that may be the most precious to her. As there are more than 8000 items on my phone, it is more challenging to locate a specific photo. Reflecting upon her questions in her assignment, I feel the poem evoked more details and a deeper understanding of the creator, in comparison to the first time this assignment was completed. The words she has chosen in her poem are powerful, and they express an immense amount of emotion.
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Link #6 (Twine Task)
My last link is to Mandy Alves. I noticed we both completed our website using WordPress. Furthermore, we both have two young daughters. I could resonate with many of the comments she makes as I am also a mother with young kids. Where she mentions her bag is full of crumbs, and her 3-year-old covered in cheerios brings back many vivid memories and made me laugh as I can relate to her experiences. Additionally, we both completed our twine story around our kids. Mandy made her story about her kids and their lost sock. I can relate to this as I have a huge pile of lost socks from both of my daughters. Conversely, my story was around our Christmas plans with our children.
I was quite impressed with Mandy’s Twine task. Her story was very well done, and she even included pictures within her story. This is something I tried to do but gave up as I could not figure it out in time. Her story was also very detailed. However, one thing I found distracting about her story was the words moving on the page. I think she did this to draw attention to certain words and make the story more interactive. However, it distracted me from reading the story and made it difficult for me to read. I think this is because I cannot focus on many things at a time when I am reading or writing. If someone is talking when I am reading, I am not able to tune out their voice. Similarly, I think my eyes were getting too distracted from the moving words (especially the ones moving rapidly up and down), and personally, this made it challenging for me to read the story. From the story endings I chose, the moral was “the grass is not greener on the other side.” I think this is an important lesson, especially with having young kids’ life can become challenging as you do not have as much time for yourself in comparison to when you did not have kids. It is easy to give up, compare yourself to others, or want a way out. The moral kids can learn from this story is to be happy with what they have and with themselves. They will also compare themselves to their peers, in regard to materialistic objects and their progress in school. Overall, I enjoyed reading her posts and loved her attention to detail within her posts.
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