Month: November 2025

https://blogs.ubc.ca/etec540jskiba/

Task 6: An Emoji Story by Jodee Skiba

The emoji story by Jodee Skiba is simple and based on key words and ideas from the plot. I chose Jodee Skiba’s emoji task for several reasons. The author found this task easier to do than expected, which was the complete opposite for me. And the movie they picked was so simple and yet I struggled with guessing it. It made me think that maybe we all interpret emojis in a different way. 

Just like the point raised by the author in their post, do emojis carry a different meaning for different cultures? Or more specifically, does interpretation of emojis vary from person to person? I asked my husband to guess the movie as he really likes this one, but he was taking the emojis too literally instead of linking them with ideas. In the end, he got it but I realized his choice of emojis would be completely different for this movie than the author. 

https://blogs.ubc.ca/jduecketec540/task-5/

Task 5: Twine Game by Jonathan Deuck

The twine game made by Jonathan Deuck takes the player through the morning routine of a student before heading off to school. The goal is to make it in time to catch the bus. Every scenario has a bunch of options with the time they take and the student has to decide which one they would prioritize in order to get to school on time. 

This was such a fun game to play! It had all the moments we all go through in the morning, the little decisions that we make in our head such as should I check my phone or go to the bathroom first? The attention to detail was fantastic and made the game even more enjoyable to play. I played it many times and tried to alternate my choices so I end up with a different outcome every time.  

Another small detail I really liked from this game was when you went to the bathroom and decided to brush your hair, it would bring you back to the bathroom and say ‘your hair is done’ so you can go to the next task. 

I think this is a fantastic example of how intertwined human actions and decisions are, and how they can be portrayed via hyperlinks. 

https://blogs.ubc.ca/manomet/2025/10/25/golden-record-curation-task-8/

Task 8: Golden Record Curation by Manouchehr

In his post, Manouchehr first divided all of the 27 tracks on the Golden Record by geographical origin, and then realized that they were disproportionate to the population size of the regions which makes them lack proper representation. He also recognized that many artists who did not have access to international platforms for their craft could not be included in this record. After narrowing down the song choices based on geography and population size, he selected those that sounded nice to him. And then went on to include a short reason for why it was his top choice. 

I really enjoyed the methodical approach that he took while selecting the songs. His selection, like many others, was based on geography and cultural representation. However, he emphasized on population sizes which is a really important point. If there are more songs included in a language spoken by a fairly large group of people on Earth, only then can we ensure their proper representation in outer space. 

I really valued his take that not all artists, especially from that time period, had access to global exposure for their music which is why their songs could not be included and it is totally unfair. But I wonder if the Golden Record was made in today’s day and age, would it be any different? 

https://blogs.ubc.ca/iceetec540/2025/09/21/task-3-voice-to-text-task/

Task 3: Voice to Text by Ice

The author details an account of a crazy morning they had while going to work. The day began by their car not starting when they were already late, then the bus being late and full! Been there, done that and it’s not a good feeling. And then their phone flying off in an already crowded bus. It would have been so stressful at the time, but reading it was kind of nice and relatable. 

It was almost like the author was speaking to me and I think that’s why I chose this particular post.

The mistakes in the transcript of the voice note were very similar to what I experienced with mine. Long sentences, punctuation and grammar errors, as well as misspelled words and fillers. I completely agree with the author that if this story was pre-scripted, it would totally lose its charm, and might even be boring to read. The ‘authentic rhythm’ of it as mentioned by the author is what makes it so fun to read. 

https://blogs.ubc.ca/contrabot/2025/09/28/potato-movable-type/

Task 2: Potato Printing by Kyle Hunter

I really wanted to do this task myself but because of lack of time, I could not do so. When I was reading about Kyle’s experience, it was very enlightening and also entertaining so I chose it for my linking assignment. 

It did seem like a very technical and time consuming task just like he mentioned but it was a lot of fun to go through his process, especially the way he also recorded his mistakes and then how he corrected them. I think this task gives us an important reflection into how far printing has come and how we take it for granted. The precision and manual labor it must have taken to print even the simplest of things!

This task also reminded me of block printing done on clothes and textiles by artisans. It is a popular practice in Pakistan to make and wear clothes with block prints on them. Even though I’ve seen people work on it, I never paid attention to the amount of effort that goes into making those beautiful designs. 

https://blogs.ubc.ca/jduecketec540/task-7/

Task 7: Mode-Bending by Jonathan Dueck

I found his submission to be a very interesting and creative take on the task. By using the sounds of each of the items in his bag, he successfully conveyed what these items are. There was the subtle tick of the clock as background music, sound of the zip opening up, laptop being pulled out and placed on the table, charger being plugged in etc. I was almost convinced to do this with the contents of my own bag as well, just to hear what they sound like.

I chose to reflect on this because this was an idea I did not think of when redesigning my task 1, and I was intrigued by its uniqueness. I think it did a great job of transforming the semiotic mode of the content perfectly. His analysis and reflection of the task, especially how it became an opportunity to pique his students’ curiosity, made me realize that learning indeed does not have to be visual or textual as we are used to. 

The last line he mentions rung especially true:

“In rethinking literacy this way, mode-bending becomes both a creative and critical act—one that reaffirms the learner as an active designer of meaning rather than a passive consumer of information.”

References:

Dueck, J. (2025). Task 7: Mode-Bending. ETEC 540. https://blogs.ubc.ca/jduecketec540/task-7/

 

For this last task, I wanted to push my imagination and create something completely new based on one of the prompts provided in the excel sheet. It turned out to be a very fun brain exercise.

This was the prompt I used: Describe or narrate a scenario about a device found two generations into a future in which society as we know it has come apart. Your description should address issues related to climate and elicit feelings of amusement.

It is the year 2075. Everyone is walking around with a mask on their faces. This mask serves many different purposes. Firstly, it purifies the air inhaled by the person wearing it. The air quality has hit a new low ever since the climate of the Earth reached a new high. The mask covers the entire face, and looks like a black screen when turned off. But once it’s turned on, it basically works like a smartphone. The display can be set by the person wearing it, which can range from an emoji about how they are feeling to a picture they want the world to see. The screen on the inside of the mask, visible only by the user, can be used to make calls, translate what other people are saying, send messages, and even record videos and capture photos.

People now identify each other with the display on the screen rather than actual faces. There is a new mask released every year with slightly better features and everyone races to get their hands on it. Once you own a mask, it keeps track of your location and all your personal information. It is almost like getting a new face and a new phone. You are recognized by your user ID on the mask rather than your own name.

I then entered the following prompt into Microsoft Copilot to generate an image of the mask and got the following result:

Design a futuristic face mask with a screen that displays emojis and images, and also works as an air purifier. It should cover the entire human face.

Even though this was a fun exercise, it did make me a little scared of where I imagine we are all heading.

It was very interesting to visualize the patterns of our different music choices via Palladio. The interconnectedness of our names to the music choices kind of reflects how we are connected in the world. I think all of us were divided into four different communities based on how similar our song choices were.

Just by looking at the pattern, I could not tell why people chose a specific song. However, I did expect there to be some popular choices such as, Track 2: Kinds of Flowers, and Track 13: Panpies and Drum (Peru) that I knew most people would opt for just based on popularity or sound. The size of nodes for each track varied based on how many people picked it which was really helpful in determining which song was more popular. I think the most popular track in my community was Track 24: Flowing Streams.

Similarly, there were some less popular choices in the overall network of everyone who did the quiz. These include Track 9: Crane’s Nest and Track 16: Rite of Spring. 

I could not tell the reasons behind other peoples’ choices in the overall network or my community until I looked through their blog posts. For some, it felt like geographical and cultural representation mattered more, and for some the choices completely relied upon how good they sounded. But overall, I think it mattered more to everyone that aliens get a holistic picture of our world rather than something that only encapsulates one culture, region, or area.