Text Technology

2005 Powwow, originally uploaded by Smithsonian Institution.

I chose this picture to illustrate my vision of text technology due to its multidimensional qualities. This photograph depicts a man from an indigenous culture during a ceremonial dance. The dance denotes the Greek origins of the word “text”, reflecting the concept of creation and creativity. The dance and the apparent chanting or singing of the man reflects the Latin period of the word, the weaving together of verbal construct. The colorful and varied materials in the clothing of the man emphasize the blending of oral and written constructs as well as the merging of text with technology as society utilizes various tools to enable the recording of sounds/ideas into diverse written formats.

I am Liz Hood and I am a media specialist in Rock Hill, SC USA. (I believe we are called teacher-librarians in Canada). I currently serve in an IB-MYP school. Through taking this course, I am hoping to gain an understanding of the evolution of text technologies and how to best prepare both students and teachers for emerging text and technological spaces. While I am currently involved in K-12 education, my goal with MET is to move to training educators in the best implementation of technology within their specific curriculum area. I have completed 6 MET classes thus far and plan to graduate in May 2010.