This picture is a snapshot of The Mani Mantra. This mantra is common in Buddhism and it is representative of the deity involved with compassion. I chose this image because it resembles an important aspect of text and technology. The development and the spread of text/technology is very much connected to the idea of religion. Whether in spreading the word of the heavens orally or not, the passing on of the sacred is a genuine need for passing on knowledge. As a mantra, the purpose of it is to be recited out loud. The purpose of this recording could be both for documentation but also for decorative means. From the material used in this image it illustrates how far text/technology have come especially when we now look at in 2010. The ways text is presented, the ways text is used through technology and the idea of texts are all means of expression whether it be our words, the words of prophets, or the words of history.
Introduction
My name is Iris Chan and I am currently working in education as a teacher and administrator amidst an offshore school in Beijing. I am very excited as this is the last course I am taking in MET! Yippy! The end is near! My interest in this course is one of interest as this was one of the reasons I began my program 4 years ago. The course author Teresa Dobson was one of my teachers in my Education program. I was just beginning my teaching career with UBC when I met her. She inspired me with her interest in literacy and I began to look at what other courses she taught. I came across this course in MET and started to ponder about enrolling in an online program. After further discussion, I had a chance to further discuss the MET program and started my application process. Wanting to take the course, for some odd reason, it never fully went through either for my timetable or the semester. Now as I am at the end of my MET journey, I realized this setup was perfect. It would be a great way to end my program with the course that started it all. I was always interested in reading and writing. I am very excited to take the course. Since school has just begun, I have had many distractions and situations. This post is coming a bit late but I am now fully back into the swing of things. I can’t wait to immerse myself in text technologies and see how it can take me further into my understanding of text as it is today.
Hi Iris! Congrats on being your last course in the MET program! That is so exciting. It is neat that you were taught by Teresa Dobson too. I took one of her graduate level classes on campus during my previous masters degree program. She is amazing. Looking forward to working with you. Melanie
Hi Iris! I enjoyed so much reading your thoughtful post. I fully agree with you the text/technology is related to religion or spirituality. Isn’t that interesting the impact the Teresa Dobson made on you? Teachers can make so much difference in the student’s life. I just heard about Judith Rich Harris and her group socialization theory. She states that teachers have more influence on learners than parents. Vow..what a responsibility in a teacher’s hands! I want to read her book ‘nature vs. nurture’ to have a better understanding of her point of views.
Rita