4.4 Task 4: Manual Scripts and Potato Printing

Please view the Potato Carving here:

Chosen 5 letter word: alive

I chose to create a five-letter word stamp out of potatoes for Task 4.  I  have never made stamps before let alone from potatoes, so this process was challenging.  I found that there was some planning and visual thought that needed to be set in place before beginning.  Especially because the stamp needed to be of the word and not the silhouette of the word (the negative print).  I found the carving particularly difficult as the tools I had were limited to a sharp blade and likely not appropriate  or adequate for carving.  I also found challenging trying to shape the letters particularly the letters that have a round or curved shape such as the letter “e.”.  It was difficult to get the shape and letters to be smooth in the potato. Lastly, ensuring that I reversed all the letters so that when it would print it would be correct.

The entire process for making the stamps took almost 2 hours.  I had no idea that it would involve so much time to create a five-letter word stamp.  I was very surprised about th

e length of time and work involved just to create this word.  There was the cutting of the potato, then drying, then planning the design of the word, carving, then drying overnight before finally printing the word. I began to understand, with a deep appreciation, just how much skill, time and effort it must have taken for people to letter print several hundreds of years ago.  The video clip in Module 4 that showed the process of Letterpress Technology was still more advanced than hand-made stamps and letters.  It is difficult to imagine how much work was involved in printing scripts and books many years ago.

I noticed that the letters I produced for the word, “alive,” were not very accurate in form and shape.  I decided to carve the letters with a basic font and mostly lower case letters versus try to attempt cursive style or all capital letters.  My decision was based upon thinking it would be more easily created if I kept it simple.  This was a success as I would imagine trying to produce and cut out any other font of letters would be extremely challenging.

The mechanization of writing seems much more of an art in process compared to when you print something out that was generated by the computer.  The fine details such as molding, stamping, the nuts and bolts involved in the scroll seemed so skilled.  I can see why people would appreciate this method of printing.  I was thinking while watching just how much time this consumes.  I was surprised that letterpress technology centers are still in operation.

Literacy and the purpose of scriptures, “scriptoria” began mainly for recording teachings of the Bible. Writing for knowledge versus reading for knowledge in books is something I found interesting when listening to the audiobook, “How it Began.”

Some inquiries that came to mind as I was creating this stamp and from listening to the audiobooks and readings are:

-The health of eyes by monks (because they did so much writing in candlelight) compared to the health of eyes at our present time from all the usage of screens from technology.

-How handwriting and penmanship of students changes due to typing and screens

-How students are influenced by what they see as text (print) For example, graphic novels with in text all CAPITALS to highlight and enhance words to engage students -is this type of text influencing how students hand write and print

-What are the impacts on the environment- animal hide was used to write on in the 1400’s and now we use trees

-How has this changed the economy as we move toward more writing using technology

[3.4] Task 3: Voice to Text Task

My dictated story:

One of my 2021 New Year’s resolutions this year was to really focus on intention. I wanted to ensure that everything that I was doing had purpose and meaning behind it so I was inspired by a friend to bless my food as an example. I grew up non-religious and so this to me felt a little bit bizarre. He explained to me that it had nothing to do with religion and that I was setting an intention for the food before I ate it. It took me about half an hour to come up and intention something that I could continuously go to and repeat as a blessing for my food. I have been doing this since January 1st and I think that I’m feeling a difference with my food especially after I eat a meal. The idea to focus my intention as a realist resolution this year was really inspired by doctor who’s known for a lot of self-improvement books and is very inspiring. I listen to one of his podcast and he talks about the seven faces of intention I can’t remember what they all are but some of the ones that resonated with me are having creativity of intention love of intention kindness of intention and an abundance of intention. I started really incorporating this into my invitations for yoga practice and with my students is to ensure that I had a class intention for everyone so that we could truly create meaning when we practice yoga. Dr. Wayne said something like you it what you intend to create by being in harmony with the power of intention. Next paragraph I often have Converse dance with my friends who live in France. And we practice speaking French and English together in order for both of us to learn our most non diamond. Our conversation turned cantu him feeling that he has a really hard time meeting people and talking to strangers. Strangely enough he works part-time what’s an Uber driver and has to encounter many strangers every day and all day. I thought I’d share with him the power of intention so that perhaps he could use it to have intention in feeling more what about the people that he meets and that he drives and that come to his car on a daily basis. As a joke I assigned him some homework quote on quote and his homework was to intend on asking three questions to each person that came into his vehicle. He would try as best as he can could to stimulate a conversation with the strangers that came in to have intention behind the questions that he was asking so that there was purpose and to see if this could help him build his own intention of having more. So just the other day I checked in with him about his homework quote on quote and to my surprise he met somebody new who actually took a more fond interest in him just because he opened up and had asked her three questions. I asked him if he felt that her intention was to be flirtatious and become a bit romantic with him. He said he felt a very open and easy going unlike other clients or strangers that have stepped into his vehicle before. I asked him what he did before she arrived and he picked her up. He said he said the intention of being open and friendly andkon and asking the next person three questions. This wasn’t the first person after I had assigned him but quote-unquote homework but it was the next day afterward. He said this person was so open and so kind that he could just feel this energy. We laughed and I began to explain the power of intention in French as fast as I could. Perhaps a little Lost in Translation but still able to get to the point across he really felt and understood that the power of intention and the meaning behind something truly matters.

• How does the text deviate from conventions of written English?

The text certainly deviates from conventions of written English in that there is no punctuation to help the guide the reader.  I always tell my students at school that the punctuation is like the words communicating to you how they want to be read. For example, italics and all caps for emphasis.  The text is basic in vocabulary, certainly as I was the one speaking and did not have conventional grammar used even though I felt like I was speaking with correct grammatical usage.

• What is “wrong” in the text? What is “right”?

There are so many words that are wrong.  Most of the incorrect words are made up in the text conversion such as, “cantu” (into) “andkon” (and then).  There are even words that have been repeated.  I think what is right is what I have tried to annunciate clearly and when I tried to add punctuation such as a period. After speaking the period punctuation, the speech automatically started the next sentence with a capital letter and began a new sentence.  I tried to create a new paragraph in the text and said those words exactly, but it ended up just writing out literally the words, new paragraph, so that did not work.

• What are the most common “mistakes” in the text and why do you consider them “mistakes”?

The most common mistake are the words that sound like slurred words together.  The reason could be because I did not pronounce them clearly or was too far away from the microphone as well.  They are mistakes because I was the one telling the story and I knew what I meant and tried to say it but it was interpreted differently.  This is a huge reason why people can really misinterpret text messages and assume things.

• What if you had “scripted” the story? What difference might that have made?

I think it would have made a difference as I would have been able to read more clearly and pronounce things correctly as I wouldn’t be thinking on the spot and stuttering my words. I think there still would have been mistakes but a lot less and less incorrect or made-up words.

• In what ways does oral storytelling differ from written storytelling? 

I noticed that oral story telling can convey different meanings because of the voice tone and volume that is used whereas written storytelling would have different punctuation to emphasize this as well as more descriptive words.  Oral story telling has a certain expression and tone to the story.  There is a lot of feeling conveyed whereas written storytelling is interpreted by the reader.  Essentially the reader is reader with their OWN voice and using the written text and punctuation to understand what the feeling of the story is giving. Oral storytelling is also an older form of storytelling. People can just listen rather than have to be literate. Oral story telling can also have verbal communication such as, facial expressions, body language, voice tone, volume and pacing. Conversely written stories do not. Written stories can however, show attitude and mood with words. The text can also be re-read for clarity and understanding.

I wanted to know what the most early form of written literature may have been.  Here is some interesting information:

References

Ancient Recitations. (2015, May 18). The Epic Gilgamesh-Complete Audiobook Unbridged [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPYf8AwNvKg

Andrews, E. (2018, August 22) What is the Oldest known piece of literature? History. https://www.history.com/news/what-is-the-oldest-known-piece-of-literature

My reflection: As a teacher, I am aware that I teach using my hands, I have signals for my students for okay (thumbs up) and I have been using gestures to help preserve my voice. I certainly use gestures to be more dynamic and engaging especially when teaching French.  I think language has certainly shaped that way that we think as it is something we communicate and interpret.

Dr. Boroditsky’s presentation made me think about how technology is changing our language today. For example, slang and abbreviations especially in text.  How is text messaging changing the way we think? And is language being destroyed?

After viewing the TED talk with Alexander MacDonald (the tap dancer), it made me think back to when I used to dance.  Movement is a form of language in the way that it expressing some meaning from both the dancer and the viewer.  There is a connection to movement as dialogue and dance as communication. It has reminded me of how we can express ourselves using movement.  Alexander quoted his drama teacher, “if science and technology are possible, it’s the Arts that make it live longer.”

Here is a link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHqAdZxYOQo to a dancer who uses movement as an extension of body language.  I agree that body language is a crucial component to communication.  Even though there is nothing written in the movement, you can almost “read the text” and understand the message just by watching the movements.

I’m Kat Wong and I’m from Vancouver.  I currently teach as a grade 4/5 teacher at an inner city school in East Vancouver, BC.  I have only been teaching for 6 years and am still learning with my students daily.  I teach yoga classes part time online and in studio.  One of my many passions is in health and I also hold a BSc. in Food, Nutrition and Health from UBC.  When I have time, I enjoy hiking, cycling and going on adventures with my dog, Charlie.

I have several different bags for many activities that I enjoy.  For this task, I chose my purse.  I use my purse daily and carry some of my most needed essentials: mints, pen and pad, keys, headphones, lip balm, floss, toothbrush and paste, essential oils, hair elastic bag, hand cream, my cell phone would be here (but I had to use it for the camera) and a mask (interesting how the mask has become an essential item today).

I honestly could do without many of these items.  Most of the things are needed to support my hygiene and can not be substituted with technology (eg. lip balm).  My keys for work are absolutely needed as my school that I teach at is very old and does not have a keyless entry system.  I wonder if keyless entry classrooms and schools will ever take effect? Safety in mind.

The pad and paper would be considered “texts” as it a means for writing text. There is also a lot of written text on all the things that have labels such as the mints, toothpaste and floss, hand cream, essential oil bottle. The written text on these labels are for marketing and description purposes.  I think for some of these items, if there was no label or text, people would still know what the item is and could be used for.

I think some of the text technologies are the mask.  It is a “textile” fabric woven together to create a barrier.  Metaphorically muffling oral communication. Students in my class were wearing masks and every time they spoke they were taking their mask down so that they could speak more freely and so that people could hear them.  This is a counter- intuitive approach to speaking as we don’t cover our mouths to communicate, we try to amplify the communication (eg. microphones).  I had to create a fun rhyme to help my students remember to keep their masks on while speaking.  Our class reminder rhyme is “mask on, mic on.” This means that when you speak you should have your mask on!

My school and sports bags and purse contain very different articles.  However, with my purse that I chose for this activity, I think my literacies lie in the notepad and pen and the text on all the label of my products inside my purse.

The items I have are a reflection of what is important to carry with me daily. I think it could reflect the importance of care that I have for myself and how I prioritize health.  The items do not tell much of what I do, who I am or the image I have for myself.  Instead they are just things that support my daily living.  The image of myself is with my dog Charlie (who is in my dog bag). I like to take her with me on adventures.  I like to maintain a balanced lifestyle as best as I can.  I don’t think the items in my purse are a direct reflection of who I am, although may hint toward what I might care about.

I think years ago, my purse would have had a cellphone that was different. There may have been more business cards, coupons and notebooks as I now use my phone to store most of my information and contacts.  There are many apps now to carry and store member cards and information, so I do not have a separate wallet just for those cards.

I would imagine that years (perhaps 10 years) from now and depending on how many years, an archeologist might see the contents in my purse as old adapted technology.  Most of the contents in my bag are used for hygiene.  Specifically towards text and technology, I don’t think there would be much need for paper and pen as things can be dictated instead of written down all the time.

This link is a very interesting video on how the impacts of texting has on our language: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmvOgW6iV2s&feature=youtu.be

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.