Task 1: What’s in my bag?

Introduction

I live and work on the traditional territory of the Kwanlin Dun First Nation and Ta’an Kwach’an Council located in Whitehorse, Yukon.

I chose to illustrate what I take to work for my position as a Kindergarten teacher. I use a backpack because I walk to school. I’m lucky to be a 20-minute walk from work. These are pics of what my morning walk has been like. I tend to see a fox or two most mornings.

It’s very dark in the morning during winter months. The shortest day of the year provides 24 hours of darkness, while the longest day is the opposite with 24 hrs of sunlight. This can definitely play tricks on your brain. There are biological effects to body and mind around seasonal changes stemming from the amount of light and dark experienced during different times of the year. It can be rather confusing and difficult for people experiencing their first full year in the North. Currently, sunrise is 10:50am and sunset is 5:25pm.Come May, this will be the opposite. Sidenote, the temperatures are comparable to other parts of Canada, and oftentimes, warmer. Although it can be extremely cold for a several weeks, our temperature is currently minus 12 celsius.

Walking to work, I try to go lightweight. I have most of my theme boxes and school supplies/crafts stored at home in the crawlspace until I need them, at which point I bring them in the vehicle on the weekend or later after school.

Itemized list in backpack:

• Macbook
• iPhone
• sunglasses
• inhaler
• lip balms
• flash
• mask
• pen
• wallet with cards
• gift cards
• work key
• work fob
• 2 sets of vehicle keys
• house keys
• tampons
• prepared work/supplies
• breakfast & lunch
• mug with coffee
• socks
• hair ties

How might these items be considered “texts” and what do they say about you, the places you inhabit, the cultures with which you engage, and/or the activities you take up?

I think the items indicate that the bag is for working and day-to-day use. There is a culture of digital communication through the use of technology. The MacBook and iPhone are fairly new versions because I like the reliability of new technology and remaining connected.

What are the “text technologies” in your bag, if any? What do these items say about how you engage with language and communication?

Macbook – used for attendance, to provide lessons/calendar, etc. on IWB, for printing, email correspondence, uploading pics from activities throughout the day.

iPhone – for staying in touch with my husband, contacting parents via phone/text and to carry outside wherever we go, taking pics of students during activities (sharing with their parents, displaying during assemblies, and uploading on class website). All my reminders go into my phone so it’s invaluable to keep me on track. All my parents are in contacts so I can easily phone or text at any time without having to go to the office to use the phone. I understand that not all teachers like to use their personal phone; for me, it makes communication much easier/quicker.

Fob – communicates with staff door to open. I haven’t used it yet since I come through the back door when I arrive

Credit cards and gift cards – I carry them just in case I get downtown after school, but generally these items are in my pack all the time. As a teacher, I get several gift cards each year which tend to get used up slowly.

Pen – to communicate on paper; it rarely gets used

Flash – to transfer digital documents and images

What do the items in your bag say about the literacies you have?

Communicative literacy – iPhone and Macbook

Digital literacy – flash, iPhone and Macbook

Financial literacy – credit cards and gift cards

Written literacy – pen and electronic devices

Comprehensive literacy – ability to read instructions to use inhaler and devices

Health literacy – ability to use a device like an inhaler, sunglasses, mask, tampon

How does the narrative of the (private) contents of your bag compare with the narrative produced by the image you have of yourself or the image you outwardly project?

I feel the contents of the bag may not be a true representation of my total self. It doesn’t really say much about me in terms of my personality or my likes/dislikes; it’s pretty bare bones. I have many interests that are not represented with the bag or the contents.

What would this same bag have looked like, say, 15 or 25 years ago?

Certainly, the technology would have been quite different decades ago. I wouldn’t be carrying a laptop. If I had been teaching decades ago, I would have been using a Mac that was stationary on my desk. I would have had a flip phone which I would not have used to communicate with parents. Decades earlier, my bag would have been a bright purse carrying some makeup and a pair of heels.

How do you imagine an archeologist aiming to understand this temporal period might view the contents of your bag many years in the future?

An archeologist would have a relatively clear picture of the owner of the backpack based on the photo ID and contents of the wallet. This would show age, gender, occupation, location, marriage status, contact info, etc. The photos in the laptop and phone would provide more personal details about lifestyle and profession.

Without the ID, an archeologists would view the contents as being owned by a female of a specific age (evidenced by a tampon) who worked in a type of communication field which used technology (i.e. Macbook, iPhone, flash). The backpack, shades, and socks may indicate outdoor activity or walking places. The vehicle keys suggest a need for driving distances. There are two sets of vehicle keys, which might suggest the owner has the need for two types of transportation or shares cars with a partner. The credit cards and gift cards indicate there’s access to certain retail  (i.e. Starbucks, Coles). It’s not clear how the gift cards were obtained. The variety of keys (house, work, and fob) indicate there are at least two locations where the items are being transported. It’s not evident what location or season the bag and contents are used. The food being transported in containers would indicate a preference for certain foods (i.e. no meat products may suggest a vegetarian diet, but does not confirm this). The salbutamol inhaler suggests the owner has asthma. The date and name on the label would also provide insight for archeologists. The mask and the generation of iPhone and MacBook would indicate the time in which the bag was used. The vehicle keys suggest that the owner drove Nissans which also provide an approximate timeframe. The car keys, technology and credit cards would provide some details into the income earnings of the owner.