What is your daily need for the items in your bag?
Looking at the contents of my bag, the items arrange themselves into 3 categories of continual use, frequent use, and forgotten storage. The items that experience continual use are my water bottle and sealable lunch container: sustenance=always used. Bridging the gap between continual use and frequent use (depending on the time of year here in southern BC) is my rain jacket which I try to have on hand as often as I can.
My frequently used items would include my allergy meds as I suffer from strong allergies (still narrowing down the cause) and like to have my medication available to me if necessary. Now pre-COVID, the ear plugs, toothbrush, and deodorant were frequently used as I enjoyed being flexible in my socializing with friends. I like to keep myself open to the opportunity to hang out and crash at a friend’s house spontaneously in which case I’m covered with the essentials. A COVID-specific addition has been an extra mask to prevent myself from being unable to access my work (I also store an extra mask in my desk at school)
Items that have simply wound up being stored in my bag include a pen which I’ve kept around for sentimental reasons (it is a Bank of New Zealand pen which reminds me of my time living in Wellington, NZ), a Starbucks gift card from Christmas, a South African bracelet from my brother-in-law, and a microSD card left over from my phone once I upgraded its storage.
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?
How does the narrative of the (private) contents of your bag compare with the narrative produced by image you have of yourself or the image you outwardly project?
I found these two questions to be linked as I believe these “texts” match the narrative I have of myself/project as they inform a viewer about me. I try to follow the tenet of being prepared and ready for all situations, keeping myself open to spontaneous experiences. Adventure and travel both abroad and in the great outdoors are important to me. I believe these items tell a narrative of being practical and efficient which is greatly important to me.
Thinking about the title of the course, what are the “text technologies” in your bag, if any? What do these items say about how you engage with language and communication?
I feel the pen and the microSD card are apt examples of my engagement with language and communication. I’ve grown up bridging the gap between analog and digital and have a strong connection to both. The pen reflects my initial education which was technology-free which I feel has helped nurture my love of reading and writing. As technology (specifically personal computers) became more mainstream I discovered a passion for technology as well and expanded my learning into this field as well (so far as to have a degree as a Technology Education teacher!). I feel I’ve engaged with traditional and technological texts equally to appreciate the merit of both.
What do the items in your bag say about the literacies you have?
As previously stated, the pen and microSD card would say that I have traditional and technological literacy.
What would this same bag have looked like, say, 15 or 25 years ago?
15 years ago I would have been in high school so this bag would have been filled with knives, matches, lighters, fire-starting gel, and other sundry items no high schooler needs to have. I never used these items but simply carried them around – most likely just for the secret pleasure of knowing I was “breaking the rules” while outwardly being a “model” student. I would have been mortified had I seriously considered the possible consequences had there been any issues.
How do you imagine an archeologist aiming to understand this temporal period might view the contents of your bag many years in the future?
The archeologist would recognize our reliance on plastics in our manufacturing as they examined the contents of my bag as practically every item (including the bag) is using a plastic polymer of some sort. That certainly makes me think as my personal narrative/identity is someone who is environmentally-conscious but apparently I’ve got more work to do in that area.