Speculative Futures

Dunne and Raby (2013) describe speculative design as “the idea of possible futures and using [technology] as tools to better understand the present and to discuss the kind of future people want, and, of course, ones people do not want. They usually take the form of scenarios, often starting with a what-if question” (p 2-3).  Dunne and Baby continue to argue that design speculation “requires viewers to suspend their disbelief and allow their imaginations to wander, to momentarily forget how things are now, and wonder about how things could be” (p 3). I took all these points and considered the role of teaching with the future of educational technology.

This is the first part of my Final Project where I speak about the potential relationship between education and technology in the year 2052.  I wanted to explore the idea of how technology could possibily take over the mechanics of writing where students would no longer need to learn how to write manually. The process has already begun with accessibility features such as speech to text and texting using a digital keyboard.  What if the physical mechanics of writing ceased to exist in 2052? I created iMovie trailers describing a Utopian and a Dystopian perspective of this notion.  Enjoy!

The second part of my Final Project will be a Podcast, in which I will be interviewing my children about their thoughts of the potential of writing changing with the increase of availability and accessibility of digital writing tools. Stay tuned!

An Utopian World (iMovie transcript)

The year is 2052

A time where young students are solely reliant on technology
Students learn digital writing and errors do not exist

Teachers don’t need to waste time teaching students how 
to write

No Stationary and writing supplies means less money spent

Technology creates excellent digital writers

Utopian "Takes place in a highly desirable society, 
often presented as advanced, happy, intelligent, 
or even perfect or problem-free"

An Utopian World

A Dystopian World (iMovie transcript)

The year is 2052

There has been a worldwide indefinite power surge

All devices have stopped working

Students have to learn how to do everything manually,
like holding a pencil

A dystopian world, "a highly undesirable society, often
plagued with chaos and other negative elements"

A Dystopian World

Now that you have viewed both speculative futures, what are your thoughts?

References

Dunne, A. & Raby, F. (2013). Speculative everything: Design, fiction, and social dreaming.  [eBook edition]. The MIT Press. https://muse-jhu-edu.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/book/28148/

Speculative Fiction. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speculative_fiction

https://pixabay.com

https://www.istockphoto.com

I…. GIVE…. UP….

Call me a failure, call me impatient, I don’t care.  After 5 different attempts and watching the timer head into 10 minutes with figuring out how to “properly” complete the first page for the FIFTH time, I was mentally done. Yet, fellow colleagues were able to complete the entire task within 7 minutes! How?!? What did I do wrong? What did I do right?

There were many dark patterns that I came across on the opening page and the first form. I’m sorry there wasn’t more to analyze. Taken from the list created by https://www.deceptive.design/types, I was able to decipher how the GUI was designed to manipulate my attention, responses, and path to being unsuccessful.

Dark Pattern #1 : Misdirection:

When you come across a large green button with the word “No” on it, what should you do? Not click on it. Yet nothing else seems to work at first glance, so you click on it anyways and of course nothing happens. What you need to do is read the fine print carefully to gain access to the form. This type of misdirection purposefully directed my attention away from the actual instructions.

Another example of misdirection is the use of the timer page that warns players with a message that says, “Hurry up, time is running out!” Well if you experience test anxiety like me, this is a trigger for some stressful moments. You spend all your attention looking at this alert and can’t focus on how to close the message. Again, players need to read all the text on the page VERY carefully and literally. This is the only way out of it.

Dark Pattern #2 : Trick Question

Accepting Cookies and Asking for Help. Doesn’t matter how you respond, the system is not operated to support the user, especially if you ask for it. The interface was designed to frustrate the user so any support offered is just a trick.

When trying to complete the first form by adding your personal information, there are no instructions to clear the form. “Not agreeing” to the terms and creating a “not unsafe” password are ambiguous messages and have to be read very carefully. I have to admit that it was the password generator that had me all confused and frustrated. I thought I was creating a “not unsafe” password but the program would not let me continue onto the next form. After about 20 attempts to re-create a usable password, I gave up.

Final Thoughts

These types of deceptive design concepts are created to tactfully frustrate and confuse the user. After this experience, it reminds me of how quickly we tend to read over documents, sign up for online offers, and provide too much information online. We really need to be cognizant of the dangers of the digital world and being online. Algorithms were not mentioned in the website and this could take advantage of  the user when it comes to “disguised ads” and “privacy zuckering.” Due to the continuous use of technology in the classroom, it is important that educators teach the students about the dangers of the online world.  What is needed is a teacher created document that supports classroom teachers in delivering the material across all age groups. There are websites and games that teach to this but I wonder if it will ever be created as a scope and sequence unit for teachers to use? Or perhaps there is already one created for use?

References

Brignill, Henry. Deceptive Design, Types of Deceptive Design. https://www.deceptive.design/types

Graph Theory : The Abstract Language of Networks

As I was viewing the videos describing graph theory and network connections, I gained some key points from the information provided. The graphs we are analyzing through the Palladio app are known as directed graphs. Directed graphs are where the edges are quantified and viewers can “analyze the degree of interaction between the nodes as a weighted graph.” The nodes in these graphs represent people, or more specifically, members of ETEC 540. The edges of the graph define some sort of relationship between the nodes and in this case, it is the selection of tracks from the Golden Record Curation.

I believe the point of this task was to observe how data can be missing and/or assumed. The results for this task are purely subjective and this can make room for data to be misinterpreted. I will go into further analysis and explanation with this later.

Whole Class Graph

The Whole Class Graph

As I observed the whole class graph above, my first thought is that this is a web of information that seems organized, but it’s more of a tangle to me. The multiple interwoven edges connecting to various nodes is extremely hard to track. I am a visual learner and colour would’ve benefited in supporting the analysis of this graph. As I started filtering this graph into communities, the graph became much easier to read. This post will be based on the analysis of the community that I was organized into. Please see below.

Community #1  (Members include Jade Lee, Simin Rule, Juan (Jane Wu) , and Tamara Jabbour

Community #1 : Analysis and Reflection

Is the visualization able to capture the reasons behind the choices? Can the reasons for these “null” choices ever be reflected/interpreted in the data?

The “Community #1” graph is a visualization that includes how the members are connected with their choices. You could hypothesize the reasonings behind their choices but unless I read each of their blog posts explaining their selection process, then I wouldn’t know for sure. What is also missing, that could be useful in analyzing reasonings, are the demographics of each of the community members.

In the Table, I filtered the Degree and the Betweenness Centrality from highest to lowest, so that I am able to decipher what the Top 3 choices were. The tracks were the following:

1. Degree 4 (0.0802317861)  : Track 11 – The Magic Flute (Queen of the Night Aria)
2. Degree 4 (0.0802317861): Track 3  – Percussion (Senegal)
3. Degree 3 (0.0520310723): Track 21 – The Fairie Round

As I look at the Direct Graph, I can see that these tracks are all located within the middle of the “web” or interconnected edges. I also notice each community member selected 1-3 tracks that others did not choose. Simin Rule only had one track that the others did not choose, which placed their node within the interwoven edges. Tamara, Juan (Jane), and myself are within the outskirts of the graph according to the location of our nodes. After reading Jane Wu’s post, she relayed that each community member had the same criteria for their selection process and that is “the best representation of the sounds from Earth, and a good combination of nature and man-made sound.”  If that is the case, then why were there selected tracks that not all of us chose? Why are we not all within the web of intersected edges like Simin? This goes back to my previous point that this task was quite subjective because everyone’s sense of musicality is quite different although our criteria may be the same.

Reflect on the political implications of such groupings considering what data is missing, assumed, or misinterpreted?

The video Network Connections, states that when looking at the degree of connectivity, “the higher the degree, the more connected you are.” As I look at the levels of degree amongst the community members, I noticed that Tamara is at the top of the list, followed by myself. Looking a little closer at the numbers, Tamara chose 11 tracks in comparison to the rest of the members selecting 10 as assigned. This extra track addition accounted for her Betweenness Centrality to become  a higher level to the rest of the members. This kind of data can have implications to the authenticity of the information being graphed by making it misrepresented. If we go by what was quoted above, then at first glance, Tamara seems to have the most connectedness with the data and community members. In fact, this may not be the case since her data is inconsistent with the criteria of the task. I wonder how the results would’ve changed, in terms of the Betweenness Centrality, if Tamara had only chosen 10 tracks? If this was a political situation, then her votes would’ve been disqualified or null from the final results. It makes me question the validity of data and results when you see them online or in journal articles. How reliable can data actually be?

References:

Innovation, S. (2015, April 18). Graph Theory Overview [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82zlRaRUsaY&feature=youtu.be

Innovation, S. (2015b, April 19). Network Connections [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iViaEAytxw&feature=youtu.be

Palladio. http://hdlab.stanford.edu/palladio/

Below is the link to an interactive digital book created for a Grade 2/3 class. This is my mode-bending task for week 7.  Enjoy!

Reflections

I changed the mode of the original task that consisted of describing a picture of the contents of my bag to creating an interactive digital book. Not only did I change the platform to present the task but I also designed the book for a younger target audience, a Grade 2/3 class. I used the online program, Book Creator, for this mode-bending task. With the Book Creator program, I am able to embed pictures, infographics, videos, weblinks, and GIFs. I can also change the color, fonts, and size of the text to make it more legible and appealing to the reader.  I chose this digital platform because it is engaging and highly visual for the audience to view and read. It is also accessible for all types of learners due to the adaptations that are available such as having the book be read aloud to the readers. The concept behind this design is to motivate and inspire the reader to create their own digital book after viewing mine.

The New London Group (1996) proposes that teachers are “seen as designers of learning processes and environments” and that “learning and productivity are the results of the designs of complex systems of people, environments, technology, beliefs and texts” (p 73).  The notion of design is correlated with creative intelligence and this is the basis for how educational technology can play an integral part in the classroom. The ability to foster language in an innovative and creative way will motivate even the most reluctant learners to be interested.

References

Book Creator. http://www.bookcreator.com

The New London Group.  (1996). A pedagogy of multiliteracies: Designing social futures. (Links to an external site.)  Harvard Educational Review 66(1), 60-92.

Click on the link below to access my Emoji Story

An Emoji-Story

• Did you rely more on syllables, words, ideas or a combination of all of them? I relied on ideas for this Emoji Story. The plot line to this TV Series is too complicated to translate into syllables and words since it follows the storyline of 5 main characters from the past, present, and future. I decided to keep it simple and provide only the main ideas of what has happened in the last 6 seasons of this series. I believe that the emojis that I have selected are substantial enough for readers to be able to translate and analyze the plot line.

After reading J.D. Bolter’s chapter titled, The Breakout of the Visual, he describes an ancient rhetoric technique called ekphrasis. He describes this technique by stating that “ekphrasis sets out to rival visual art in words, to demonstrate that words can describe vivid scenes without re­course to pictures. Ekphrasis also indicates that the writer is preoccupied with the visual, for in order to rival the visual, the prose must become de­scriptive in an effort to find the equivalent of what is “naturally” a visual ex­perience. The attempt to make words do what pictures do might be taken to mean that pictures are primary and words secondary” (p 56). Now with advancement of digital media and popularity with graphic novels, there is now a “reverse ekphrasis in which images are given the task of explaining words” (p 56). Therefore, words aren’t always necessary since text can be replaced by symbols and pictures to convey meaning. What is missing is the prose, emotion, and personal connections that a reader would receive while reading the words.

Did you start with the title? Why? Why not? I did not start with the title because I could not find the correct emojis to replace the words verbatim. I really did want to include the title but I couldn’t figure out how to translate it using only emojis. I figured out why the task was so difficult. The words in the title are not nouns  or adjectives and therefore I could not add a symbol to signify the the meaning of the title. The library selection with emojis seems to be all noun based symbols and images. The only non-noun emojis are the expressions which would be an adjective

References

Chapter 4. Bolter, J. D. (2001). Writing space: Computers, hypertext, and the remediation of print (2nd ed.). Mahwah, N.J: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. doi:10.4324/9781410600110

Emoji Keyboard Online. https://emojikeyboard.io

• Do you normally write by hand or type? Did you find this task difficult or easy? When I write, it is normally by hand. Wether it’s writing reminders to myself on post it notes or taking notes for course readings, I find that it easier to write it out manually. When writing by hand, there is always something available to write on (paper, napkin, receipt!) and write with (pencil, pen, lipstick!).  Although, I do consider myself a fast and accurate typer, I don’t always have my laptop on hand when needing to write something down. I need a keyboard if I must type since I am not a big fan of the on screen keyboard that is available on mobile devices. The accuracy of my writing is greater when using a physical keyboard vs texting on a digital keyboard. Thank goodness for autocorrect, although the choices in words aren’t always what I want!

I should mention that when I am writing for adults, the style is different than when I write for my students. When I write on the board or provide written comments to my younger students, I switch to printing the words. The craft of cursive writing is a controversial topic and is not taught as commonly as when I was an elementary student. So many times I have heard people say that it is a “waste of time” or that it is “a dying art.” (To this I get quite heated and counter-argue their opinions.)  Therefore, I can’t expect my students to be able to read my writing, which is a combination of cursive and printing. I believe and know there are benefits to teaching cursive writing to young students and that is why I incorporate it into my teaching. So depending on who will be reading my writing, the style changes to suit audience.

• What did you do when you made a mistake or wanted to change your writing? Since I used ink on paper, I crossed out my errors and made corrections. There weren’t too many obvious errors, but the ones I did cross out were either spelling or word choice errors. If this was a document that was to be properly edited, I would’ve used white out tape to disguise my errors. I would’ve also wrote with more care and decreased my speed while writing so that it is more legible. Since this was a free flow of thoughts, I wasn’t as conscientious and strict with how my writing looked overall. 

• What do you feel is the most significant difference between writing by hand and using mechanized forms of writing?                                                                                  I believe that when writing by hand, it is a form of art and expression. Penmanship defines one’s individuality and craft when writing by hand. I loved learning cursive writing in elementary school and if you analyze my writing, it is a mixture of cursive and printing. I’ve had mixed reactions to my writing style from my colleagues. One person mentioned that I had romantic writing and another said that it was not legible. Either way, I like my writing style because it is unique to me. Although, sometimes I do wish I had that perfect Kindergarten teacher printing. When using mechanized forms of writing, the expression and art are replaced with pre-programmed font choices. The individual expression in the formation and strokes of letters when writing by hand is lost when it becomes mechanized. There is a sense of formality when it comes to a typed out piece of writing, which is conducive to various formats such as reports, evaluations, and articles. So depending on the purpose and the content that is behind the reason for the writing, the style of the text will be decided upon.

The bag I chose to document for this task is my everyday work/personal bag. There are actually 3 bags in total; computer bag, wristlet, and the one (on the right) that holds it all! I emptied the contents of all 3 bags so you can see the different items that belong inside each of them. (Note: I would have my iPhone in my bag but I was using it to take the picture)

What is my daily need for these items?

• The laptop and iPad are a necessity for teaching each day. The laptop provides me with the ability to communicate and stay connected with my colleagues via our Teams channel and email. My laptop stores all the documents, assignments, and bookmarks that relate to my units and lessons.  I use my iPad each day to support my teaching by demonstrating specific skills and viewing educational websites/apps/videos by air playing through an AppleTV at work.
• The items in my wristlet are essential for personal use on a daily basis. I have my ID, cash, and credit cards in there. There is also make up for touch ups during the day and some band aids for when my children hurt themselves.
• The items in my main bag include a notebook for writing notes, a book (usually one I’m reading for my next book talk with the students), writing utensils, hand sanitizer, a KN95 face mask, and Tylenol. I don’t always use these items daily but they are housed in my bag and can be found in there each day. You will also notice a red envelope (lai-see) that I keep with me as a good luck charm.

How might these items be considered “texts” and what do they say about you?

• All the items in my bag contain some form of text on it. The texts include English words, Chinese characters, numbers, or symbols. The texts help to identify each item and this is what helps me decide wether it is important to me or not. Each item has a story behind it. Each item has come from different places, for example the book is from the Vancouver School Board, according to the barcode label. There are also items that document what is happening in this time period, being in the middle of a pandemic, the KN95 face covering is an example of this. I guess these items can be summed up to say that I am a learner, a reader, and big on health and hygiene.

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?

• The use of technology plays a very important role in my work life. Although the laptop and iPad are just devices, these devices store the digital text and software that I need to teach and support my students at school. I use these devices to teach my students digital literacy skills, build upon their online portfolios, and create digital books. I also use the accessibility tools to support my students who require adaptations to help them develop reading and writing skills. These devices also support me by strengthening communication at work. I use Teams to chat and post announcements about the library, communicate with colleagues, and read email correspondence. I provide feedback digitally through Office 365 on student assignments and reporting.
• The book is a representation of both my professional and personal life. My motivation to learn English was because of the visits I would make as a child to the library and I would be in awe at all the colourful books on the shelves, but I couldn’t read them. Fast forward to now where I am an avid reader, work as a Teacher-Librarian, I read/evaluate resources for the BCTF. I can talk about books anytime! I cannot bring myself to read books online, I need to physically be able to hold the book and analyze the text as it was printed. The beauty of printed text written in different forms, fonts, colours, styles, and languages is like art to me.
• The notebook is where I write notes, reflections, and reminders to myself. I prefer to pencil and paper to write down notes instead of typing it out. You can always find a written checklist of things to do in these notebooks as a visual reminder for myself.

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

• The items prove that I include and combine the literacies of the old and new world. The print novel is published in English. The tech devices help me to expand upon my knowledge of digital literacy, application, and media. There is a notebook for me to write down notes. Another literacy would be symbolism and the ability to read icons, brands, and numbers. Every item has some form of text and and therefore, they all need to be read in a specific way.

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?

• The private contents would be ones I don’t bring out of my bag each day but they are housed in my bag for sentimental reasons. The red envelope (lai-see) was given to me by my mother and it contains a picture of my grandmother who recently passed away. I keep it as my good luck charm but it also represents a time in my life that I am still grieving and do not want to outwardly project. The contents that do outwardly project my image is everything that has to do with teaching. I’m very proud of being a teacher and being an advocate for school libraries. I also promote the use of technology in the schools and I am constantly acting as a tech mentor to my colleagues.

What would this same bag have looked like 15 years ago?

• There would be no mobile devices in my bag 15 years ago. Can’t really store a desktop in a bag! The only technology that I probably had in my bag was a USB stick and my Nokia sidekick. I had a purse for all my personal items (money, credit cards, ID, makeup) but I probably had a shopping bag of marking that I had to bring to and from school. I would’ve been 2 years into my career as a teacher and I spent a lot of time creating assignments by hand. There also would be an absence of hygiene and health items relating to Covid-19. Hand sanitizer and face coverings would not be an everyday necessity for my bag during this time.
• If it was 25 years ago, I would have been in my first year of the Bachelor of Education program. I was probably carrying a backpack that contained all my school work, text books, and writing utensils. As for technology, a flip phone and a floppy disc for saving assignments when at the computer lab were most likely in the backpack.

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 probably be most interested in documenting and analyzing the different types of printed and digital technology found in my bag. The different companies used for technology devices can be compared to what is available and how its’ purposes and functionalities could be quite different in the future. The MacBook and iPad could be historical artifacts that would become evidence to the evolution of mobile devices. Also, the book might be seen as a great discovery into how books were bound and published in this temporal period.
• As for the perusal items, the archeologist would also be able to see what beauty products were used in this time and if the products are still packaged and made in the same way in the future. The coins and $5 bills would prove that currency was still important in this time period and the shift to strictly digital forms of payments have not occurred.
• Lastly, the evidence that we are living in the middle of a pandemic. Will there be another pandemic in the future and if so, perhaps the archeologist can look for evidence of how we survived this current one.