Private Writing to Social Writing

ETEC 540 Final Project References

ETEC 540 Task 12 final

ETEC 540 Task 11 Option 2

Task 10_ Attention Economy

ETEC 540 Task 9

For this task, I decided to change the description of what is in my bag from visual to auditory. I created a “sensory semiotic experience,” where I have recorded the sounds that the items in my bag make. I decided to separate the sounds into 3 categories: Impact, Friction, and Digital. These categories came to me after I had made some recordings and felt like they could be grouped. I tried to make a connection to my original visual representation, as I had grouped objects there as well.

Impact:

Laptop Drop

Mouse Click

Notebook

Mac Password Entry

Friction:

Zippers

Apple Pencil

Loose Change

Pen Click

Digital:

Laptop Power Connect

Volume up/down

Notification Ding

Overall this was a fun experience. I enjoyed thinking about what sound my items would make. Realistically, I believe this might be a way to adapt a visual presentation for a visually impaired student. Would they have the same takeaways from hearing instead of seeing my items? I would think not. In turn, that idea led me to what I thought this project was all about, “interpretation.” No matter who sees or hears my chosen items, it will always be “interpreted” differently. I think the items say “this” about me, but someone else with different background knowledge etc. may see my items as meaning something else. Hearing the sounds would certainly create a different interpretation altogether. This concept connects so well to the findings of the New London Group (1996). By following their framework of multiliteracies, the shift from a visual to a auditory description of my bag represents a move from “Available Design” to “Redesigning.” This change in mode fundamentally altered the interpretation of the items. It reminds me that we, as consumers of multimodal media, are seeing and hearing the same thing but are, most definitely interpreting it differently.

Reference:

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

ETEC 540 Task 6_ An Emoji Story

ETEC 540 Task 4

ETEC 540 Task 2

How Language Shapes Thought

Dr. Lera Borditsky’s lecture on how language shapes our thoughts and experiences was very powerful. Her delivery was engaging and witty, I love that kind of lecture. Her expertise and depth of knowledge was a pleasure to experience. There are a number of statements she made in her lecture that stood out to me, both personally and as an educator. 

[0:41] Dr. Borditsky says that one of the magical abilities we humans have is to be able to “…plant ideas in each other’s minds.” I connect to this statement in so many ways. As a teacher, I am doing this constantly. I strive to empower and equip my students with ideas to make them think critically about the world. Being an educator means that I have a responsibility to “plant” ideas in the minds of my students. Choosing the most impactful, engaging and thought provoking ideas is the challenge we must be focused on. 

Another thought I had when I heard this statement from Dr. Borditsky is related to what is happening in the US right now. It seems clear to me that the US Government is attempting to “plant” ideas into the minds of Americans. The messaging coming from them seems very calculated and intentional. History has shown us how powerful and coercive “messaging” can be to a country or group of people. Is it possible to change the minds of a whole group or population through repeated messaging? I think the answer is yes, Dr. Borditsky shows us clearly in her research and this powerful lecture. 

[13:15] At this point in her lecture, Dr. Borditsky is talking about how different cultures think about direction and past and future events. She talks about the Aymara people of the Andes and how they think and talk about events in the past and the future. She says that the people believe, “…the past is known, we can see it, it is in front of us. The future is behind us, unknown, we can’t see it.” First of all, I had no idea people thought of life events in this way. It makes so much sense to connect past and future events to our bodies in such a literal way. I started to get a clear picture of Dr. Borditsky’s purpose at this point in the lecture. Language and culture can have a profound effect on how one sees and interprets the world. 

[18:31] Here Dr. Borditsky talks about how the acquisition of a new language or a new way to talk can activate new ways of thinking. She says that, “…when you teach people to talk in a new way, they learn to think in a new way.” Her research clearly showed how people could and would think about and interpret things differently based on the language or culture that they were immersed in. I found it so interesting that this can change if one looks at things through a new language or cultural understanding. It makes so much sense, but I had never thought about it this way. I teach French to my students, (not well I might add) and never thought that using a new language would allow for different perspectives and interpretations. I will now see this process a little differently from now on. 

[33:49] Dr. Borditsky’s statement: “The kind of language that swims around you changes what you attend to even when you are looking at new events,” connected well to my previous thought. I think this statement takes it a step further. I entered this statement into Gemini to see what AI would see in it. It showed me the connection to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (Whorf, B. L., 1956),  or Linguistic Relativity. As I looked deeper, I could see the connections to Dr. Borditsky’s work and how she explained to us how language shapes how we organize and interpret our experiences. I work in a school with many students where English is their second language. I obviously teach in English, and now think more about how a non native English speaker might interpret some of my lessons and teaching differently. This is definitely something I will be thinking about as I teach and develop lessons in the future. 

[36:00] The next statement that I thought was interesting was part of the discussion on how different cultures use their bodies for numbering systems. She said that there are many differences on how we “…use our bodies as base systems for numbers.” Logically many cultures use fingers and toes as a base ten system. It was really interesting to see how others use joints and positions from left to right across the upper body to use as base systems. Seeing that there are other ways of interpreting the world through language and culture is something I thought I knew. But I had no idea that people with the same body parts could look at base systems differently. It was very eye opening and powerful.

[45:10] The final statement I wanted to share brings the whole concept together for me. She says that, “…linguistic diversity is a testament to the incredible flexibility and ingenuity of the human mind.” After watching this lecture I am more convinced of this than ever before. I think this statement suggests that there isn’t just one “correct” way for a human to think or speak. Instead, our minds are powerful enough to invent entirely different systems for understanding the world. 

References

Boroditsky, L. (2011). How language shapes thought. Scientific American, 304(2), 62-65.

Whorf, B. L. (1956). Language, Thought, and Reality: Selected Writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf (J. B. Carroll, Ed.). MIT Press.

This is my daily bag, a backpack I received years ago for hosting a Teacher Candidate. I love it, it carries so much and I find I need to put both straps on most of the time as I frequently carry supplies in and out of my classroom. I love digital media and Canva has become my go to application in the classroom lately. I chose to label my image in Canva and I added some of the avatar/AI images I have created over the last couple years. 1 – I really enjoyed my experiences working with teacher candidates over the years and I have recently  thought I might like to join the department when I am done with my degree. The logo on my bag is a daily reminder of that goal, it keeps me motivated. 2 – I always seem to have some change in my bag, either from student collections or field trips etc. 3 – I am tech obsessed and always seem to have way too many connectors, power blocks, and charging items in my bag. I often have visitors at my classroom door looking for these, so I always have lots on hand… 4 – I teach a STEM outreach program in my district. I keep some files and documents with me because I do not have a safe place outside my usual classroom. 5 – A folder for my ETEC notes etc, and a folder with all my personal files. 6 – I have a bit of an obsession with stationary and always seem to have lots of items in my pencil case. 7 – My notebook for things I want to remember from Pro – D’s and meetings. 8 – My school Macbook. This is my lifeline. I use it the most, by far, out of anything else in my bag. I am connecting with school and work and never leave it behind. 

My Items as “texts”

I think the items in my bag represent symbols or signs that reflect me as a person. It may seem obvious, but I think all the tech objects reflect my interest and current situation as a MET student. I think the majority of the items that are branded in my bag come from Apple. Have I succumbed to the power of this brand, or has my district? We are an Apple district for the most part so this does make me use their products more. I do carry an Iphone and use an iPad regularly as well. My notebook has Indigenous art and salmon on its’ cover. This connects to my passion for salmon conservation and I do enjoy west coast Indigenous art. I carry important, sensitive documents with me in my bag. I obviously care about the security of that information and feel it is safest when it is with me. Does this read, “distrustful?” Or very cautious?  I’m not sure. 

Text Technologies

Many of the items in my bag can be considered “text technologies.” I have both analog (pens, pencils, paper, notebooks, sticky notes) and digital (Macbook, mouse, Apple Pencil) text technologies in my bag. As a teacher I am using all forms of communication frequently to do my job and learn to do it better. I think that because I have both types of technologies, I show my age and the fact that I learned to use both to effectively communicate, and sometimes need both forms to perform tasks and do my job effectively. 

Literacies

I think the items show that I have literacies in multiple areas. By carrying both analog tools (like the UBC portfolio and paper notebooks) and digital technologies (like the MagicMouse and Apple Pencil), I think I demonstrate a hybrid literacy that bridges modern with traditional. I think one of my strongest skills is the ability to translate information between the physical and digital worlds.

Self Image

I feel confident that my bag and its contents reflect me and my image. I consider myself a professional and a quality teacher, so carrying the logo of a reputable institution where I was trained reflects me. I love tech and love to help people, so having lots of “tech helper” items fits my personality and role in my work. The fact that I shared images of myself “remade” with technologies does really take the “techie” persona to the next level. I knew MET was right for me!! 

15 -25 years ago

I was teaching at this time, and I do remember having a bag that had many of the same “analog” things like notebooks and pens. Definitely less “technology” pieces, that’s for sure. We didn’t carry around laptops and we definitely didn’t have a bag full of Apple products. I had not had enough experience at that time to take on a student teacher, so my connection to UBC would have been loose. Overall, I have become more digital in my form of literacy as time has progressed over the last 25 years. Much as society has changed over this time. 

My Bag in the Future

To a future archaeologist I think my bag would be treated as a snapshot of a specific moment in the current “Silicon-Plastic Transition” era. Hopefully they wouldn’t just see junk; they would see the “kit” for a mid-2020s “Knowledge Worker.” The technology we carry is so easy to date. Each progression can signify the shift in literacies for that period. My bag being filled with more digital items than analog, signifies the shift away from the past literacies and a movement to modern ones for an educator.