Mr Wright's Example

Potential prompts:

6. How does the way that we organize or classify knowledge affect what we know?

23. How important are material tools in the production or acquisition of knowledge?

33. How is current knowledge shaped by its historical development?

Selected prompt:

23. How important are material tools in the production or acquisition of knowledge?

Response:

The selected object is an image of a REPOGLE globe currently located in room B340 of the American International School of Budapest. This globe was present in this room when I joined the school in August 2021. While I am not sure how long the globe has been here and it does not have any date on it to confirm its age, I am able to estimate the age of the globe as being produced between 1991 and 1997, using evidence of the countries on the globe, such as Russia (which came back into existence in 1991) and Zaire (which ceased to exist in 1997) (Repogle Globes, 2018). A globe is a physical representation of the earth including, in this case, the organisation of our world into territories known as nation states.

Material tools were required to create this object, tools such as those used in the moulding and shaping of the sphere and its stand, and tools were used to create the maps upon which this globe is based. However, I am focusing on this globe as a tool. The globe is a tool that allows me to witness an accurate view of the world and therefore gain a perspective of the world in a way that is close to how it exists in real life, providing more accurate knowledge than can be found on intentionally and necessarily distorted flat projections of the world. Using this tool, the knowledge acquired from is more accurate and therefore more valuable than flat maps. It is argued therefore, this tool is important in the acquisition of geographical knowledge and the consequential benefits of such knowledge, such as an increased spatial awareness.

Objects & Context Links & Prompt Justification Points & Evidence