Student 12

My first item is a personal pair of Cole Haan eyeglasses that I first wore in elementary school, my first pair of glasses. The item exhibited shows how material tools are critical in the acquisition of knowledge, because eyeglasses in general are a necessity to their users, as they provide a sense of sight to those who naturally have difficulty. Without these aids, humanity is limited in their ability to gain knowledge and expand on our findings. This object was included because it shows a strong relation between an object and the gathering of knowledge; as people are able to produce knowledge and gain interpretations with their eyes, and it is a detriment to humanity that eyesight deteriorates. This deterioration limits humans indefinitely, if not for the helpfulness of a pair of eyeglasses, which provide clarity in sight and understanding of the world around us when interpreting and developing thought through sight. These specific glasses were my first adaptation of natural concepts to allow me to continue gaining knowledge at the highest capacity; they were essential to my production of knowledge as it helps me interpret my surroundings visually, a key sense to human understanding. To add to the necessity of eyeglasses, they are also a production of change and advancement. With the development of eyeglasses and prescription, people can adapt to their changing eyesight to continue producing knowledge at a high capacity. By examining the effectiveness of eyeglasses, we can see how material tools such as eyeglasses play an essential role in the acquisition of knowledge and allow us to be in an environment to grow. This object gives both a broad and exact response to the question as it shows a pathway of knowledge, through sight, and the “material” that can help with the development of it. The counter to this claim is also prevalent; the lack of access to eyeglasses can be both a hindrance and a roadblock for attaining knowledge. As someone who has ready access to items such as the aforementioned eyeglasses, I am able to continue developing knowledge at a high place; and part of this comes from my geography, being in a developed country with ready access to items that are a necessity. To those who aren’t as fortunate, the lack of eyeglasses leads to a permanent misfortune; and a permanent hindrance.

My second object in my exhibition is a pair of hearing aids, worn by my father. As he grew older over time, his hearing from his job deteriorated, limiting his sense of hearing which interfered with his acquisition of auditory chunks of information. Without them, he could no longer hear specific bands of sound, such as the polar ends of the auditory spectrum. Since he acquired them, there has been a significant growth in both his hearing abilities and conversation interactions. In a roundabout way, these hearing aids helped him regain the ability to hear these sounds and hence gave him the ability to get more information. The object shows specific ways that material resources impact the acquisition of knowledge; they allow us as humans to interpret knowledge clearer than without them, a key benefit to materials in their advancement of knowledge. Additionally, these hearing aids allow the user to engage in more human interaction, giving light to how they assist in the production of knowledge. The hearing aids provide a way to interact with the world and the knowledge within it. Without them, there is a clear misconnection between auditory information and those who are challenged by a hearing deficiency.

Here Is my personal TI-84 Calculator. Its daily function is to calculate numbers of infinite length instantly for quick use personally. The computer from within the item runs at incredible speeds and interprets millions of chunks of information at once, a process that is simply not possible for humans. Like many other instances where instruments such as this calculator (otherwise considered a computer as well) assist the lives of humans by providing rapid access to information, humanity can advance at paces exponentially faster than before the development of these items. Personally speaking, the calculator has become a fundamental part of algebraic courses and problem solving. The calculator visually helps interpret knowledge and come to conclusions based on the outputs produced; using tools such as graphs, charts, and numeric responses to complex problems. The calculator has allowed me to formulate my own conclusions based on the knowledge it produces; which is how it has a direct connection to the prompt. Its many different settings allow for a diversity of usage, dedicated to the AOK of one’s choosing. Most obvious is the Area of Knowledge of Mathematics, but also relates to that of Natural Sciences, with the science of physics being a prime example of its importance. The scientific method, a topic discussed often, can often be seen as a clear way that we develop knowledge and acquire it as well. With that being said, calculators such as my TI are a stepping stone in coming to those results and sharing those findings with communities. While corporations and government entities like NASA may use higher powered calculators which is a detriment to society, not having access to what many would call the highest level of knowledge production, the instruments available to the public in commonplace markets do a sufficient job in advancing our development of knowledge. Without them, we would be forced to manually perform these functions that the calculator does instantly; which slows down humanity and prevents us from developing and acquiring knowledge at a rate that keeps up with the constantly changing world.