Martin,
You have given me much to think about -- my own interest is in the *shaping* of episodes, contexts, settings, in such a way that individuals and activity systems co-develop (similar to Kindermann/Valsiner person-context development), and so Yrjö's model has been essential. I prefer to use "shaping" over "design" with what I do, in that establishing a zoped with others, and the complexity of interactions among people and things, that is all I can do is to shape co-designs -- in contrast technological designers do have more purchase in the design of things -- working with the affordances of their tools to create tools for others.
I think Alfred provides a way to distinguish affordances from perceived affordances through the semiotic function circle. Why do we not usually include 'wild' considerations?
Consider for example thinking of people learning with computers. With computer technology and its layers of technology upon technology (1), one of the wild ExtrA processes involved -- (what we think of as) the flow of electrons in solids is far removed from (and would be needlessly overburdening of) a semiotic ecology that we can handle as investigators (2a). It is unwieldy.
Ecologists and environmentalists are up against something different -- modern everyday activity often does not incorporate actions concerning 'wild' ExtrA processes (2b). There are exceptions -- curbside recycling, efforts toward 'green design' http://gdi.ce.cmu.edu/ . Our 'european' outlook does not usually include integration with wild processes -- a consequence of our particular cultural development? One interesting artifact indicative of european orientation, in contrast to 'indian' orientation towards the wild is the Medicine Creek Treaty, found in the Washington State History Museum Tacoma, WA -- an artifact at the boundary between two cultures. It is asymmetrical in that the treaty was a european instrument, and its interpretations by the two cultures were radically different. I have a paper copy of the treaty, but it is lengthy, with small print, and does not easily scan in -- here is a url with some of what appears there:
http://www.seattletimes.com/news/lifestyles/html98/erik_103098.html
As my interest is in the development of activity integrative with wild ExtrA processes, (in short, the development of 'ecological thinking') I am very interested in further expansion of semiotic ecology and chat models in this direction.
bb
(1) such as software design with compilers on top of machine language, on top of computer system design, on top of digital electronics, on top of solid state physics, as one such layering.
(2a): when I was a practicing experimental physicist working in a small laboratory, it WAS necessary to have thought through most of these layers, and the design as the construction of experimental apparatus occurs through all these layers -- the object of study, being in my case, a sample of atoms and molecules in interaction with electrons and light at the bottom of the layers. The thinking through is never exhaustive with detail -- black boxes abound -- but with broad strokes. The expectations of an experimental physicist are that, in principle, (s)he could zoom-in on any black box and peel the layers off, one by one, to the extent necessary to understand (semiosis) the ExtrA processes, to which graduate training is in service of, and develop a robust experiment. Most often this is necessary when a black box is not performing according to expectations.
(2b) Alfred treats ExtrA processes specifically as cultural -- to bring in structure and processes that are not purely cultural, I have started using 'cultural' and 'wild'. The categories are not dichotomous.
Bill Barowy, Associate Professor
Lesley College, 29 Everett Street, Cambridge, MA 02138-2790
Phone: 617-349-8168 / Fax: 617-349-8169
http://www.lesley.edu/faculty/wbarowy/Barowy.html
_______________________
"One of life's quiet excitements is to stand somewhat apart from yourself
and watch yourself softly become the author of something beautiful."
[Norman Maclean in "A river runs through it."]
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