TOK EXHIBITION Object 1: A Diary from an Antarctic Expedition
- Theme: Knowledge and the Knower
- Rationale: A diary containing firsthand accounts from an Antarctic explorer provides a vivid illustration of how personal experience contributes to knowledge, especially in the context of geographical exploration and scientific discovery. This object shows how subjective experiences of extreme environments, challenges overcome, and observations made can enrich our collective understanding of the world, blending personal narrative with scientific inquiry. It underscores the relationship between individual experiences and the broader fabric of human knowledge, highlighting the value of personal accounts in contextualizing and humanizing scientific exploration.
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TOK EXHIBITION Object 2: Wearable Fitness Tracker Data Logs
- Theme: Knowledge and Technology
- Rationale: The data collected by a wearable fitness tracker on an individual’s daily activity, sleep patterns, and heart rate serves as a concrete example of how personal experience, mediated by technology, can be transformed into quantifiable knowledge. This object demonstrates the intersection of personal experience with data science, showing how subjective experiences of health and activity can be systematically recorded, analyzed, and understood within the framework of personal and medical knowledge. It invites discussion on the implications of quantifying personal experiences and the role of technology in shaping our self-understanding.
TOK EXHIBITION Object 3: A Recipe Book Passed Down Through Generations
- Theme: Knowledge and the Knower
- Rationale: This family heirloom, filled with recipes and notes passed down through generations, symbolizes the transmission of cultural and practical knowledge through personal experience. Each recipe, annotated with adjustments, preferences, and memories, embodies the intimate relationship between personal experience and knowledge, revealing how family traditions and culinary skills are preserved and evolved. This object highlights how knowledge is not static but is continually shaped by individual experiences, tastes, and the contexts in which they are shared.
TOK EXHIBITION Object 4: VR Headset Used for Empathy Training
- Theme: Knowledge and Technology
- Rationale: A virtual reality (VR) headset designed for empathy training programs exemplifies how technology can simulate personal experiences to generate knowledge and understanding about others’ lives and challenges. By immersing users in scenarios that they may not have personally encountered, VR technology fosters a unique form of knowledge that is rooted in simulated experience, challenging the boundaries between direct and vicarious experiences. This object raises questions about the ways technology can bridge gaps in understanding and the potential for simulated experiences to contribute to empathy and social knowledge.
TOK EXHIBITION Object 5: Autobiography of a Civil Rights Activist
- Theme: Knowledge and the Knower
- Rationale: The autobiography of a civil rights activist, detailing personal struggles, activism, and insights into social justice movements, offers a profound look at how personal experiences are intertwined with historical knowledge and collective memory. This narrative provides a firsthand account of events and reflections that have shaped societal values and norms, illustrating the crucial role of personal testimony in documenting, understanding, and teaching history. It underscores the power of personal narratives in contributing to a deeper, more nuanced comprehension of societal knowledge.
