I’ve worked as an after school lead teacher at a low income elementary school since coming to college. My podcast emphasizes more of the experiences I’ve had while working there, however, I wanted to specify the exact instances where socioeconomic status impacted the lives of Hastings elementary students. In addition, I hope this blog acts as a call to the Hastings community to fight for more funding, better education, and fewer students left behind.  I remember interviewing for the position and my (now) supervisors telling me that Lincoln elementary had the highest rates of free and reduced lunches. The students struggled with poverty, mental health, and behavior issues. It was nerve-racking to say the least- especially as someone who’s only real job experience was babysitting. And my first day was a complete disaster. Kids were jumping off of tables, punching other students, screaming cuss words at various teachers, and tearing the decorations off the walls. It was my first perc...

Photo illustration by Slate. Photo by Tara Moore/Getty Images. “Guilty Pleasures” by Laura Miller, August 2019. Int. Eight years ago when I was writing Harry Potter fanfiction (because a 12 year old can write better than a TERF), Serial took the podcast world by storm with the idea that they will tell one story — a true story — over the course of a season .   While it wasn’t the first true crime podcast, their examination of a murder that occurred before I was born introduced many to the genre, and with Adnan Syed’s conviction being vacated on September 20th, 2022, more have witnessed the impact of true crime. But as we all know, eyewitness testimony isn’t reliable…which means we must ask, does this slay? To translate for those among us who aren’t Gen Z, is this ethical? This genre also exists in formats other than podcasts. Please tell me I’m not the only one addicted to Investigation Discovery documentaries…if only true crime trivia was a major! I take comfort in the fact that Ch...

Accessible Design  About According to  OurHC  , Accessible design, sometimes called universal design, is an approach to designing that pays special attention to accessibility for everyone. the point of accessible design is to present information clearly and thoughtfully to be inclusive and non-stigmatizing. The Three key Factors  Text When designing text for documents. the most important feature should be legibility. Text includes font, size, and spacing to name a few.  A good example would be:  For text to be legible it is important to consider font, spacing, size, style, and contrast.  A bad example would be:  For text to be legible it is important to consider font, spacing, size, style, and contrast.  Organization The visual organization of a document is an important feature in comprehension. Paragraphs, Columns, White Space, Images and their placement are all important factors of organization.  Web/ Digital Either when creating origi...

WRITING - Through the Ages  Chloe Tiell   Background      I took an anthropology class my senior year of high school and I still believe that it was one the best courses of my high school career. My teacher loved to analyze how the modern day human race is actually regressing rather than progressing. He said that our reliance on technology will eventually lead us to a stopping point in human development.      It was a lot of information to take in as an eighteen year old but continues to be a foundational learning experience that I want to incorporate among my own classroom one day. When given the opportunity to create an informative brochure, I jumped on the topic of writing tools throughout history. I figured it would be a great topic that captures of the essence of humanity as well as the concept of language and communication.  Sheong. "The History of Writing Tools" Here's a little video to help you get started!  Communicati...

    Accessibility By Mat Baird

E-books vs. Physical Books   The Great Debate Physical books have been the standard for many years.  Until the recent development of things such as an iPad or a Kindle, most people would have just carried around the physical version of the book instead.  Now, it seems as if people are beginning to prefer the e-book over the beloved physical book.  But which is better?  By looking at The Monster at the End of This Book by John Stone we may be able to discern the different qualities that attract readers to both of these formats. The Pros and Cons of an E-book Now, I am assuming we have all seen someone reading some kind of thing on their phone.  Whether it be fan-fiction or on the Kindle app, people are always reading on their phones.  There are some pros to being able to access books on your phone, and there are also some cons.  With The Monster at the End of This Book, there are definitely   some good things going for the online version, but ...

WHAT IS INTERSECTIONALITY? The Center for Intersectional Justice   defines intersectionality as, "the ways in which systems of inequality based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, class and other forms of discrimination “intersect” to create unique dynamics and effects" (n.p.).  Examples of Intersectionality are being both a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as being a Person of Color; these two identities cannot be removed from one another Photo from: Womankind Worldwide HOW DOES INTERSECTIONALITY LINK TO MULTIMODAL EDUCATION? Using Jason Palmeri's research "Multimodality Before and Beyond the Computer" as a framework to understand intersectionality will help guide the connection between the existing systems of oppression and where multimodality could be headed Palmeri creates an overarching argument that multimodality within an intersectional framework has always existed, it's just been continually silenced...

 Layout Proximity  Proximity refers to the the way items are grouped within a composition. Items can be arranged into groups of similarities. Grouping by types increases accessibility by making it easier to understand the message. Grids Grids such as Modular, Hierarchic, Column, Baseline, and Manuscript grids keep pages easy to read, organized, and more pleasing to look at. Grid formatting eliminates clutter and confusion. Modular  Hierarchy  Column Baseline Manuscript  White Space White Space, or negative space, helps a page with tidiness. It creates visual effects like contrast, brightness, and space. The Golden Ratio  The Golden Ratio uses the formula arb is to a as a is to b. This ratio is a naturally occurring ratio that displays images slightly heavier on one third.  The Rule of Thirds  The rule of thirds is used on images, to create better visual effects and help display the movement of an image. The rule of thirds places three lines horiz...

 Multimodality in Language Learning First of all, what is multimodality? Multimodality refers to the presentation of ideas in multiple modes- written, visual, oral, spatial, etc. For a better understanding, this YouTube video explains the importance of multimodal communication in less than 2 minutes! How can we incorporate it into Language Learning? Photo by: Academy of Mine Provide images and/or visuals with captions in English and the learners language. Create worksheets where the learner can practice their writing and spelling. Have the learner read aloud to make sure they are able to read and pronounce the words.  Is Multimodality useful in Language Learning? "Language learners depend on the multiplicity of channels available on a screen to help them 'pick up' meaning in a target language"( Dressman & Sadler, 2019) . Photo by: Building Learning Agility A Creative Approach: Poetic Designs "The signs of learning are connected to the students' choices o...

 Design Principles: Color Color is an important aspect to any design. With all of the different colors, how does one choose a color or colors that best fit their design?! The task can seem overwhelming and quite daunting at times.  However, using basic color theory, will help you  intentionally choose colors that best fit your design.  The Color Wheel In order to use color effectively, one must first have a basic understanding of the color wheel. Primary colors consist of red, yellow, and blue. These are the basic colors that make up all other colors. Secondary colors are, you guessed it, the colors created by mixing primary colors. For example, combining blue and yellow (primary colors), will create green, a secondary color. Tertiary colors are created by mixing both primary and secondary colors. Magenta, combining red and purple, and teal, combining blue and green, are both examples of tertiary colors.  Hue, Shades, Tint & Tone A "hue" is the basic color. ...