Mandy Fine

In 7 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About Accessibility, the author goes over 7 separate steps on how and why designing a website, or anything in that matter is important to make it accessible to all different people. The first step is “Accessibility is not a barrier to innovation”. This is about designing for a wide variety of users. The 2nd step is “Don’t use color as the only visual means of conveying information”. This describes how using color helps to see specific items, but it is important to add images and other attractive means to the text and photo. The 3rd step is “Ensure sufficient contrast between text and its background”. It is explaining how it is important to contrast the colors and sizes and if a text s bold or not, but it is especially important to make sure nothing blends in, and certain topics stand out. The 4th step is “Provide visual focus indication for keyboard focus”. This discusses different tools and keyboard focuses. Finding a style sheet is good for the website experience. Finding a good balance between style and removing default focuses is important. The 5th step is “Be careful with forms”. This discusses how it is important to notice the lack of clearly identified boundaries and visible labels that lack in older designs. This goes through different ways to set up titles and subtitles. The 6th step is “Avoid component identity crisis”. This talks about the different input fields and ways to organize lists and menus. The 7th topic is “Don’t make people hover to find things”. Pretty much, this is summed up by using tangible items that trigger someone to click on it in order to find other openings, place secondary actions inside of menus and lighten contrast of secondary icon.

In Accessibility guidelines for UX designers, it goes over ways to design. It expresses how it is important to understand exactly what accessibility is. This goes over the content and structure of what a website should look like. It then goes over the independent designs, explaining the different types of devices and how each should be designed in a certain way. It talks about keyboard-only users and how there are different keyboard shortcuts and sections that should be implanted. It then discusses touch targets, followed by the advanced opening of new links, and how this should be user-friendly, because they can be disorienting, especially to users with cognitive disabilities. Animation, media, visual design, and user research testing are all then discusses. Basically, making a website user-friendly, welcoming, appealing to the eye, and interesting are all important. It also is important to incorporate many modes of accessibility, as that can help a large vast of people.

Personally, I know that I am more likely to use any website that is just easier to use. Granted, our generation is known to be more able to explore new media outlets, and so forth, but sometimes when I open a website and it just does not make sense and is not user-friendly, I am much more likely to just close the tab, and not go back. I also can relate this to my major. As a speech path major, I will be working with a wide range of clients, disabled clients included, and I believe it is important to have them feel included with accessibility on the web as well.

Having a professor and peer review is so beneficial. I do think it is important as who your peer is that reviews your paper though. If someone you do not know and really does not care about your grade all that much reviews your paper, they are more likely to just skim over it. A peer though may also miss mistakes even if you trust them, but it is less likely. However, with a professor reviewing the paper, I believe it is so beneficial as that is the person who will be doing the grading. It sometimes is hard to know just exactly what a professor wants, especially if all professors have people writing papers differently, even if it is in the same format. With a peer, it is just as much of a guessing game as to what a professor wants, but a professor themselves know exactly what they like and dislike in a paper, making it much more beneficial for them to review. With this being a long paper, I also feel bad having a peer feel the need to fully read it, understand it, and review it for me. I believe having a peer checking over it section by section could be more beneficial though. However, overall, I prefer my professor, the one grading it, looking over it, giving me direct feedback.

Social media can be a really good outlet, but it also can reflect a “false” life. So much is available on the internet, and everyone has access to such a thing.

In Sustaining Critical Literacies in the Digital Information Age: The Rhetoric of Sharing, Prosumerism, and Digital Algorithmic Surveillance, it discusses how people are consumed into a product, this product being social media. Social media is a space for human engagement with services and goods. This immediately made me think about how when I open Instagram for example, it is always full of Ads and people trying to sell items. It is described in waves. So the first waves had to do with understanding the culture and the second wave had to do with understanding the common public and expanding on that and the third wave had to do with the labor practices and referring this back to the first two waves. The more people who engage in social media sites lead to more consumer data for collections of advertising and so forth. It is important to allow people to know this. Social media is in everyone’s life and the public should be aware of this. With this awareness, the rhetoric of sharing can change the culture.

In the video, Danah Boyd is a researcher at Microsoft. She discusses how after the Shooting in EL Paso, how media manipulators may be responsible for these shootings. Digital media amplifies and spreads false information. Anyone has the way of learning how to get their information, their stories and more across the media. It is much simpler than it seems. Most people don’t trust the government. This was an example she discusses. Most people believe what they can see. So, in news for example, if they see people discussing certain topics and they can see pictures and so forth, they are more likely to believe this because it is a “fact”, right? Even if it is not true, if it is made out to be, people will be more likely to believe it. The media is an ecosystem, and everyone and anyone can interfere with it.

To sum this all up, media has different outlets for different reasons. However, everything on social media is not always true. Anyone can manipulate, express, sell, and act differently amongst social media. I know personally, on my social media, I only post the “good” things, and that is just a small example of the other side of reality versus social media.

Before starting a research paper, it is important to create a research question. A research question should not be broad and should be narrowed to a specific topic, and something that has not quite been researched yet. The research question should also not be biased, as it is just a question to conduct research. Following a research question, it is important to find a mix of different sources from different places. This includes journals, website articles, videos, and more, but they should be from scholarly places, not something such as Wikipedia. Next, a literature map should be created. This basically outlines the topics and what sources will be used and where they will be used in the paper. It is important to understand each source and read through them carefully so one can understand them and get enough information about the paper. Next, add a reference page. This should be done in APA format and on its own page. It's important to make sure you cite every source, or you could be cited for plagiarism. Next, following the CARS model, the introduction can be written. After that, following the literature map, a draft should be conducted. Then, it is important to have others review it and revise it. Then, create a final draft.

Personally, I chose a topic, that in a way I feel can be very relatable to so many people. Social media portrays this view of being “perfect” and makes people feel the need to own and do what others do, just to be acceptable. However, over the past years of the development and higher statistics of social media, teenager’s mental health has declined as well. In seems to look like it is very closely correlated, which is both sad and interesting. Social media, of course, has its perks, but it also has many negative effects. I can relate this to my life as well, as social media always has me comparing myself to others, when I know I do not need to be doing so.

The article, What is Rhetorical about Digital Rhetoric? Perspectives and Definitions of Digital Rhetoric discusses the different meaning an outlook on what people define digital rhetoric, all coming from a symposium done in 2015 by Indiana University. It was very quickly discovered that no one could really give a clear, exact definition of what “digital rhetoric” is, but everyone could relate it to their lives and how they interpret the meaning. Quickly, I realized how similar that even is to our class. There, I believe, are so many different ways to interpret digital rhetoric because people base it on their own lives. Digital rhetoric give theorists ways to explore digital media from more than one perspective and new approaches to digital media are always developing, in the end, teaching new rhetoric’s.

This article started out explaining how during the first day at the symposium, it was aimed toward the digital rhetoricians and the new methods of digital rhetoric. There were presentations that were performance-based on digital rhetoric and there were also just explanations. Pretty much, it widened the idea of digital rhetoric, but it didn’t narrow down to a legit definition, which I feel like we can relate to our lives. I know what digital rhetoric means, but when I explain it, I feel like I can overall explain it so many different ways.

Following this, the second day was more culturally based, referring to the space of culture and the value of digital technologies relating to civic and cultural engagement, and architecture. This not only brought slight more confusion, but it also brought everyone to realize the importance of digital rhetoric and really just how broad it is and how beneficial it is to all.

Overall, digital rhetoricians see rhetoric as a theory and art of making and teaching. I find this to be so intriguing because if you gather many different people in different professions, I believe they will all find the digital rhetoric to relate to their area of practice in one way that someone else might not relate too. For example, Steven Keoni Holmes contrasted a theory based on a certain way. He describes it as a behavioral responsive feedback loop, where Angela Aguayo argues that digital production is forms of communication and it gives opportunities for someone to tell their story.

Overall, rhetoric and rhetorical theory will always have a changing definition flexing with how the digital technologies of today are always growing and developing.  If you understand the digital aspects of these terms, it not only helps with research for the future, but it can also help look at the past and understand how to be progressive.

In chapter 9 of Writing in Knowledge Societies, this article starts out by discussing an underlying question which is “What is the relationship between rhetoric and reality in the creation of scientific knowledge?”. To go about it, different views are discussed from scientific practice and how rhetoric through scientific knowledge and how those rhetorical figures create meaning. Each section is outlined by metonymy in different practices.

It begins how Gross argues that rhetoric not only helps develop knowledge throughout all disciplines, but it also is a basis for how knowledge develops. McGuire and Melia go against Gross stating that all science is rhetoric, saying that facts can make up what we consider. Basically, “conventional wisdom” states that words that describe a theory can change, but the theory itself will not change. I feel like this can relate to a lot of things, related to majors or not. People can twist words around and try to change the meaning, but the real message will always be there, and I found that to be interesting. It is then related to metonymy by two physicists, relating to science and then it discusses facts of nature that have become scientific knowledge. Another scientist, Burke (1969) argues that metonymy is a metaphor. Meaning, something is being made real because it is compared to something else that is considered less complex. An example he used is how “the heart” is a word that refers to the word “emotions”. I found this intriguing because it made me reflect on sayings day in and day out that we as humans say but can be interpreted in different ways. I have said multiple times “my heart hurts for you”, and I mean it as something under the terms of how badly I feel for someone. Then this began to discuss what Heather Graves stated about how theoretical physicists use the metaphor to develop something called string theory. Basically, properties may not be a specific thing, but they indicate something similar. Basically, it is a literal definition of something to understand ideas.

What I can take away from this text is that all science is not rhetoric. It is much more complex than saying everything is the same. In fact, the rhetoric does play a role in science and the knowledge behind it, but that doesn’t mean everything is the same and that it creates literal facts. This relates to life in a way. We may have different opinions, but it does not mean one person’s opinion is right and another’s is incorrect. Rhetoric is around in science just for persuasion and other scientists use it to persuade others into their new findings. It does not always mean it is factual, and it in a way, just helps others look at the science in another perspective.

After reading the links On Multimodal Composing and Women, Rhetoric, and Politics on Pinterest, I began thinking about the many ways that we, as humans, compose writing. The first link I explored was On Multimodal Composing and it mainly discussed how we write based on our own experiences. We write over multiple times, and as it stated, “composing isn’t limited to a particular time when a writer is sitting at a notebook or a computer”. It discusses how composing writing is more than just actual alphabetic text too, and it really is multimodal. I know personally when I am out doing something such as driving or running, which both happen to be examples in the text, I am always coming up with thoughts and composing my own ideas and “writings”. We are always thinking about something, so what I took away from this article was the fact that we are constantly composing, whether we are writing or thinking. Initially, when I thought of composing, I just thought of writing and I never dug deeper into the fact that it is much more than that. The next part of this article discusses how all our writing habits and styles are based off what we learned before and who and/or what came before us. Reflecting on this, it made me think about texting and how our generation has come up with certain slang terms and how people are all influencing others. Over time, different ways of communication have developed and as those different modes of communication developed, different terms and writing habits have also developed. As we create text, we can influence generation after generation. Next, I read the link titled, Women, Rhetoric, and Politics on Pinterest, and it began by discussing how Pinterest, a form of social media, it more of a “women’s space”. By those words, this not only starts a conversation, but it starts an important one. In any area, whether it be based more around men or women, sports, etc., if people are more comfortable in a space, they are more willing and able to say and do things they might not do in another situation. People can meet others and mesh with those people while still learning more from others. In this article, it talks about how rhetoric happens in this space and when one explores how rhetoric happens in social media, it can also show public rhetoric and the different engagements of other people outside of social media. By looking at ways that women are engaging on Pinterest, it can also show how these women create their different online experiences. The way people are interacting with one another over social media does not always mean they will interest that way in person, but it does not limit them and out of this, people create many different ways for others to experience social media, whether it be good or bad or a mixture of both. Pulling both of these articles together, everyone is always composing new ideas on and off social media and in their everyday life activities.  It is important to engage in new things and meet new people. It is important to try to communicate with more than just one person, but more than that. Composing your ideas is just the beginning.

These chapters of Multiliteracies for a Digital Age really discuss computer multiliteracy programs and how teachers and their institutions should go about integrating programs with literacy and technology. It begins to discuss as well though, that change is not going to happen right away and there needs to be more commitment over time for it to be integrated. However, in order to make a change, one must understand all the parts of change but also understand it as a whole because literacy and technology is always growing and changing. It states that in educational settings, technology is seen as the primary intervention and honestly, I find that to be so true. I feel like in education, our focus is always toward technology and work is always to be done with some sort of technology. The text talks about four requirements and their approaches, in chapter 5 specifically. The first requirement for implantation is technical. This refers to the computer infrastructures on campus and discussing the technological requirements. It is also important to ask questions so everyone can understand the technology. The second requirement is Pedagogical, and this refers to scaffolding and understanding that students should be taught and handed technology information slowly so everyone can understand the information. The third requirement is Curricular which refers to the actual implanting of putting technology in the curriculum where it fits and even adding it to certain specific courses. The fourth requirement is Departmental and Institutional. This refers to how everyone can help everyone construct a better understanding of technology. It includes the importance of having certain people in charge of helping and setting up technology and it is important to have comfortable technology environments for all to feel comfortable when it comes to new technology. When I reflect on these four requirements personally, I do see this trying to be implanted into ESU. Maybe ESU isn’t doing it perfectly and is not making everyone super happy, but I believe for a smaller institution, we are technologically advanced and also, with our generation, we typically are known to just understand technology better, but if we do happen to need help from others, there is always help available on campus. This ended on a high note explaining that if students want to be people of the positive technology change, our education needs to be relevant and meaningful to our digital age. I believe this to be much more than people just believing us to know how to use technology, but I believe that having us interact and do more than just typing papers on technology will also help us engage more.  

When I read The Primary Care Clinic as a Writing Space I was immediately interested. Before I began to dig deep into the article, I immediately began thinking about health care and how I see my doctors take notes and pass them on. As I began to read, the first word I noticed was “charting”. Honestly, I can say that when I see my doctor, for example, taking notes, I always wondered what they were writing down and what may have been left out. The article began by discussing how adding writing stewards for the clinicians could benefit them because the communication from clinician to the client can and would be more efficient. The point was brought up that the clinician’s notes are sophisticated, but it brings up the questions such as “how are they sophisticated?’ and “is there a better way to take down notes and still be sophisticated?”. If notes are taken down when the client is speaking to the clinician, different details could be missed and issues can and will most likely be worded differently than they may mean to be and once those notes are passed on, things can start to get confusing.

A research study was explained about POVMR, a way of “charting” for veterinary clinicians. In this study, it was explained how POVMR can make it harder for the clinician to talk to their clients because of the wordings and the extent of the notes taken. Reflecting on my own thoughts here began to make me wonder how many clinicians feel about this and if they even realize how when they explain some things that some of their clients do not quite understand what they are being told. I can say I have experienced certain situations like this.

The main goal of this study was to express the disconnect amongst writing in the clinics. It is discussed that the Clinic Transformation Project was created because health care providers were frustrated. They were frustrated about the different levels of care they were able to provide to their clients.

Another study was done at Michigan State and to sum it up, it basically explains that there are so many people in the system working, clinicians to be exact, and it can cause a large disconnect. Clinicians are in and out of the office, notes are taken on sticky notes and pieces of paper, and notes are passed along to be charted, but the efficiency of these notes can begin to lack as time goes on. Technology is also changing so when notes are to be converted into different technologies that can also create a disconnect.

In the system, there is a lack of training in writing or Medical Students and that also creates a disconnect. Being more coordinated and working more collaboratively with others through more advanced and better writing overall help benefits clients. Personally, I think this is important for everyone to understand. If clinicians can find a way through writing to work more collaboratively with each other, it can also really benefit the clients, especially ones who are in and out of doctors constantly for an ongoing illness. It can help benefit their treatment because writing is networking and networking needs to be efficient, and most importantly collaborative without lacking important details.

After reading Spaces for Writing and the other article, it made me understand that when writing, speaking or creating any form of communication, there are many ways to write and communicate, however, a lot of the communication is all formed through a few of the same thought processes. We, as humans, respond to different thoughts and ideas without even realizing we are doing so. In today's day and age, social media has an extreme amount of influence on our everyday lives. The one thing that really stuck out to me throughout this text was the point about how our messages we post or send that we want to be considered private are never private. What is put out on social media, even if it is deleted or posted as a private statement, it can easily be tracked down, shared, and read by many others you may not even know. Leading off that, a lot of thoughts and information an be easily accessed. An example that was used in this text was about how one person may be working on an individual project, but just because it is labeled as individual, that person has easy access to others thoughts and ideas and may incorporate peoples thoughts without realizing that they were not their own thoughts, to begin with. However, of all these shared thoughts, they all come about in a pretty similar way. Ethos, Pathos and Logos stand for ethical, empathy, and logical, in short, but if you think about it, whether the thoughts and writings are your own or someone else’s, most people tend to go through these thought processes first to even begin to understand the text. It all connects to the thought about the rhetoric term, where we are basically just thinking about how we talk. I grew up learning to always think before I speak, and this is wherein a real-life situation one can see Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. I ask myself if what I say is going to be okay with another person, caring about their thoughts and feelings, and to understand why I am saying what I am.

Hello, my name is Mandy Fine. I am a Junior Communication Sciences and Disorders Major with a Concentration in Gerontology. I run cross country and track competitively for ESU. During track season, I focus on the 10k. I am from Kent Island Maryland, a pretty small town right across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge from Annapolis. I moved there when I was 3 years old from Alexandria, Virginia. After Undergrad here at ESU, I plan on going to Graduate School somewhere out in California, preferably in the Bay Area, so Northern California. In the summer, I have four jobs and am always around children. I teach swim lessons, lifeguard, babysit and am a Para-Educator for the Extended School Year program with the Pre-K class, in the county I am from. I used to have a plan for what I wanted to do within Speech after I graduate, believing I wanted to work with only children, but now I am more open and willing to work with any of the different age ranges, as I am more surrounded by a wide variety of people. 

This is from cross country this past year at Regionals!