#compf19

For this Wednesday’s reading on What is Rhetorical about Digital Rhetoric? Perspectives and Definitions of Digital Rhetoric it was about how digital rhetoric came to be and how is it a hard topic to define because everyone views digital rhetoric differently. Even in the video that is attached in the article, scholars themselves have a hard time defining what digital rhetoric is. Most of them joke about asking an easier question or tried to go around from answering the question. From that video, my understanding is that when talking about digital rhetoric there is a wide range of things that can perfectly fall under that definition. From the Indiana Digital Rhetoric Symposium I gathered that the people attending were challenged to our their minds and try to see from different perspectives and to consider the information that is being displayed to them. This conference made scholars think differently and maybe even change their views on digital rhetoric to be more wide ranged instead of viewing it to be one main topic of conversation. They also explained how culture also influences how people view digital rhetoric which makes it harder to create one definition. So, from this I learned that it depends on who is describing digital rhetoric because they will influence how they view and define digital rhetoric because it will be different from person to person.

As someone who is in a major that is going to heavily deal with people with disabilities, this week reading really hit home. As a “typical” human being, you don’t really think about how those who are disabled may struggle with everyday things that we take for granted. Something as simple as reading a sentence or hearing a song are hindered and not many people realize that there are quite simple fixes to these problems. When a developer is creating a new website or app, they need to keep in mind that not everyone can see size 12 font or can hear the videos they embed. This is where accessibility comes into play. Accessibility means that everyone, no matter their setback can have access to the same information and opportunities as everyone else. For some people who have low-vision or are blind, to many crazy colors and small font can make it difficult to read things. But what if they can’t read at all? The developer could include something that reads all of the text aloud and describes any pictures that may be present as well. In the article 7 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About Accessibility, they touch on things like font size and design that will make it easier for individuals with visual impairments or even colorblindness to read, see, and enjoy. Accessibility Guidelines for UX Designers also talked about how making something accessible allow all individuals to better understand and use the web. Kind of like how someone who is Deaf might need closed captioning on videos that way they aren’t left out. I think all people should think about accessibility and how people with certain limitations would be affected.

When reading the assigned graphic novel pdf, “Understanding Rhetoric Introduction and Issue 1,” something that JUMPED...

... RIGHT OUT AT ME WAS...

I thought to myself.... we do this with memes and gifs all the time.

We take a picture from a movie 🎥 or show 📺 etc.

Match the image with a caption, which captures our emotions, to convey a message which portrays the way we feel at that very moment.

With precision and timing, the created image has the potential to connect with hundreds dare I say, endless amounts of people, possibly giving birth to an, epic and timeless meme/gif.

Which we can always count on for a cheap, feel good laugh...

Taking our day from here...

To here....

Thanks Rhetoric!

I’m sure the way we use memes or gifs are not the way the originator of the image intended it to be used, however; when communicating with others creatively, using the rules of rhetoric, we can create a “space” to send our own messages and connect with others through something such as visual literacy.

We can send/deliver purposeful messages, to specific or nonspecific audiences, traditionally or untraditionally, formally or informally, uniquely and effectively, with the power of communication.

#KnowYourAudience#HaveKnowledgeOfTopic#WritingisDynamic#Analyze#Strategize#RhetoricToolbox:#SpeachisPower#TumblrJournaling#assignmentcomplete#dropmic#imout#peace✌️😎

Chapter 2 of “Sustaining Critical Literacies in the Digital Information Age: The Rhetoric of Sharing, Prosumerism, and Digital Algorithmic Surveillance”, it talked about sharing on social media. The article talked about how our social media activity dictates how a feeds show. So it takes what we like and share and next time we go on that social media we see a lot more posts of things we have an interest in. It can be a frightening thing that what we post on social media is saved into data bases that people can get a hold of and know pretty much everything about us and that can lead to major problems. I feel that us as a society have to be careful what we put out there because something we post that is sensitive information can land in the wrong hands and could cause major problems in our lives. 

In the video, Danah Boyd is a researcher at Microsoft and the Founder and CEO of the institute of Data and Society. She talked about how social media manipulates what people see. She discussed how conspiracy people manipulate how information on crisis’ are spread and makes everyone go crazy researching things. Also talked about the measles outbreak in New York City that caused a lot of people to go frantic and research how to stay protected and what to do. She explained how search engines get manipulated and can show false information or beliefs out to the public and having them believe in fake news. How social media platforms amplify these crisis’ and trick users to stay on them and research false information believing it is all true. So you cannot believe everything you read on the internet is real. We need to be cautious of who is relaying the facts whether they are a reliable source or not.

Jesse Hausler wrote, “7 Things Every Designer Needs to Know about Accessibility” to try and help designers in making webpages, blogs, articles, etc accessible to every individual. Hausler talks mentions how they are many ways that designers can create something that is still fun and entertaining, while making it accessible to all peoples. Hausler mentions how by making these pieces of “art” can make them more creative. These things that the designers can do to their pieces can make them stand out compared to other pieces. 

I chose this gif because it shows that access can be available to anyone if the right actions are taken. This relates to Hausler because in the article it mentions how by making these small changes more people can have access to the designers work. 

Hausler goes on to talk about the things that designers should stay away from or try to minimize. He talks about the font and font sizes that you should use. He talks about the colors that you should and should not use. 

In “Accessibility guidelines for UX Designers”, Avinash Kaur talks about many of the same things that Hausler talks about. Kaur talks about understanding accessibility and the guidelines that come along with it. She talks about how you need to have empathy and knowing the mentality. She mentions all the individuals who have disabilities and how they are also users of many of these platforms that get information across. 

7 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About Accessibility is a great insightful passage that promotes and encourages website and digital developers to design their products to be more adaptable or “accessible” so that they may be used efficiently by all sorts of people, including those that struggle with various physical and mental disabilities. The first of seven guidelines that the author lists so that a web and digital designer may follow in order to produce an effective product revolves around “Accessibility”.  A product should be fluid, geared and comfortably accessible for people who may have physical disabilities such as: vision, hearing, mobility and cognitive Impairments. In addition, the products should also be designed with diversity in mind so that people ranging from young to old age, people who are novices in the use of technology, and those who are experienced and familiar in their operational use, all interact and navigate the software/hardware proficiently.   The second and third guidelines suggests the use of color to highlight, promote, and attract users visually towards an area of the website that needs attention. An example provided is the use of red borders around insert fields to indicate that there is an error. In addition, a combination of colors should also be used alongside icons and other text modifications such as text size, titles, bold headings, underlining, italics and etc. in order to stand out in the eyes of the user. With these implications, people with vision impairments may be able to read and navigate the designer’s product without issue and with assistance. The fourth-seventh guidelines focus on the developer creating software that will have a symbiotic relationship with the hardware it is being built for. Such an example is being able to navigate a website while only using a keyboard and building certain functions and shortcuts that will allow a user to easily navigate throughout a website or program. Along with this development, information on how to properly use the software should be given and readily available to be accessed by the user. There should be borders implicated and built within the design of the product so that the user understands the limits and boundaries that they are able to navigate within the software. Details on all icons, symbols, actions and links should be properly displayed and described to provide as much information as possible so that the user has a better understanding on the program’s properties. All of these factors and important in the creation of assistive technology that makes a huge impact and difference in the daily lives of people who may have physical and cognitive disabilities. These guidelines are further supported by the user experience/user interface article, Accessibility Guidelines for UX Designers, which reviews the same concepts as the previous reading. Content and structure should have meaningful links that pertain to whatever a user is searching for. By avoiding links that will lead to unrelated content and to limit the addition of unnecessary keyboard inputs, this will aid users that may have motor impairments, cognitive limitations or visual disabilities. A combination of color, text, font and graphical objects, will create a helpful product that will be user friendly for people with partial sight, limited color vision, color blindness. Patterns of navigation should also be consistent so that repeated components occurring in the same order within different pages of the website/software, reflect user friendly components and teach its users, especially those that may have intellectual disabilities, that the website is predictable and therefore understood. There should always be different options and choices that give the user the ability to return to any desired location, page, tab, or settings within the program. The design of the software should always be linear and consistent with the aid of various multi-modal components such as visual, aural, and text so that the user can read and comprehend the layout and design of the product. As a current medical worker, I personally love the critical importance of developing software and hardware that will have a positive Impact in the lives of patients who are suffering from physical and mental disabilities. It will aid health care workers to provided a better form of care and one in which patients can properly voice their concerns in regards to their health. I hope to one day help to promote exquisite health care for patients within the rehabilitation department with the assistance of devices that will provide the support needed to assure the safety and well being of my patients.

From the two readings, On Multimodal Composing and Women, Rhetoric, and Politics on Pinterest, different places and ways people used to composed were spoken about as well as where they are posted and put into the world. In On Multimodal Composing, the employees shown do their work in different places whether it be in the office, at home or a gym, they have their own processes on how to compose their writings. This reading also focuses on how these compositions are put into the world whether it be online communities or to crowds in person, their compositions are getting out and into the world. The other reading Women, Rhetoric, and Politics on Pinterest focuses on how many women use painters to discuss politics. With Pinterest being another social media platform where you can make different boards. it is interesting that these conversations would happen on this platform because for me personally, I use Pinterest for ideas for hairstyles or how to dress for different events. It is interesting to think how many ways there are to compose as well as get your compositions out into the world. Something that made me think from On Multimodal Composing is when the author said that composing is always happening whether we think it is or not; our brains never really stop working and we do not always realize it. Writing is different for everyone which we saw in On Multimodal Composing because their writers were working in many different spaces with different factors that can be a distraction to some. I know that personally I have to be in a space that has a desk and usually cannot be around many people otherwise I can get very distracted and not get done what I need to get done. Both of these writings show different ways composing is done.

The world around us is honestly all technologically based. If we look at what we do from day to day, our day normally starts with looking at our cell phones whether it be to see what time it is, turning off our alarms, seeing our notifications, or looking to see if we received the beloved email “CLASS IS CANCELLED.” It is safe to say our world revolves around technology. In chapter 5, Sebler was making a point to say how important it is for educators to incorporate technology into their curriculum. He made points to talk about the computer technologies that there are today and the roles that they play in education. If we think about the amount of times we actually have to submit a paper or homework in person on the teachers desk, that answer is slim to none. Everything today is online. ESU has D2L and that is a big deal as we can upload assignments, see what we have to do for each class, get reminders on when an assignment is going to close or if we have a quiz coming up, everything is right there. I am not saying that D2L is completely user friendly, but once you get used to how to navigate it, life becomes a little easier. There are some professors that do not even know how to work some of the newer technologies and then there are some that know more than most students know. That is something that needs to change. Taking the time to learn how to work the newer technologies can be very beneficial to not just the students, but to the professors as well as they can sharpen up their skills. Every class is different and each teacher likes to teach in different ways or have their students submit things in a different manner, regardless, there is technology implemented in some way. Like I said, the world around us is evolving and if we have professors that are up to date and know how to use the up and coming advances and can teach us how to properly use them and navigate them so we can be more successful in the future with whatever career path we go down. I was spoiled in high school because we had an all online system where we submitted everything and we did everything on our own laptops. I came from knowing how to maneuver through a whole website, to coming into ESU with D2L and not knowing how to use anything because no one showed me how to use it. I know that with my major there are constantly new technological advances, such as the new Anatomage table in Koehler Fieldhouse, and without professors that knew how to work that new machine, I wouldn’t know how to work it.