#disability recognition paper

[yvernal]

[Friday 6th]

Today was the last day before my long-awaited three days weekend and it felt even longer than it was already supposed to.

Since I finished at 6pm, I was able to come for 10am in the morning, that additional hour of half-sleep snuggled under the covers doing wonders for my mood.

I got back to work on the mangas as soon as I arrived, putting my earbuds and music on to be able to concentrate better, which was quite difficult today.

I share my "office" (it's a passing room and if you push me one meter to the right, I'm in the goddamn corridor) with another person having their own idiosyncrasies which, sadly, clashes quite badly with my own. As in : I need either silence or loud music to drown every sound to concentrate, while they need to talk loudly about everything they're doing at the time to do the same. They need all the ceiling lights to be on, while I usually only rely on the natural light from outside our window or only switch on the farthest row from where I am, in order to avoid light-induced migraines. They often ask questions and interrupt other people to get help with things while I despise interruption as breaking my momentum makes it really hard to get back on the task at hand.

So yeah, work was done but it was difficult. I can't ask to change desk since there's no other desk available on our floor and also because I would need "valid reasons" (for HR) which implies the Disability Recognition Paper that I do not have (for now). Also they've been here for years and me only for some months and it doesn't feel right to disturb what has been essentially their working space for years just for them to accommodate me. I sometimes ask if it's okay to switch the lights or tell them that I'm busy and can't help, but nothing more than that.

I ended up a bit late on my imagined schedule and didn't manage to wrap everything up before lunch, so I gathered all my stuff neatly on a cart and left it for future me on Tuesday morning. I ate and enjoyed my lunch then went for my first shift of the day on the public floor.

This first shift was a front desk shift, where I registered three people and helped some more. But it was calm.

After that I was supposed to be on reserve duty, meaning going to the library's storage rooms to do some shelving of old books returns, as well as doing the picklist for the reserved books. Sadly, our elevator was once again out of commission, meaning I instead spent half an hour running around between upper management responsible for contacting the right service, other colleagues to warn and pulling up the signs for the patrons. And only after that I went back to the mangas (and yet not managed to finish everything I needed to do).

After that, from 4pm to 6pm, I was supposed to be one hour at the music/movies floor (my beloathed) then doing shelving. I instead managed to swap my shift with an amenable colleague and instead did two hours of mobile shelving, going between different floors to dispatch the returns and shelve what needed to be. I was also on phone duty for those two hours and answered four calls (quite calm for a Friday afternoon).

After that I went straight home, getting news from Mom that she was out for some shopping and an outing at the movie theater. No need to wait for her for dinner then, so I ate some tartines when I came back, did the dishes and went to snuggle in bed reading fanfics.

I'll take some melatonin pills this evening and put on my noise cancelling earbuds and have a big restful night. I plan to catch up with my game's new update tomorrow and if I have time, starting to draw the map of my personal fantasy worldbuilding project, so I need to rest my brain a lot, since I'll probably take my meds too for the first time since last Monday.

[librarycards]

do you have any tips for making reading more accessible for people with attention / focus issues and low energy? i feel like whenever i try to read, i'm missing huge chunks of information or otherwise not reading as closely as i would like due to having adhd, and it discourages me from reading entirely.

ty for the question! I've addressed this in some ways here and here, but i'm also listing some quick bullet points for both pleasure / leisure reading and for more intentional reading (it's important to have both in your life!)

intentional reading: citation managers, esp. Zotero, are your friend. Read slowly and annotate. annotation forces your brain to get out of skim-mode and really think about what you need to remember from a given passage! it's best to do this when you're not on a deadline, because you can take all of the time you need.

intentional reading: for many people, print is the only way they can read intentionally, as digital is too distracting. try printing readings or using only paper books, and get physical with them - colored highlighters and pens, post it notes, etc. physical engagement helps a lot! write in your books!

intentional reading and leisure reading: if you're worried about not retaining information, try doing a quick mental summary after every x number of pages, or every chapter, etc. like, okay, if your friend asked "what happened in chapter 3" what would you say? I do this all the time, especially when i'm reading more intricately plotted scifi/fantasy with lots of unfamiliar words/names, as i get confused. if it's a very popular book with existing summaries, you can also read a chapter summary after finishing a chapter and make connections/go back to places you didn't understand. this is the best use of sparknotes and similar services, imo.

for leisure reading: you're reading for fun, so make your environment as comfy as possible. do you have a drink or snack with you? do you have your annotation materials close? make reading as convenient as possible so that you don't have to interrupt your time.

if you're busy or work with your hands, try an audiobook! you can speed it up or slow it down, depending on your brain's processing speed. [i listen to mine on 2x speed (narrator accent permitting) bc i'm a maniac.]. for a lot of people, stimming while reading helps them stay focused, so if you stim by knitting/doing something with both hands, audio might be for you.

for leisure and intentional reading, especially if the book is very difficult, you can try listening to an audiobook while reading a physical copy! if you're in college and have accommodations, you might be able to get audio copies of otherwise unavailable books through disability services.

lastly, for leisure reading: don't be afraid to start basic. there's kind of a novella boom happening right now, and a lot of books below 200 pages getting the recognition they deserve (if people want, i can make a recs post for short books?). if you can read ten pages a day, you can finish a 200 page book in less than 3 weeks, which is a lot more encouraging than picking up a 600 page tome. if you want to start smaller, try 5 pages! some people assume that they need to read a ton immediately, but what matters is that you're enjoying it and getting something from it. Quality >>>>> quantity.

Let me know if this is helpful/if you have any other questions! Good luck and happy reading :)

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive

by Betsy Ladyzhets

She is part of an administration that many advocates believe turned its back on COVID-19. Still, some see more hope in a potential Harris presidency.

In early August, the newly minted Kamala Harris campaign posted a job opportunity: disability engagement director. The director would meet with disability communities across the United States, build relationships with disability advocates, and help people participate in campaign events.

Some Long COVID advocates expressed excitement for the role on social media, and hoped that it would be filled by someone familiar with their disease. For these advocates, the disability engagement director is part of a broader opportunity presented by Harris’ move to the top of the ticket: to make their case for national recognition. For others disillusioned by the Biden administration’s response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, however, the campaign has a higher bar to clear before they will support Harris.

Advocates say that people with Long COVID, a potentially debilitating chronic disease that can impact all parts of the body, represent a growing voting bloc in this year’s presidential election. Leaders from Long COVID advocacy groups and the broader disability community are considering how to make their case to Harris’ staff, with a particular interest in Anastasia Somoza — a disability advocate who was hired for the engagement director role — and Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate who has championed Long COVID research as governor of Minnesota.

“VP Harris is part of an administration that has turned its back on public health,” said Karyn Bishof, founder and president of the COVID-19 Longhauler Advocacy Project, in an email. However, Bishof added, Harris’ “track record suggests that she could prioritize the well-being of those most affected [by Long COVID], particularly women and marginalized communities, and perhaps push for more honest and accessible education and care.” Bishof pointed to Harris’ experience supporting health care and women’s rights and her selection of Walz as reasons for optimism about Long COVID organizing under a potential Harris administration.

One recent review paper found over 400 million people have developed Long COVID worldwide, costing an estimated $1 trillion to the global economy. About 18% of U.S. adults have experienced the disease, with higher rates among women and LGBTQ+ people, and 1 in 4 people currently living with it experience “significant activity limitations,” according to surveys from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Many can no longer work, attend school, or engage with their communities. And the numbers grow with every new COVID-19 wave.

Some people with Long COVID have shared these experiences with politicians and in the media as they organize for scientific research, health care, and social support. At a Senate committee hearing in January, Long COVID advocates packed the chamber and encouraged senators to attend with phone campaigns. The hearing contributed to new legislation introduced this summer that would provide over $10 billion in funding for research and health care.

Scott Hugo, a housing justice attorney with Long COVID, wrote an open letter to the Harris campaign asking it to recognize this growing population. In an interview, he explained the connection he sees between the campaign’s message of supporting vulnerable members of society and the struggles people with Long COVID face to find medical care, access government services, and educate their loved ones about the disease. By publicly discussing Long COVID, Harris could inspire people in this community to vote and organize when they were previously apathetic about the election, he suggested.

“None of us are disposable, and I think that’s what the Democratic Party understands,” Hugo said. His message to the Harris campaign: “You want us in your coalition, and you need us in that coalition to win.”

Somoza and the campaign’s press team did not provide comments for this story.

[lurking-latinist]

I just saw this awesome post about including mobility aids in fantasy writing, and I do not want to create a tangent but I *do* want to share some things I learned about disability in ancient Greece when I was researching that paper I wrote on the Philoctetes, so I am making my own post.

Philoctetes is a mythical figure who was one of the Greek heroes going to the Trojan war. Before they got there, he suffered a wound in the foot which would not heal. The other Greek leaders were unwilling to have the noise of his screams and the stench of the infected wound in their camp, so they abandoned him on a deserted island with only his famous weapon, the Bow of Heracles. He survived there for ten years. Now the war is almost over, Troy has almost fallen, but the Greeks have heard a prophecy: they cannot win until they have the Bow of Heracles. So wily Odysseus and young Neoptolemus (the son of the recently dead Achilles) go to the island where Philoctetes is still living, still dealing with his injury. Philoctetes is eager to escape the island, but can he trust the community that abandoned him ten years ago? Can they ever make right what they did to him?

Now that’s the type of story that someone might very well point to who was arguing that disabled people have to be neglected and excluded in a “historically accurate” story. And it’s definitely not an example of casual inclusion. But what that person would be missing is that Philoctetes’ abandonment and isolation in this play was intended to be shocking to its Athenian audience. The audience is invited to identify with Philoctetes and to be horrified at how he does not receive the support from his community that real-world people with similar disabilities did receive, as we can tell from both textual and archaeological evidence.

Martha L. Rose’s book The Staff of Oedipus: Transforming Disability in Ancient Greece emphasizes this. Look, here’s what I wrote in my paper, why should I rewrite it:

Rose approaches her material “though the lens of disability studies, which approaches the phenomenon of disability by assuming that there is nothing inherently wrong with the disabled body and that the reaction of a society to the disabled body is neither predictable nor immutable” (1). In other words, it is necessary to see what attitudes and assumptions about disabilities are actually recorded, rather than projecting any of our own assumptions. ...

Also unlike today, Greek concepts of disability were not medicalized. “Permanent physical disability,” writes Rose, “was not the concern of doctors in antiquity beyond recognition of incurability” (11). This does not mean that disabled people had no resources or were simply left to perish, of course. Rather, they were often cared for within their households and their communities (28), which means that both Philoctetes’ abandonment and isolation form a shocking exception to the norm. The importance of community support suggests that Philoctetes’ joy at being reunited with humanity comes from practical as well as emotional needs. At the same time, the wide range of tasks and trades in the Greek economy meant that many disabled people were far from economically dependent (think of [the god] Hephaestus the lame smith), so that “[a] physically handicapped person earning a living would not have been a remarkable sight” (39). People unable to walk at all rode donkeys or were carried in litters, while those who walked with difficulty used a staff or a crutch (24-26).

So for writers: the ancient Greeks didn’t invent the wheelchair--but they had the wheel technology (I suspect the issue may have been with roads and pavements instead), so your Greek-inspired fantasy world totally can (which was the point of that earlier post). Or maybe your protagonist goes on their adventures with a faithful donkey sidekick that helps them get around. Maybe they are respected for their skill in a craft, making their home and workshop a lively meeting-place for customers. If you’re writing fantasy, you could be inspired by one of the myths of Hephaestus, in which he creates metal automatons--basically, magic robots--that not only support him as he walks, they also act as assistants in his workshop!

Anyway, the point of this post is basically just that I agree with the other post about including mobility aids in fantasy and I had some relevant knowledge in the back of my head. And also that you should read the Philoctetes. Look, here’s a recent free modern English verse translation: https://johnstoniatexts.x10host.com/sophocles/philocteteshtml.html

Oh, and if you would like to see my term paper or the relevant section from The Staff of Oedipus, message me, I will share them.

[mariacallous]

Introduction

Research and practice over the past several decades have provided evidence about the effectiveness of some interventions that treat mental illnesses and substance use disorders (SUDs). That research has identified elements of treatment, including psychotherapies like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and various pharmacotherapies; interventions that combine treatment elements, like relapse prevention for major depression; team-based programs that offer a suite of interventions, such as assertive community treatment (ACT) for severe and persistent mental illnesses; and models that focus on the integration of treatment for depression and anxiety disorders into primary care practices, like the Collaborative Care Model.

Nevertheless, the take up of evidence-based practices has been weak and has stalled in recent years, despite national recognition of the need to address high rates of mental health and substance use disorders. There is a mismatch between the strategies that research suggests are likely to benefit people and the availability of those strategies to people who may benefit from them. The roots of this mismatch may lie in challenges in understanding how to spread effective programs in complex organizational and funding environments, and how to scale the programs, organizational arrangements, and interventions that work. Moreover, though the “technology” for improving mental health and SUD care is understood, there are economic, organizational, and cultural forces that create enormous frictions for efforts aimed at putting knowledge about mental illnesses and SUDs and their treatments to work.  A shaky foundation of behavioral health service access, in which many communities in the U.S. find themselves lacking sufficient behavioral health services, underpins these larger forces.  This is particularly problematic for low-income communities and rural communities, where access issues are large.  And the research itself frequently does not address the impact of the interventions on important populations, including and especially people of color.

In this paper, we focus on four behavioral health policy issue areas that are marked by evidence-based understanding about what works, a need to rely on integration and coordination of effort across multiple sectors of public services, illnesses and circumstances that are highly stigmatized, and a history of institutional designs that create barriers to sustainable programs. These policy issue areas are:

Deploying interventions early in the course of severe conditions, such as psychosis, expected to be persistent and disabling without intervention;

Advancing healthy brain development and behavior in early childhood;

Providing effective and timely response to behavioral health crises; and

Supporting the reentry into communities of formerly incarcerated people with mental health and substance use conditions.

For each of these issue areas, we conducted an environmental scan of the evidence of the issue area’s impact and conducted facilitated interactions with practitioners, experts, and stakeholders.  Across these diverse areas, common challenges and clear strategies to spread and scale evidence-based behavioral health interventions emerged. Tackling these challenges and advancing these strategies create opportunities for philanthropy, governments at all levels, and communities to engage and advance efforts to strengthen evidence-based behavioral health service provision in the U.S. in these four areas.

[unicornteacup24]

Watched Nimona a few weeks(months as of present) ago b/c Netflix put it free on YouTube and it's so fun!

The voice acting is solid. Had me about to cry twice 😭. I couldn't pinpoint everyone's voices until the end when the credits came up; but, then it clicked. Like 'why does he sound so familiar? Who is that? Oh! That's who that is! No way!' The actors and actresses did a wonderful job ☺️

The animation is so pretty and expressive. You could freeze-frame so many scenes and just stare at it. The backgrounds remind me of watercolor and the characters kinda remind me of paper.

The first escape scene reminds me of the Emperor's New Groove which is a win

(opens split screen so I can look up how to spell characters' names correctly)

I like most of the characters honestly. A lot of their motivations make sense to me in some way.

Nimona is a fun character. I like their carefree approach to stuff which is a nice contrast to Ballister and everyone else they have to face off against. It made the serious scenes more sad and it emphasizes the backstory when you realize exactly what was true about the things they told Ballister on the train. (Them talking about just letting people kill them had me tearing up 😭)

I really like Ballister. He's an underdog. And I was not ready for how this movie was going to kick off! Man JUST got his recognition from the Queen and everyone else who's been doubting him, then it gets destroyed a second later 😱 LIKE 🤬! OKAY THEN! Him and Ambrosius are cute though. On that note...

Ambrosius. I like him well enough. I like how his personal feelings for Ballister come into conflict with his job.

Sidenote: I like how it's done here. You'll see a lot of characters have this conflict but they either just met the other person; or the feelings just got reciprocated. But, since Ballister and Ambrosius are written to be already well established (they have favorite spots and know how each other likes their food) it's more impactful.

I honestly love his fake out scene. It's funny but also nice to see what he honestly thinks about everything happening between him and Ballister and the system they're a part of. Which shows how him and Ballister think alike and why they work as a couple.

But I also kinda wish two things happened in this movie:

Nimona and Ambrosius both mentioned how “cutting off limbs, isn't a love language,” and Ballister acknowledges that's how they're trained to react, but it would've been a nice 3 for 3 mention if Ballister said that when Ambrosius follows him out of the diner/bar. Just throwing it back in his face would've been so good and dramatic!

Ngl I wanted Ambrosius to lose an arm. I feel like it would've been dramatic but also kinda symbolic b/c they both lost an arm b/c of the system they were brainwashed by. Also matching disabled boyfriends!

Todd...🤬 you! No, but I thought Todd died during the final battle. Then he lived. 🤬...no, but honestly Todd was a jock douchebag but he was funny. Plus, I can give him credit for stepping toe to toe with Ambrosius b/c he believes that Ballister is a weak point for him ( which is a fair point).

The Director was terrible. Manipulative and unwilling to see reason. She was frustrating in the best way. Using the prophecy and everyone's fear of the unknown and mob mentality is solid evil. And I was happy for her downfall.

[moonsandmobilityaids-inactive]

Talking About It

Pairings: Poly!marauders x disabled!reader Summary: You talk about the kiss. Warnings: N/A Series Masterlist | refers to this

The soft glow of early evening seeps through the window, casting long shadows across your bedroom floor. It's a quiet time, one where the world outside begins to slow and the reality of your circumstances sinks in deeper.

You flex your fingers, feeling the twinge of pain that reminds you of what you are. Today it has been constant, a throbbing echo of your body's betrayal that pulses with every heartbeat. The pain comes in waves, each crest higher than the last until you think you might drown in it. But you've grown accustomed to it, haven't you? You manage, just like you always have. Only now, it's not so lonely with them by your side.

Remus sits on the edge of your bed, legs crossed at the ankles, a book resting unopened in his lap. He's a solid presence, an anchor in the storm that rages within you. His eyes are trained on the pages before him, but you know he doesn't see the words—they're just a blur of ink against paper.

The silence between you stretches, comfortable yet charged with an energy that's hard to ignore. It's been two months since that night when everything changed—when James, Sirius, and Remus admitted their feelings for you. Since then, there's been stolen kisses and soft admissions of love, times when the world seemed perfect despite its imperfections. But tonight, something lingers in the air, a question left unanswered, a conversation left unfinished.

You know it’s time to talk about it.

You watch him, noting the way the lamplight softens the lines of his face. His eyes flick upward, catching yours with a familiarity that holds both warmth and silent understanding. But there's something else, too—a shadow of caution that wasn't there before.

"Remus," you begin, your voice coming out softer than you intended. You clear your throat, steeling yourself for what comes next. "There's something we need to talk about."

A slight frown creases his forehead as he sets the book aside, giving you his undivided attention. "Of course," he says, his tone steady. "What is it?"

Your heart skitters in your chest, but you push past the nervous flutter. This conversation can't wait any longer; you've been dancing around it for far too long. "Do you remember after the full moon last year? The morning after, you were in my bed and you—"

The words hang heavy in the air between you, but you don't need to finish. Recognition flashes across Remus's features, his expression shifting subtly. Something guarded appears in his gaze before he looks away, releasing a slow breath.

"I thought I had dreamt that," he whispers, and there's an undercurrent of vulnerability in his voice that tugs at something within you. "I've been questioning my own sanity since, wondering if it was real. But you never said anything, so I didn't either."

That small admission strikes a chord in you, resonating with your own fears and doubts. He sits rigid, as though bracing for some blow yet to come, and you feel an inexplicable urge to reassure him, to bridge the space between your shared uncertainties.

You roll your wheelchair from the window, moving closer until you're by the bedside. Reaching out, you place your hand over his—a tentative touch meant to comfort, but also seeking solace. His fingers are warm beneath yours, grounding you to this moment, to the truth you've both avoided for too long.

"It was real," you confess, your voice barely above a whisper. "You did kiss me. But you were half-asleep, and you didn't seem aware of what you were doing... I thought you believed I was Sirius or James. That's why I convinced myself it meant nothing."

Remus's grip on your hand tightens, his eyes reflecting a deep, unspoken sadness. He lets out a small, humourless laugh. "I can't really blame you. Kissing you while half-asleep hardly counts as a declaration of love."

His words land softly, yet they carry the weight of a blow. A dull ache spreads across your chest, and you swallow hard, blinking back tears. "When you told me that day... that you'd been in love with me... how long had it been?"

Remus turns to look at you, his gaze steady but filled with an openness that takes your breath away. "Two years, perhaps more. James and Sirius—they knew before I did, I think. They saw it, but I..." His voice trails off, the confession hanging between you two like a tangible thing. "I was afraid. Afraid of ruining what we had, and I thought... I believed you could never feel the same."

You close your eyes briefly, taking in his words. Two years—more, even. All those months of silent yearning, of stolen glances and unspoken confessions, mirrored in him. The boys knew, of course they did. They were always so attuned to each other, the three of them. Now the pieces fall into place, moments you'd misread, the silent exchanges that you hadn't understood.

"I was already falling for you," you admit, your voice shaky with the magnitude of the revelation. "Falling for all of you. But that day, when you kissed me… I couldn’t let myself believe it was real. I didn’t think you could ever feel the same way about me."

A sigh leaves Remus's lips, a sound that carries the weight of his regret. He moves to touch your hand, fingers barely grazing yours in a tentative gesture. "I didn't think I deserved you," he admits quietly, his eyes reflecting the pain of self-reproach. "It seemed selfish to want more when you'd already given me so much just by being my friend. I couldn't ask you to give up something that wasn't mine to take."

Your heart clenches at his confession, tears pricking the corners of your eyes. You shake your head, words spilling forth in a desperate attempt to mend the rift between past and present. "Remus, you were never taking anything from me. I would have given you everything."

His swallow is audible in the silence that follows, the muscles in his jaw working as he fights to keep his own emotions in check. For a long moment, neither of you move, the spectre of what might have been looming large over the reality of what is. Then, slowly, he reaches out, his touch feather-light as he cups your cheek and brushes away a single tear that has escaped down your face.

"I'm sorry," Remus whispers, the words barely escaping his lips. "For that day, for not coming forward sooner... I should have told you how I felt. I shouldn't have let you deal with it alone."

You lean into his touch, the ache in your heart both painful and strangely comforting. You can feel the love for him—and the others—swelling within you, filling the spaces that fear had once claimed. "We were both scared," you say, your voice steadier than you thought possible. "But we're here now. We have each other."

He nods, his gaze softening even further, drinking in the sight of you. Then, he leans in, pressing his forehead against yours. The contact is electrifying, grounding, a silent promise wrapped in a simple gesture. "We do. And I love you. I've loved you for a long time."

The words, though you've heard them from him on multiple occasions, strike you anew with the force of a stunning spell. Their warmth seeps into your veins, chasing away the chill that has clung to your heart.

"I love you too."

For what feels like an eternity, you simply exist there, holding each other close. The silence that stretches between you is no longer filled with tension; instead, it's thick with understanding, with acceptance. Finally, the moment breaks as Remus leans back slightly, his eyes meeting yours once more. This time, when he kisses you, there's no hesitation, no ghost of a doubt that this is something both of you want—need.

This time, it's real.

[theresattrpgforthat]

Any good stuff for psychic vigilantes fighting from the shadows? Apologies if this is too vague or if I’m asking wrong.

THEME: Psychic Vigilantes.

Oh boy oh boy I am excited about this ask!! Buckle up, this week's gonna be a good one!! I got some pulp action goodness, some horror, and some cyberpunk for you.

Psych-0 Team!, by John Pineapple.

A one-page TTRPG about psychic agents saving the world! Heavily inspired by the TTRPG "Lasers and Feelings”.

This is a game about being psychic secret agents, so it’s a very different feeling from being on the run from the law. However, I think it might be a good introduction to something a bit grittier, and could possibly be re-tooled to make you part of a secret vigilante organization as well! The game system is very lightweight, using only d6’s, and implements a staggered level of success, so not every win will look or feel the same. Definitely worth checking out!

Psi*Run, by Meguey & Vincent Baker.

Whoever’s after you, you know one thing: they will stop at nothing to capture you and you’ll stop at nothing to stay free. The holes in your memory vie for attention with your startling abilities - stay one step ahead of the Chasers long enough to answer your questions, and hope your psychic powers don’t go wild.

I don’t know much about this game specifically, but Meguey & Vincent Baker of Lumpley Games have made their stamp on the ttrpg scene with games like Apocalypse World, Under Hollow Hills, and Mobile Zero: Firebrands. Their approach to game design births games with mechanics that replicate emotions and genre mainstays very well. I expect this game to do the same for a game about being insanely powerful and yet always on the run.

Bellbottoms and Brainwaves, by Mekkekat.

The United States military has been conducting secret experiments on “willing” subjects in a program called PSY-CLOPS (Psychic Covert Learning Operatives). The program has successfully created a 6th sense in a  REDACTED number of subjects. This 6th sense can manifest within a subject in several ways, but all of these abilities are simply referred to as ‘powers’. The project has been funded for the past REDACTED years, but in last month, there was a problem. The Pentagon wants answers. REDACTED subjects have managed to escape.

This is a brutally short game that places you right into a cinematic 1960’s, with each character given a different suite of powers - and a different list of consequences that can get pretty brutal pretty quickly, so make sure you go over the possibilities with your group and apply safety tools in this kind of game. This game starts you out as on the run from a government agency, but go on the run long enough and you’re a vigilante by default, aren’t you?

The game itself is free, and if you want an online character keeper, I’ve made one here!

Syndrome, by Ill Advised Gaming.

Syndrome is a cyberpunk setting with strong elements of body horror in the vein of Scanners or Akira. High tech, low lifes dealing with illness in a society that fears them. Powerful and vulnerable in equal measure with only their fellow Nockers for support.

Built off of Caltrop Core and borrowing elements of systems like Apocalypse World and Unified Cutlery Theory, Syndrome frames psychic abilities as a metaphor for disability; in a world where data chips and facial recognition software are par for the course, psychics are off the map. Invisible. Marginalized. Perfect for both poverty and vigilantism. Syndrome is a pretty horror-heavy game, so I wouldn’t advise trying to run a power-fantasy in this game, but if you’re looking for a way to talk about living on the margins with some unique tools to strike back, it might be worth checking out!

Psychopunk, by Gormengeist. (@gormengeist)

PSYCHOPUNK is a TTRPG about being poor, being psychic, and murdering law enforcement. In order to play, you need a deck of cards, a d12, paper and pencils, and a can-do attitude. It's best with one game master [A.K.A the Scripter], and 2 to 5 players.

The year is 2022. Being poor is punishable by death- or perhaps worse- Time Prison. You are poor. But you’re also psychic, which very few lowly peasants such as yourself are. This means that where most people in your situation are rat meat, you are (probably) alive. For now.

If you want to keep it that way, you’ll need to evade the law, keep up on your Double Dollars ($$), and scuz some fucking corpos before they scuz you.

Another cyberpunk game about psychic powers, I love the pitch for this game. It’s mean to kick you down and force you to get back up scratching and bleeding and screaming. It comes with 12 life paths, 12 psychic abilities, 8 different signature enemies and everything you need to run deadly quick combat. Also it’s published by Gormengeist, who really knows how to find a theme and sell you on it. Check it out!

[sarkariresultdude]

Oxford University Results: Excellence in Academia

 The University of Oxford, installed in 1096, is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions of better learning in the world. With recognition for academic rigor, groundbreaking research, and excellent alumni, Oxford’s exam results are an essential measure of its academic fulfillment and the overall performance of its students. 

Oxford University Result 

The Importance of Oxford University Results

Oxford University's consequences are more than just numbers or grades; they're a testament to the college's commitment to excellence. They replicate the organization’s adherence to excessive educational standards and the dedication of its students to reach one of the most challenging instructional environments in the international.

For college students, the results constitute the culmination of rigorous study, highbrow boom, and the potential to suppose significantly and creatively. For the university, these effects uphold its popularity as an international leader in training. Employers, academic institutions, and governments around the arena apprehend Oxford’s effects as a benchmark of instructional distinction.

The Grading System at Oxford

Oxford University follows a traditional diploma category system for undergraduate guides. It is distinctively rigorous, designed to project college students to reach their complete capability.

First-Class Honours (First)

The highest level of success, is normally offered to students who exhibit splendid understanding, originality, and analytical capabilities.

Upper Second-Class Honours (2:1)

A strong overall performance indicates thorough expertise and competency within the concern.

Lower Second-Class Honours (2:2)

Satisfactory paintings with room for improvement in important analysis and depth.

Third-Class Honours (Third)

A bypass, although considered much less aggressive.

Pass and Fail

A pass denotes ok performance to satisfy minimum educational requirements. Failing a paper or a whole examination could have massive implications, often requiring a re-exam.

Graduate packages frequently rent difference, merit, and pass classifications. Distinctions are reserved for exquisite work, while deserves and passes mirror varying ranges of competence.

The Examination Process

Oxford's exam manner is famed for its depth. Students take each formative and summative assessment at some point in their academic journey. Formative tests are designed to assist students perceive regions of development, while summative tests make contributions directly to their very last grades.

Tutorials and Assignments

Tutorials shape the backbone of Oxford’s coaching technique. Students publish weekly essays or hassle sets, receiving feedback that prepares them for their very last checks.

Preliminary and Final Examinations

Most undergraduate students sit down for Prelims or Mods (moderations) at the cease of their first 12 months. These checks are designed to evaluate foundational information.

Final tests, called Final Honours Schools (FHS), determine the degree type. Typically held at the end of the third or fourth year, these checks frequently cover a huge range of topics studied for the duration of the course.

Examination Timetable

Oxford’s examination schedules are meticulously deliberate. Students are informed of their schedules well earlier, allowing them to put them together efficiently.

Assessment for Graduate Students

Graduate courses frequently consist of coursework, projects, and dissertations similar to exams. Research college students are assessed through progress reports, viva voce (oral examinations), and thesis submissions.

Accessibility and Fairness

Oxford University is devoted to ensuring that its examinations are fair, obvious, and handy to all. The university has delivered several measures to assist students with various wishes:

Special Examination Arrangements

Students with disabilities, persistent ailments, or intellectual health demanding situations can request affordable changes, including greater time, alternative formats, or rest breaks.

Anonymous Marking

To ensure impartiality, most assessments are marked anonymously. Examiners become aware of students by their candidate numbers in preference to their names.

Mitigating Circumstances

Students dealing with unforeseen demanding situations, inclusive of illness or their own family emergencies, can publish mitigating situations to examination boards for consideration.

Release of Results

Oxford University effects are generally launched online via the university’s secure platform. For undergraduates, preliminary exam outcomes are released within the summer season, even as the very last consequences are announced later in the year. Graduate college students often get hold of their results on a rolling foundation, relying on the character of their applications.

Notification

Students are notified through email whilst their results are to be had. They can get admission to their grades through the usage of their student accounts.

Provisional and Final Results

Provisional effects may be launched before respectable affirmation. Final consequences are tested through the college’s Examination Schools and exam forums.

Implications of the Results

The outcomes from Oxford University have a ways-attaining implications for students and their destiny prospects:

Career Opportunities

Employers fee the intellectual rigor and area that Oxford graduates deliver to the administrative center. A First or 2:1 is frequently seen as a minimum requirement for competitive graduate schemes and roles.

Further Studies

Many students use their consequences to stable places in prestigious postgraduate programs, each at Oxford and other institutions international.

Academic Honors and Prizes

High-acting college students may additionally get hold of educational prizes, scholarships, or invites to enroll in prestigious societies just like the Oxford Union.

Resits and Appeals

Students who fail to fulfill the specified requirements may be allowed to resit their tests. The college has a strong appeal method for college kids who trust their outcomes have been unfairly determined.

Celebrating Academic Success

Oxford’s outcomes are celebrated no longer most effectively by using college students and their families but additionally using the wider academic community. Graduates frequently mirror on their trips with giant pleasure, understanding they have accomplished something definitely incredible.

Graduation Ceremonies

Once effects are finalized, a success candidates attend formal graduation ceremonies at the historic Sheldonian Theatre. These ceremonies are steeped in culture, with students donning academic regalia to obtain their stages.

Alumni Achievements

Many Oxford alumni have gone on to make significant contributions in numerous fields, including politics, technology, literature, and enterprise. Their achievements continue to inspire modern-day and future college students.

Challenges and Future Prospects

While Oxford University's effects are synonymous with excellence, they also replicate the giant strain faced by students. The college is operating to deal with issues such as mental fitness, burnout, and the need for a supportive educational environment.

Well-being Initiatives

Oxford offers counseling, pressure management workshops, and peer support corporations to help students navigate academically demanding situations.

Innovations in Assessment

The university is exploring opportunity strategies of evaluation, together with open-book assessments and continuous assessment, to reduce undue strain and enhance knowledge of outcomes.

Global Recognition

As Oxford continues to draw pinnacle skills from around the arena, its outcomes stay a benchmark of worldwide educational excellence.

[jack-kellys]

Charlie for the ask game??

YES YES yes. yes.

send me a fandom/ship/character and i’ll tell you some stuff!!

him him nothing but him miles and piles of him <3

How I feel about this character:

i’ll admit it. crutchie was not my main man in the past. he felt like a bit of a shoehorn based on the content i had, like ok of course they get rid of the disabled best friend for most of the show. like wtf. but i’ve evolved, i now am like ok that’s bad writing but it doesn’t make crutchie a bad character. and this is just. matthew duckett alone is a crutchie dissertation LMAO!! i LOVE CRUTCHIE!! i love his position with jack, i love his standings with the newsies, i love his resilience, his new more jaded take vs. the sunshine naive one of THE PAST (it’s of the past bc i personally killed it and stabbed it to death so that it would die. you’re welcome), he’s so sarcastic and dedicated to the strike and to jack. mans keeps his chin up and i am obsessed with him for it. he’s just SO COOL now like not only is he a good character he is genuinely a cool fucking character. fuck yeah. only took ten years (or. oh my god. thirty? 1992 is… thirty years ago?)

Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character:

um! fuck it i’ll be controversial— i honestly have no issues with jackcrutchie! all the newsies call each other brothers through the whole show and this fandom ships them anyway, and the 15 year old crutchie is now. a myth. thank god. because a revival has happened that has purposefully not taken jackshit from bway and there’s no way they got matthew duckett playing a FIFTEEN YEAR OLD LMAOO.. so jackcrutchie is valid and their relationship is interesting and complicated w/ refuge stuff to do i think there’s a lot of pull from! more than. uh. most ships in this fandom.

also crutchie is almost never paired with anyone romantically and i wish it was a mystery as to why. so if he wants to kiss jack kelly… who am i to tell a fic writer what to do. but also… crutchie and davey. i could have thoughts if they were dropped in my inbox.

My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character:

OKAY WELL YEAH it is jack and crutchie. i can be a jackcrutchie ally and not ship it consistently. their history together is the longest in the show’s context and i love how clear it is… i think crutchie’s love for new york and jack’s growing distaste of it is REALLY fascinating given the fact crutchie is the one thrown in jail and he is still like. but this is my city. like wow. idk that’s so… so fascinating for them two

My unpopular opinion about this character:

my unpopular opinion is that the hashtag ‘let crutchie say fuck’ agenda is still rooted in like a quirky infantilism. like when the child learns a bad word. what

anyway hashtag crutchie does say fuck

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

i wish crutchie got to talk to jack about the strike. because one minute they’re talking about santa fe, the next prices are raised and crutchie is saying how they should just buy their papers and keep surviving, and then suddenly we are on strike. i want a like. “what happened to leaving new york, mr. president?” kind of conversation between them especially since crutchie is IN OPPOSITION of jack. fuck me i’ll do it myself if i have to

Favorite friendship for this character:

DAVID JACOBSDSNDND!!! i think there’s this weird kind of recognition that crutchie has with davey, like this knowledge that jack needs someone like this to bring him down to earth. like. this Approval crutchie has of davey is fucking awesome, very clear in uksies. also they’re shown talking together a lot, after WWK they r at the center table like Deeply discussing something before davey says his line. ugh<3

also the way crutchie gives davey (yes not the other way around. davey like comes over to him and crutchie invites him in for a hug) is so personal to me oh my god!!

THANKS CAM!!

[samuel-is-an-idiot]

Hey guys my friend does commissions and she's INCREDIBLY talented she did 1 for me and I absolutely love it, and right now she needs OUR help!

She's been stuck at home since an accident almost 2 years ago now and is really struggling financially and mentally since she still hasn't gotten her financial aid and disability recognition papers from the government.

Here are the prices (from screenshots and here's her website https://artistree.io/saph_the_nb_queen?fbclid=PAAaZqA8rh6cmDUgZXJARoPccKBfigZbdgG2TD7fzk_8l1uB_rCvWI33-D3yc )

Here's her instagram: https://instagram.com/saphthenbqueen?igshid=NzZhOTFlYzFmZQ==

Here's her twitter : 🍄Viiolet Rosea🍄 ⎮Pre-debut⎮ (@ViioletR)

Her work is amazing and relatively fast, she's an incredible person and she really needs the help and activity right now.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

The Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Workshop summer fundraiser is almost over! I am an alum, instructor and volunteer board member for this nonprofit workshop whose alums include Octavia Butler, Kim Stanley Robinson, Bruce Sterling, Nalo Hopkinson, Kameron Hurley, Nnedi Okorafor, Lucius Shepard, and Ted Chiang! Your donations will help us subsidize tuition for students, making Clarion — and sf/f — more accessible for all kinds of writers.

#15yrsago Super Man and the Bugout reading: what if Superman had been a nice Jewish boy from Toronto https://ia801603.us.archive.org/5/items/TheSuperManAndTheBugout/SMBO.mp3

#15yrsago Law prof and cop agree: never ever ever ever ever ever ever talk to the cops about a crime, even if you’re innocent http://www.tuccille.com/blog/2008/07/eight-reasons-even-innocent-shouldnt.html

#15yrsago Candian band staples CC-licensed CDs to phone-poles with anti-Canadian-DMCA messages https://web.archive.org/web/20080801204812/https://torontoist.com/2008/07/the_craft_economy_kill_bill_c61.php

#15yrsago UK tech-czar’s ridiculous, fatuous podcast interview — hilarious gag interview https://web.archive.org/web/20080804093334/https://fishnchippapers.typepad.com/tomorrow_fish_n_chip_pape/2008/07/if-ever-there-was-a-clear-statement-of-what-is-wrong-with-transformational-government-and-the-nis.html

#15yrsago Uni of Nottingham: Grad students researching terrorism aren’t allowed to look at terrorist documents on US anti-terror gov’t sites https://web.archive.org/web/20160315042221/https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/researchers-have-no-right-to-study-terrorist-materials/402844.article?sectioncode=26&storycode=402844

#10yrsago Researcher wins NSA cyber-security prize, says freedom is incompatible with the NSA “in its current form” https://www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2013/07/19/nsa-award-for-best-scientific-cybersecurity-paper/

#10yrsago Bank forecloses on wrong house, changes locks, steals tons of stuff, won’t compensate owner in full https://www.popehat.com/2013/07/26/want-to-burglarize-a-house-with-impunity-then-nickle-and-dime-the-restitution-it-helps-to-be-a-bank/

#10yrsago Canadian Tories distribute fake Braille flyers about disabled initiative https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/conservative-flyers-on-disabled-initiatives-contain-fake-braille/article_e500f631-3cc1-5b81-b4a3-db7f0b7edb2d.html

#10yrsago At VW’s request, English court censors Usenix Security presentation on keyless entry systems for luxury cars https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/jul/26/scientist-banned-revealing-codes-cars

#10yrsago Bribery: pro-NSA Congressional voters got twice the defense industry campaign contributions https://www.wired.com/2013/07/money-nsa-vote/

#10yrsago NSA college recruiting ad, 1976 https://www.flickr.com/photos/joeholmes/9384778371/lightbox/

#10yrsago NV court marshal sexually assaults woman, then arrests her for complaining while judge looks on https://web.archive.org/web/20130726035500/https://www.8newsnow.com/story/21557505/cover-up-alleged-in-clark-clark-family-court

#5yrsago Android’s keyboard will no longer autocomplete “sit” with “on my face” thanks to me https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/nicolenguyen/sit-on-my-face-android-autocomplete

#5yrsago The Russian equivalent to Alexa is a “good girl” but not too friendly, and is totally OK with wife-beating https://aeon.co/essays/can-emotion-regulating-tech-translate-across-cultures

#5yrsago Calgary malls caught secretly using facial recognition to characterise shoppers’ age and gender https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-malls-1.4760964

#5yrsago The Cyberdeck: a homebrew, 3D printed cyberspace deck https://www.reddit.com/r/Cyberpunk/comments/8yyayp/just_designed_and_3d_printed_a_cyberdeck_time_to/

#5yrsago Trumpian Ontario premier Doug Ford will gut Toronto’s city council to punish his Tory rivals https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/ford-to-slash-toronto-city-council-to-25-councillors-from-47-sources-say/article_8d99a5f5-caeb-58d2-a6eb-1db261560a02.html?

#5yrsago James Comey: A freak of nature with the power to cloud liberals’ minds https://clickhole.com/step-right-up-and-feast-your-eyes-on-the-unfathomable-c-1825329399/

#1yrago Peter Thiel’s evil, but he’s not an “evil genius”: How to criticize self-mythologizing villains https://pluralistic.net/2022/07/28/descartes-was-an-optimist/#ordinary-mediocrity

#1yrago Your computer is tormented by a wicked god: Bootkits are why we can’t have nice things https://pluralistic.net/2022/07/28/descartes-was-an-optimist/#uh-oh

[mitchfynde]

It's not a trick. I'm making an apples to apples comparison. I'd absolutely compare you to a religious person too, but I'm trying to actually get through to you. You recognize all the appeals you've made to awaken me? Well I'm trying to appeal to you too. You shouldn't want to be a sensitive feelings over facts person. If you're like me, that's what got you into politics.

Oh I'm sure I have an inability to deal with reality, unlike you deny that one can understand reality they necessarily have the means to do so.

Are you actually, factually a person who speaks English as their first language? Did you finish high school? If so, you are either suffering from a learning disability or schizophrenia. I literally have no idea what you are possibly saying here. You're incoherent.

The real difference between democrats and republicans isn't that the dem is some cucked reliant loser who needs daddy government to survive... It's the recognition that humanity flourishes with those institutions intact and suffers when they falter. Prepping isn't immoral by default. But wanting a world in which people have to be preppers to survive is flat out genocidal. The amount of people who would die is incomprehensible.

I don't understand why you are so stuck on the idea of me tricking you. Why speak to me then? If I'm operating in such bad faith that you think every other thing I'm saying is a trick, you should block me and advocate for others to do so. What is there to gain from speaking to someone who is operating purely in bad faith?

I've already moved on to fascism. Fascism is my main concern right now, absolutely. It must be fought. And, to be clear, I believe you to be a fascist. Not in ideology, but in practice. Like paper rights VS actual rights. On paper, no. In action, yes.

I'm not trying to order anyone around. That's what you can't seem to understand. The first goal is always to have an educated populace. An educated populace will listen to reason and at least attempt to do something that vaguely resembles the right thing. A society like that would be so beautiful... I can barely imagine it.

The reason law exists is not even because people refuse to do the right thing, but because people insist on doing the worst possible things imaginable. Order is crucial. Without any sense of order, we have nothing, especially not freedom. Freedom is only for those who have power to enforce it. If we have order in our society, the institutions empower everyone to enforce it.

Everyone on my side of the aisle is bending over backwards to reason with you guys. I'm doing it right now.

The best of us sent man to the moon. You DO NOT get to claim those men. You'd spit on them if they told you anything today. Those are our experts. The people who got us to the moon are serving the same purpose as those who told you to wear masks and get vaccinated. You don't get to advocate that we never listen to our experts and then simultaneously, out of the other side of your mouth, claim them as part of why humanity is above the apes.

People aren't stupid for refusing to do what I want. People are stupid for being defiant for the sake of defiance. It's what a child does and when a child does it, we punish them. I wish with all my heart that we could punish you, but you've become such a massive part of society that it's no longer possible. And you think we're the fucking fascists? We allowed you to destroy the fucking world, because you're our fellow man, and we didn't want to hurt you.

Humanity is not necessarily evil at all. You're putting words in my mouth. Some of the most powerful men on Earth are evil. The rest of us are just stupid and easily manipulated due to our inefficiency of divining truth from lie. We're just too innocent... because we are, at the end of the day, apes. Amazing apes, but still apes.

I recognize that, in my weaker moments, not everything I say is perfectly liberal. Liberalism is an ideal. I hold that ideal and I work towards it as best I can. Viewing the world materialistically has absolutely no contradiction with liberalism. I have no idea where you're getting this idea and I'll have to demand you show me some proof of that if you're going to continue that line.

I will not read the rest of this.

Block me then, loser. You not reading my shit is the exact same thing anyways. Are you guys just too pussy to block people now, because you've been taught that blocking people is losing?

You're just shutting down because you don't like what I'm saying. I don't think humanity is evil. I don't hate us. But we did bring this upon ourselves and we do deserve the consequences. In my moments of high emotion, I do feel anger and I express hatred. But in my heart? I don't hate us, man. I want us to be able to live in peace, that's all. But we can't have it and it's just so frustrating, because the solutions are relatively simple. They only can't happen due to our own stupidity as a species, as justified and continued by yourself.

[hineini]

come write right

I don't have it hard saying I will sometimes misprint something, putting extra letters inside something or denying letters' inclusion inside the term I'm seeking to put to paper. If somebody should always expect me to do something, it's that I will honour Canadian spellings at all times since, God help me-something I don't say lightly since I'm not unaware some rights of mine probably have decent if not higher potential to disappear if a certain politician's picked as our new PM-I'm a proud Canadian.

So.

During the game of scrabble I just finished playing against my mother I had to give her some gentle shit since she tried to put gray on the board as her inaugural word. I gently told her we're here rather than inside the USA so she had to put its proper vowel in. She tried to tell me they're both right; didn't have it hard retorting that right's relative to geography and as Canadians it's our obligation to throw e centre stage rather than a if we're writing grey. Sure, I didn't hesitate to second that gray's right too...it's simply according to the context we're in.

Grey or gray?

Gay or lesbain?

Dyke or lesbian?

Difference or disability?

Depending on the context I'm in, I will definitely adapt the one I use when choosing between the second, third and fourth pairs put to virtual paper above. Hope my mom was able to feel some level of reassurance, no matter the strength it had, when she put everything into Google and came to something that talked about grey being preferred in Canadian English and gray receiving recognition as preferred in American English.

Others can dub me a stickler all they want. It won't suffice to change a core belief of mine: words are supposed to be respected and thus written right. Sure, I'm not ecstatic when I have to set people straight about certain kinds of shit but it has decent if not higher potential to prove an unpaid job I have without regard to the topic involved.

[lps-global-schools]

The Impact of Digital Media on Learning: Balancing Technology Use in Education

Introduction:

In today’s digital age, technology has become a cornerstone of modern education. At LPS Global, the Top CBSE Schools in Noida where the rise of digital media has revolutionized how information is disseminated, how students learn, and how teachers engage with their students. Digital tools, from online learning platforms and educational apps to social media and digital textbooks, have significantly enhanced learning experiences. However, the increasing use of technology in education also brings challenges that need to be addressed to ensure a balanced approach. This article explores the impact of digital media on learning, the benefits and drawbacks of technology in education, and strategies for balancing technology use in classrooms.

The Rise of Digital Media in Education

Digital media includes a wide range of tools and platforms such as websites, blogs, e-books, podcasts, social media, and videos. Over the past decade, the integration of digital tools into education has grown exponentially. With the internet at our fingertips, students now have access to an almost limitless amount of information. Learning has become more interactive, personalized, and accessible than ever before.

In recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the use of digital media in education, with schools and universities turning to online classes and digital platforms to maintain continuity in learning. Tools like Zoom, Google Classroom, and Microsoft Teams became household names in the educational sector. These platforms facilitated the transition from traditional in-person learning to remote education and have shaped the future of learning, making digital media a permanent part of the educational landscape.

Benefits of Digital Media in Learning

Access to a Wealth of Information : One of the most significant advantages of digital media is the vast amount of information available online. Students can access research papers, e-books, videos, and educational websites at the click of a button. Digital media offers an unparalleled opportunity to learn from diverse sources, enhancing the breadth of knowledge students can acquire. For example, students can access lectures and tutorials from renowned professors worldwide, giving them exposure to global expertise.

Interactive and Engaging Learning : Traditional textbooks often provide limited interactivity, but digital media opens up a world of possibilities for interactive learning. Platforms like interactive simulations, educational apps, and virtual reality experiences allow students to engage with content in ways that are impossible in a traditional classroom setting. For example, a virtual lab in chemistry allows students to conduct experiments that would be impossible or unsafe in a physical lab. These interactive tools make learning more engaging and help students retain knowledge more effectively.

Personalized Learning Experiences : Digital media allows for highly personalized learning experiences. Learning management systems (LMS) and educational apps can adapt to the individual needs of students, adjusting the pace and level of content based on their progress. If a student struggles with a particular concept, the platform can suggest additional resources or exercises tailored to help them. On the other hand, advanced learners can be challenged with more difficult content, preventing boredom and disengagement. Additionally, students with special needs or learning disabilities can benefit from assistive technologies like speech recognition, text-to-speech tools, and customizable interfaces, enabling them to learn at their own pace and in a way that suits their learning style.

Collaboration and Communication : Digital media has transformed how students collaborate and communicate with their peers and instructors. With tools like Google Docs, Slack, and shared virtual workspaces, students can work together on projects, share resources, and provide real-time feedback. These tools foster collaboration and communication, skills that are essential in the modern workforce. Moreover, social media platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn offer students the chance to connect with professionals in their field of interest, further enhancing their learning.

Convenience and Flexibility : Digital media offers the flexibility to learn anywhere, anytime. Students no longer have to rely solely on classroom instruction or textbooks—they can learn at their own pace, whether it’s late at night, during a commute, or while traveling. This flexibility enables a more self-directed learning approach, allowing students to balance their academic workload with extracurricular activities and other commitments.

Drawbacks of Digital Media in Education

While digital media has numerous benefits, it is important to acknowledge the drawbacks and challenges associated with its use in education.

Over-Reliance on Technology : One of the biggest concerns regarding the use of digital media in education is the risk of students becoming overly reliant on technology. With easy access to the internet and digital tools, students may become passive learners, relying too heavily on search engines, digital textbooks, and AI-driven platforms to find answers rather than developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills. This can reduce the cognitive effort required for independent learning and analytical thinking.

Distraction and Reduced Focus : Digital media, particularly social media and entertainment platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, can be major distractions for students. While online learning platforms provide valuable resources, the internet is filled with entertainment and non-educational content that can divert students’ attention away from their studies. The constant notifications, emails, and pop-up ads can interfere with students’ ability to focus on their learning, leading to decreased productivity.

Digital Divide and Inequity : While digital media offers many opportunities, it also exposes the digital divide—the gap between students who have access to modern technology and those who do not. Students from low-income families or rural areas may not have access to the internet, laptops, or other necessary devices, which can limit their ability to participate in digital learning. This inequality can further widen the education gap, leaving disadvantaged students at a disadvantage in an increasingly tech-dependent world.

Health Concerns : Extended use of digital media for learning can lead to various health issues, including eye strain, headaches, and disrupted sleep patterns. Students may spend long hours in front of screens, which can lead to poor posture, back pain, and eye discomfort. Prolonged screen time has also been linked to reduced physical activity and a sedentary lifestyle, which can negatively impact students’ overall health and well-being.

Privacy and Security Issues : With the increasing amount of personal data being shared online, privacy and security have become significant concerns. Educational platforms, apps, and social media sites often collect data about students’ activities, preferences, and behaviors. If this data is not properly protected, it could lead to breaches of privacy and misuse of personal information. It is essential for educators and schools to ensure that the platforms they use are secure and that student data is protected in compliance with privacy laws.

Balancing Technology Use in Education

To fully harness the benefits of digital media in education while mitigating its drawbacks, it is crucial to strike a balance. Here are some strategies for effectively integrating digital media into the learning process:

Setting Clear Boundaries and Guidelines : Teachers should establish clear guidelines for technology use in the classroom. This includes setting specific times for online learning, limiting distractions during lessons, and ensuring that students understand the purpose of using digital tools. Additionally, parents and guardians can play an active role in helping students manage their screen time at home, setting limits on recreational use of digital media, and encouraging offline activities.

Fostering Critical Thinking and Digital Literacy : Rather than passively consuming information, students should be taught how to critically analyze and evaluate digital content. This includes assessing the credibility of sources, identifying bias, and using digital tools to enhance their learning rather than replace it. Digital literacy programs can equip students with the skills they need to navigate the online world safely and responsibly, while fostering the critical thinking necessary for problem-solving.

Encouraging Active Learning and Engagement : Digital media should be used to complement traditional teaching methods, not replace them. Teachers should encourage active learning, where students engage with the content through discussions, projects, and hands-on activities. Educational technologies like virtual labs, simulations, and interactive apps can enhance these activities, but they should never substitute face-to-face interaction or hands-on experiences.

Ensuring Equal Access to Technology : To prevent the digital divide from hindering educational progress, schools must strive to ensure that all students have equal access to digital resources. This could involve providing devices and internet access to students in need, or creating programs that facilitate the sharing of resources among students. Bridging the digital gap ensures that every student has an equal opportunity to benefit from the advantages of digital media in learning.

Promoting Physical Activity and Wellness : To counter the health risks associated with excessive screen time, it is important to promote physical activity and wellness alongside digital media use. Schools should encourage regular breaks, exercise, and outdoor activities to ensure that students remain physically and mentally healthy. Additionally, schools can implement wellness programs to educate students about the importance of maintaining a balanced lifestyle.

Conclusion

The impact of digital media on learning is profound and transformative, offering opportunities for personalized, flexible, and interactive learning experiences. However, it is important to recognize and address the challenges that come with this technological shift. At LPS Global, the Best CBSE Schools in Noida where by balancing technology use with traditional educational methods, fostering critical thinking, and ensuring equitable access, we can create an environment where digital media enhances learning rather than detracts from it. When used effectively, digital media can become an invaluable tool in shaping the future of education, preparing students for success in a rapidly evolving world.

[precisiotech]

Key Features of Successful Mobile Applications in 2024

1. Seamless User Experience (UX)

The effectiveness and success of a mobile application depend to a large extent on how user-friendly it is. By 2024, users demand applications to be lightweight, interfaces to be easy to work with, and the journey to be seamless.

Minimalist Design: Ensure a clutter-free interface with clear navigation paths.

Consistency: Maintain uniformity across app screens.

Speed: Make sure that the app loads in a time of not more than 2–3 seconds.

Accessibility: Include features like voice commands and adjustable font sizes to cater to users with disabilities.

2. Personalization with AI

Artificial Intelligence has transformed how apps interact with users. The use of personalization is the key in 2024. Targeted experiences should be offered because apps should be able to QUOD the user.

Recommendation Engines: Recommend related articles, coupons, deals, or a product or a service.

Dynamic Content: Change app layout according to the actions taken by the users.

Chatbots and Virtual Assistants: Enable fast response and have good communication with people.

3. Robust Security Features

In the present world, with cyber threats rising all over the world, the security of the data is crucial. The security of the data held by the application is one feature that users value most.

Data Encryption: Protect sensitive information like passwords and payment details.

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Add an extra layer of security.

GDPR and CCPA Compliance: Ensure the app follows global data protection regulations.

Biometric Authentication: Use facial recognition or fingerprints for secure logins.

4. Offline Functionality

When the function of the apps can be utilized even without connectivity, then the solution has a major advantage. Sometimes it is necessary to store data locally or to make the device work even with simple tasks; this feature adds more value to the comfort of users.

Caching Mechanisms: The ability to access content offline, using only the application and its tools.

Syncing: Make changes applied on other devices update data the moment the device is connected again.

5. Wearables and IoT Devices Integration

As the wearable tech and IoT (Internet of Things) came into existence, for apps in 2024, there are certain requirements that they should meet.

Health Apps: Integration with fitness trackers as well as smartwatches.

Smart Home Integration: Sustainably regulate devices such as a light or thermostat.

Cross-Device Sync: Handoff so that users can maintain continuity of their interaction.

6. Sustainability Features

Sustainability-oriented users in 2024 use applications that stick to the principles of sustainable consumption. Only apps that have environmental messages or messages about saving resources can be mentioned.

Energy-Efficient Design: Possibility of using less battery by doing some modifications on the app.

Paperless Solutions: Implement the electronic means to replace paper-based business procedures.

Green Initiatives: Integrate components that inspire people towards sustainable actions, like views of carbon shadow.

7. Multilingual and Global Programming of Programs

The support of the application must take into account further-reaching audiences as applications increase in size.

Localization: Use change, language, and currency according to the preference of the region.

Language Translation: When you want translations as text or real-time voice translations, apply AI-based translators.

Cultural Sensitivity: Create design interfaces and features that will not interfere with the culture and tradition of various users.

8. Regular Updates and Feedback Integration

Customers believe that mobile application developers must make constant enhancements to the app. It is important to note that WVU apps that are notified and updated frequently depending on the feedback remain relevant in the market.

Bug Fixes: Address issues promptly.

Feature Enhancements: To meaningfully engage customers, firms should release updates that they can benefit from.

User Feedback: To effectively respond to customers and the market environment, the organization should collect and act on users’ opinions and feedback.

9. Immersive Technologies: AR and VR

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are no more futuristic technologies; they are important for some industry verticals.

Gaming Apps: Play games for customers with more engagement.

E-Commerce Apps: Engage users’ senses or provide options nearly as good as the actual product so they feel like they are buying a product but are not really.

Education Apps: Incorporate AR/VR in fulfillment of interactive learning courses.

10. Social Media Integration

Applications that are compatible with social media provide a better level of interaction.

One-Click Sharing: Allow users to share content on the social platform of their preferred app.

Social Login: Let the user sign up without entering many details through their social accounts or Apple ID.

Community Building: Build in-app communities using discussion forums. Directories 11

READ MORE- https://www.precisio.tech/key-features-of-successful-mobile-applications-in-2024/