About Me

The Toulmin method not only provides us with a great set of mind tools but also teaches us how to communicate. It gives us a sense of clarity when we aren’t sure whether to believe everything we see or interact with online. It clears things up when we follow the steps and understand why all of it is important, not just evidence or not just reasoning. The method contains 6 moving parts that are needed when trying to perfect your argument or convey your message. These include claim, data, warrant, backing, qualifier, and rebuttal. If you want your argument, discussion, debate or social media interactions to flourish and make others understand the ways you may be feeling this is a great method to use.  When you make a claim, you are creating a statement that you believe to be true or valid. But not everyone may feel this way or agree with you. That is why we need to bring in data. Data shows the reader that there have been tests, other articles or assessments done on the topic that ca...

Today I was listening to the podcast, “Navigating Online Misinformation and Improving Science Communication", by David R. Grimes.” This podcast is a part of, “The Brain Health Revolution Podcast.” This was a very fascinating podcast that discusses misinformation, fake news, gatekeepers, and mass media. Dr Dean and Dr Ayesha Sherzai talk about how everything produced within online communication needs to truly be examined. In the podcast at the time stamp of 8:45 Dr Dean Ayesha states, “TikTok and social media is the greatest discovery of our time it's got 99.9999% garbage but 0000.1% gold coming from corners that people would never even guess. That means that somebody created a clear logical sequence that actually lifted consciousness. It’s that 0000.1% that’s critical. He then goes on to say that in the past in order for one of our forefathers or countrymen to come up with great philosophies or ideas they would need to be deeply educated on the topic and it would usually take ...

Yes, it is true social media has become a form of self-expression and opinions. But sometimes it doesn’t just stop there. When opinions are involved, there are always two sides to the story. We all want to feel right and sometimes it is easier to just communicate online solely for this purpose. This is an example of confirmation bias. Only listening to people that feel the same way about every situation as you. It really boils down to comfort. And honestly, that is why we need in-person communication where we receive facial expressions and cues. Mass media and online communication are really amazing most of the time because you get to state your opinions, repost images or videos that you agree with, and comment on your opinions on everything. For example, presidential campaigns are one of the easiest ways to voice your opinion. Presidents are really good about relating to their audiences and creating a public persona which then leads to public opinion.  Anybody that participates in...

  The company I chose to research and write about is Tina Cabrera’s Fitness classes. Because of Covid many gym trainers had to switch their classes up to online. Tina’s has been very successful. She offers Zoom classes for all women. Her business is solely for women's bodies. Her mission statement is, “ Tina Cabrera is a Personal Trainer specializing in training women of all Backgrounds, Ethnicities, Sizes, Fitness Levels, and Lifestyles. Total Bali Training is a combination of Athletic, Functional, Body Weight, and Weights to Build, Strengthen, and Sculpt a woman’s physique to the best form. Tina’s passion is to help women achieve their goals of Sculpting, Toning & Building Muscles, Burning Fat, Enhancing Performance & Endurance, and Strengthening Core.” This all can be found on her website, “ Total Bali Training .” Her Instagram provides little clips of her videos and workout routines. She looks like she has really formed a community within her social media accounts becau...

   According to Prensky’s article, I fall under ‘Digital Native.’ When I was growing up my household didn’t really watch a whole lot of T.V. or screen time which I am so thankful for. But as I have grown up I have realized how much I truly am on a screen. This year and my freshman year I have taken many online classes, this being one of them. I like the flexibility it provides me. One of the classes I was supposed to take in person was 3 hours long every Monday. Personally, there is no way I can sit through a three-hour lecture without going and doing something. I definitely am always thinking of the next assignment I have to do so when a class is taking too long sometimes, I feel that I can be more productive outside of class. I do think that no one can truly multitask, which is one of Prensky’s big arguments. Our brains are not fully capable of doing so. If we are looking at two things at the same time, there is no way we can do our best work on even one of the assignme...