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The Spread the News assignment was a fantastic way to get my issues across to a wider audience and I thoroughly enjoyed taking the time to alter my traditional way of learning; switching from writing essays and assignments to making interesting and interactive projects that involve social media and an increased amount of classmate interaction. My choosing to focus on drug addiction stemmed from my current place of employment, which deals with members of the public taking public transit. What I had seen were many individuals suffering from drug addiction, as well as mental health issues. I decided to relate my experiences with the course itself. Looking at the idea of drug addiction I found was a big task, considering there was so much data and literature about the issue. In the beginning weeks that led up to the final presentation, I decided to keep the issue local, to maintain a sort of relatability for those participating in this course since my focus was on drug addiction in the Region of Waterloo. Basic Google searches showed me the beginning facts, and I realized that I was only scratching the surface of this project. In Week 7, I tweeted out my problem using the hashtag “#EM203Problem” to showcase the issue that I am focusing on for my peers and everyone else using Twitter. I was having some difficulty finding an article and expert for my issue of drug addiction, as I did not feel that the articles I found merited a post during that week. That being said, I continued to look at sources and articles that were both non-academic, to see what consistencies there were between both types of research and continued to work on course content such as infographics, Venn diagrams, and of course the final presentation, putting it all together in a way that was easy to digest and process.
Beginning first with the “How Do You Learn” assignment at the beginning of the course, I, as well as Dr. Persad, found that I did well when presenting information through the platform of PowerPoint. I was fully comfortable with the software, and I already had a vision early on in the course as to how my final presentation would be. I asked myself questions such as: Is this information relevant? Is it redundant? Is it necessary? I took the time to work with my classmates and analyze how they presented their information when discussing their topics of interest. I very much learned by doing, as I created multiple informative graphics and added details that may not have been as obvious as others. For instance, when working on my mind map, I took a step back and considered what other factors that may cause a person to lapse into drug addiction. I also browsed the Internet, including social media platforms to get a general idea as to why addiction occurs. From there, I proceeded to create my mind map from sources that I gathered from common websites, specifically clinics, and websites catered to helping those in need and educating those who do not understand. This type of education was what I agreed with the most, so I decided to do the same. My mind map consisted of three aspects, Social, Economic, and Psychological. From there, I tweeted out relevant articles and information to raise some awareness as well. I proceeded to create a simple and easy-to-follow infographic that was poignant, yet informative. I listed multiple symptoms that a person can follow to see if someone they know could be suffering from drug addiction and to know what the signs are. Upon receiving positive feedback from classmates and the instructor, I was satisfied that the infographic belonged to my final presentation. Further, my Venn diagram that showcased differences and similarities between academic and non-academic literature belonged on my presentation as well, mainly because commonality between both types of sources would arguably make it easier to narrow down the most relevant information available. I also believed that this would be relevant in my final presentation. Twitter is an outstanding social media platform that can reach millions of people in an instant. I understand that my work has only begun, but I have hope that I can have others read my presentation and begin to help others. I also discussed with classmates the benefits of spreading information through online channels, as the Internet is accessible by billions of people, which is sure to hopefully spread the problem that I have presented, analyzed, and discussed in length throughout my time in the course. I also do understand that the Internet may have its drawbacks.
While ease of access to the web is a cornerstone of the Internet itself, it can be argued that tweets are easy to be overlooked by those who do not actively use Twitter or even any social media whatsoever. To counter this, a joint task needs to be completed: online and offline information sharing. I can take the information that I presented to the next step, which would be presenting my information in person, regardless of where I am. It can be as small as going to the Laurier campus, going to a friend’s house, or letting my coworkers become more aware of the situation. Regarding the latter, it would be beneficial to them as well, considering that the majority of our clientele are members of the public who may not have the funds or the means to treat themselves for their drug addiction. It is important to make them aware of the signs and symptoms that a person dealing with drug addiction is experiencing to see if they can help in any way. When examining possible solutions to the identified problem, I realized that tolerance and awareness are both immensely important aspects of beating drug addiction, as well as social assistance. The term “social assistance” does not even have to be through government or local programs, it can be as simple as checking in on a friend that one suspects is dealing with drug issues. The idea can also be taken a step further, opting to even go to city council meetings and discuss in detail the problem and present solutions to solve it.
To conclude, I felt that my way of presenting information was intuitive, however, I understand that it is not the most creative. Taking this into account, I made sure to make my PowerPoint presentation as informative and easy to process as possible. Although I did not receive much feedback through social media, I remain confident about my hopes that more people will become aware and more understanding of the issues going on in our city. The main point that I made in my presentation is that we can only help others if we are truly informed and aware of what is going on first. The second half of that is to see if those who are struggling want to be helped; From there, we can begin to analyze and assess the issues presented and come up with a way to effectively execute the solutions suggested. I hope that my contributions to the class were informative and fun, for both my classmates and the instructor.
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