Hi everyone! I am really excited about the podcast I created. Im going to go ahead and share the introduction to my essay that I feel will tell you why I chose this topic and what I discussed in my product.

During my initial research, I was confused as to where I would be directing my product. I thought I wanted to do a basic research paper with statistics and graphs but then I decided that is something I am too comfortable with. So, I decided to take a chance and I am creating a podcast discussing topics of the younger LGBTQ+ community and social media/media. I first just want to discuss the importance of this topic and why I chose to speak on the matter. I am someone who has struggled with my mental health for as long as I can remember. When I was younger, I was not fortunate enough to have a parent who understood or recognized mental health as a serious issue. During my whole youth growing up I had undiagnosed anxiety and depression (I am now diagnosed) and I never understood why. It wasn’t until 2 years ago, when I was 21-22 years old that I began to understand the lingering feelings of anxiety, and the small pokes of depression. It’s because I’m queer. Hiding who you are meant to be should not be something we are dealing with in 2023. Unfortunately for myself, my friends, and my partner; it was our reality. Burying who we are deeper and deeper down until we falsely convince ourselves we are someone we are not. Being gay or lesbian was a very “taboo” thing. It wasn’t spoken of much, well how I grew up, and you never really heard of many celebrities that were a part of this community. However, social media, media (movies, shows, apps, art), and social media influencers are now comfortably “out”. Younger queer are now exposed to a more open and accepting community thanks to social media/media and it’s something I want to shed light on. I never had role models growing up, I grew up watching Cinderella, Snow White, and Princess and the Frog. You name it, a woman was waiting for a man; their ‘prince’ to rescue her or kiss her. That is all I ever knew, I didn’t know that my true love’s kiss could be a princess and not a prince. I feel that resonates with a lot of the queer community whose birthday year is 2003 and lower. This is why this topic is so important to me and I think instead of allowing what I could have had fuel anger, I would rather talk about it. I want to show how social media/media can be a good thing for once. 

Podcast: https://youtu.be/b_VRVLgKguU

Essentially, I had a great time creating this podcast. It was something I had never done before so I had a lot of fun creating it. My friends, partner and I had a nice conversation addressing the main topic of my project/essay. I realized that there was so much information out there that I could have drawn from, but I narrowed it down to only a few. I read a lot of articles on my topic and could have easily had an hour-long podcast. Just a pre-warning, the podcast is about 45 minutes long. There was just no way I could cut it down more as there were 6 of us speaking, so a lot of opinions and comments had to be made. The most challenging aspect of this project was editing the video, as I am not as tech-savvy as I’d like to be. There are aspects that I could have also edited out, but I really could not figure it out. Not only that I couldn’t figure it out, but I also didn’t want to pay for an app to edit a video. However, I tried my best with the free version of the app “Splice”. After a few frustrating moments, I did the best I could.

Here is the breakdown of what I discussed in my podcast:

Legalizing gay marriage in 2015.

A graphical statistic showing how not many people felt comfortable being openly queer until after 2017. (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/06/03/upshot/up-lgbtq-teens.html)

YouTube as an LGBTQ platform and their 2015 coming out compilation video. link> #ProudToLove

An app called “Spaces” is a recent discovery. It holds a pledge that they believe should be recognized by all apps. The article was written on Forbes (link)

Recent year LGBTQ representation and what that means for young LGBTQ+ (all the words below are links):

Andi Mack 

Sex Education

Finding Dory (minute 1:02-1:10)

Strange World 

The “Don’t Say Gay” (link) bill

If any of this interests you, I suggest you look at the linked words in the document, if you are more of a listener than a reader then I will suggest listening my podcast. Thank you! I hope you enjoy 🙂

 

Please use the link for my blog post this week. There is just too many photos I don’t want anyone missing.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CRIB_fj5j2iiqXTYegdCGQ7KkFGhYJOBqGkjDseMb_0/edit?usp=sharing

I have saved the best, for last. Memes! Sweet, Sweet Memes. We all love a good meme, and most of us communicate solely through memes. I wish I could just simply write my whole blog post using memes but that isn’t very academically pleasing, therefore I will discuss some facts about “meme(s)” and the origin of them! Meme originates from an “analogous to a “phoneme,” the smallest unit of sound in speech, or a “morpheme,” the smallest meaningful subunit of a word (Benveniste) It is interesting that a “meme” is considered “speech” or a subunit of a “word” when in reality, it’s just a picture. I guess you can argue that a meme would not be a meme without its words, therefore a “morpheme” makes sense, however a sound in speech? It is not such a  crazy concept to consider, because we do communicate through memes when we want to lighten a mood or are in a “silly goofy mood” (a term I have heard from students in  the hallways multiple times) 

Now, introducing to you the meme of discussion:

 “You Like Krabby Patties Don’t You, Squidward?”

Ah, yes. A Spongebob meme, I truly had no choice otherwise. The only choice was which Spongebob meme would I pick. Honestly, this one is probably the best because of the different versions of them, which I will get into later. As of now, let’s talk about where this is from. I hate to even explain this, but if you don’t know the show “Spongebob SquarePants” it is an “American animated comedy television series that chronicles the adventures of a yellow sea sponge named SpongeBob SquarePants and his aquatic friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom. The show was created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon.” (Google AI) Now that we got this out this way, I can discuss the specifics of this meme. I will refer to this meme as the “YLKPDYS” because of its exhausting title. The meme YLKPDYS is from Season 3, Episode 3 of Spongebob SquarePants. The episode is titled “Just One Bite” and aired in October of 2001. Within this episode, Spongebob convinces Squidward to try a Krabby Patty (a famous menu item from the restaurant they work in) after becoming aware that Squidward has never tried a Krabby Patty (KP)  before. Squidward becomes secretly addicted to Krabby Patties, and he breaks into a vault of KP’s and is caught by Spongebob. This is where the meme comes from; Spongebob catches Squidward breaking into the vault he makes the famous smug face and says,  “You like Krabby Patties, don’t you Squidward?” Scene here: You Like Krabby Patties Don’t You Squidward

The origin of memes develops. The article goes on to explain how Professor Conrad explains that a meme is “a self-replicating chunk of information” and “that chunk of information – self-replicates because we humans like to share stuff and repeat” (Benveniste) We can see this here with the YLKPDYS meme. At first, the single photo of Spongebob’s smug face with the words “You Like Krabby Patties Don’t You, Squidward?” was the original meme. However, the traditional saying  “You Like Krabby Patties Don’t You, Squidward?” was very popular and showed up in different photos of people/celebrities looking smug. 

 

Examples from know your meme:

 

It is interesting to consider how the phrase was then used for different photos of this particular meme. It goes to show that the meme is not just the photo but also the photo content it holds as well. And, it of course did not end here. Eventually, after different celebrities fell victim to the YLKPDYS meme, the photo content once again changed for this meme. Instead of solely focusing on Spongebob, the photo was “zoomed out” incorporating Squidward as well.

  Thus creating a whole new world of this meme. This particular scene started being used for other means besides Krabby Patties. 

The possibilities for this meme feel endless. It is unfortunate to even mention but sometimes memes can fall victim to inappropriate content and it tends to ruin the meme. However, with a kind heart and a good mindset, most memes are harmless and provide a nice laugh. Memes are a means of communication in the 21st century as they provide comfort or stability for people. Some people’s outlet is humor, and memes are a great use of this. Continue to use memes, and use them appropriately. I believe memes are great form of communication and I hope they never fade out.

 

Memes Below:

 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XpoFfVyLPZY70YdbcWeBbQleWAlWPqDn-2RkHHI1yeU/edit?usp=sharing

When I first heard of ChatGPT I didn’t even know how to pronounce it. I kept calling it “chatpgc”… I mean, it is pretty close. When I found out how ChatGPT was being used by students, I was infuriated. As an English teacher, I have already seen a decline in comprehension and writing techniques from the students because of COVID-19. Unfortunately, now that in-person classes are in full swing for the second year, students are still lacking these basic writing skills. Because they are lacking, they are then using ChatGPT to create their writing. But, ChatGPT is only “capable of developing responses that make it sound ‘smart’”(O’Bryan) ChatGPT pulls together a multitude of different essays and forms a response to your prompt using slices of different work. I’m sure I am biased because my concentration area is English, but I feel that students sincerely abuse ChatGPT for English classes. However, the only purpose of my describing my frustration with ChatGPT was to explain that I swore to myself I would never use it. 

When I saw this topic when I was creating my planner, I knew right away that the discussion would be about ChatGPT. When going over what discussion to do, I took an interest in exploring the way ChatGPT works. When I first logged in to ChatGPT to give it a try, I immediately wanted to see if it truly worked. The first question I asked ChatGPT was to create a lesson plan for teaching how to write an essay for 8th grade. It instantaneously created a lesson plan with detailed steps to effectively teach writing an essay. I will not lie, I was pretty impressed. O’Bryan goes on to discuss how ChatGPT can be a “marvelous tool for helping students get started with the writing process: choosing a topic” (O’Bryan). So, I chose to use the same question that O’Bryan asked ChatGPT to see what results I got. I asked Chat, “What is a good issue to write about for an issue analysis report for college?” It then proceeded to give me 8 different “factors to consider” when picking a topic. 

1. Relevance
2. Interest 
3. Controversy
4. Depth of Research 
5. Impact
6. Feasibility
7. Originality
8. Clarity and Scope

It describes each factor so there is no confusion when trying to understand what factors to consider in picking a topic. For example, for “Interest” Chat wrote, “Interest: Select a topic that genuinely interests you. Writing about something you’re passionate about will make the research and writing process more engaging and enjoyable” (ChatGPT). However, the response did not end there. ChatGPT also gave me 10 different topic ideas in different fields to “get me started” 

1. Environmental Science
2. Economics
3. Psychology
4. Politics 
5. Sociology
6. Technology
7. Healthcare
8. Education
9. Criminal Justice
10. Social Affairs

Chat even, again, described further each topic area and gave further advice stating “Remember that the key to a successful issue analysis report is thorough research, critical thinking, and a well-structured argument. If you have specific guidelines or requirements for your assignment, make sure to align your topic choice with them” (ChatGPT). Likewise to O’Bryan, I continued to challenge ChatGPT, I then asked “What if I can’t find anything that interests me?”. It of course had its answer; ChatGPT gave me 12 different strategies to help me find a topic that aligns with my interests and passions.

1. Explore personal interests
2. Brainstorm
3. Read widely 
4. Talk to professors or Advisers
5. Engage in Discussions
6. Research Contests and Scholarships
7. Consider Current Events
8. Visit the Library
9. Look for Gaps 
10. Narrow down broader topics
11. Get feedback
12. Stay open-minded

After all 12 suggestions, ChatGPT still reminded me to make sure I am picking a topic that I am interested in and passionate about as it will help me produce a high-quality report. Although ChatGPT is spewing out information, if used properly it can be beneficial and incorporated in the learning process. Continued thought…I feel that ChatGPT can be useful at different stages of a student’s writing process (O’Bryan) if guided and shown how to properly use it. 

Although I worded the questions the same as O’Bryan, I still received a different answer. O’Bryan received one topic immediately whereas my Chat gave me several listed responses of multiple different choices. Also when I expressed concern for not finding a topic, the Chat similarly responded with motivation to choose a topic that I would be interested in. I will go on to agree that “this tool (ChatGPT) can be used to help students over some of the initial hurdles in the writing process” (O’Bryan) I feel that monitoring/guiding students with using ChatGPT may be a benefit rather than a “cheating” tool for students. Knowing there is a specific language with CHatGPT and how to teach it to be used lightens my frustration with this particular AI system. 

 

https://chat.openai.com/

 

 

Im posting a link to a google doc page for my discussion post to make it more technologically savy. I also liked my header fonts that won’t show up here. I will also post my full blog post as well just incase the link does not work.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1utiVbz9BGUbcZldGgkoo-c7hOurfWGY_NyEcb-j4Ai0/edit?usp=sharing

“Introduction”

Haraway’s Cyborg  Manifesto, I would say, still has its relevance today. Although Haraway’s manifesto discusses technological advances, cyborgs, and posthumanism; feminism is to be discussed in her work. I first want to break this blog post into a few mini-sections. I would like to touch upon Haraway’s manifesto, the evolution of this manifesto, and the relevance of the manifesto with young women. 

Cyborg

As Haraway stated in her manifesto, the “​ cyborg is a cybernetic organism, a hybrid of machine and organism, a creature of social reality as well as a creature of fiction” (149). Her use of the words “as well as” ties in the duality that the cyborg was created for. Haraway had several motivations behind creating the cyborg, the first I will discuss is all about duality. Haraway challenges the binary opposition. In standard societal norms, an object or person will always have an opposite (i.e. male/female, nature/culture, good/evil). However, the cyborg challenges this. Being that the cyborg is a “hybrid” or ,as described as “reality as well as fiction”,  the line of opposition becomes blurred with the cyborg. Because of this duality that Haraway has created, “the cyborg is a creature in a post-gender world; it has no truck with bisexuality, pre-oedipal symbiosis, unalienated labour, or other seductions to organic wholeness through a final appropriation of all the powers of the parts into a higher unity” (150) This, in turn, creates a notion to want to become the cyborg. Further creating hope to resist the patriarchal and oppressive system that discriminates on a gender-based level; as stated here (from what I understood) by Haraway, “those of polarity and hierarchical domination, are at issue in the cyborg world” (151). The cyborg’s creation was, as far as I am aware, ahead of its time. Being the manifesto was published in 1985, I feel its relevance of fluidity and non-binary conformity has evolved with the century. 

1985-2023

Haraway’s cyborg creation fits the needs of all women. As we approached the earlier years of the “2020s” the world, especially women, have undergone a lot of discriminatory backlash. None that I will personally get into, but women in general as well as different communities have been feeling the heat all over again. Bastian discusses the modernity of Haraway’s Cyborg Manifesto. Bastian mentions how “mainstream feminism was criticized by women of color, who argued that the all‐encompassing category of ‘woman’ elided the lived realities of many women.” However, “Haraway’s notion of the cyborg was therefore conceived as a way of recognizing both of these critiques of hegemonic feminism” (Bastian). Because of the fluidity that is of the Cyborg, Haraway’s creation and concept of the Cyborg allow no distinction between races. The Cyborg just “is”, it is nothing more than just the cyborg, it has no distinct characteristics; this creates its relevance to today. As Haraway states, “Gender, race, or class consciousness is an achievement forced on us by the terrible historical experience of the contradictory social realities of patriarchy, colonialism, and capitalism.” (155), a concept that Haraway is trying to break with Cyborg. This also deems fit for the transgender community. In the 21st century, we have the LGBTQ community of beautifully gay or trans women. With that being said, I like to bring up the point Haraway mentioned that “there is not even such a state as ‘being’ female, itself a highly complex category constructed in contested sexual scientific discourses and other social practices.” (155). This leads to the modernity that this manifesto has. According to Haraway, there is no distinguished bodily autonomy of a woman. What constitutes being a woman is nearly too complex within sexual scientific discourse to even truly be determined. I feel this is especially relevant in our given time. Therefore, through the Cyborg we find that Haraway is purposefully creating a “subject” that does not fix others into stereotyped categories (Batian) The 21st century, from what I believe, is all for stripping societal norms, heterosexual norms and anything that has inadvertently been “written in stone”. 

 

Young Cyborgian Woman

To touch upon more of the “cyber” or “technological” portion of the cyberfeminism discussion, I want to discuss this matter in the light of Scott’s chapter. The discussion of the Cyborg is prominent, and although not to flip flop, I just want to briefly mention that Batian mentioned how the anger and frustration of achieving the cyborgian ways go undisclosed. Achieving this notion of duality that is the cyborg is not necessarily easily achieved. Scott talks about the idea of inauthentic and authentic identities that young women self-portray on an online surface. It has become more prominent over the years that social media is atrocious for young and developing women to be exposed to. Everyone online is playing a role as to what they want to portray about themselves online. Although all authentic to themselves, mimicking another’s self-portrayal is commonly practiced amongst the social media influencing community. Unfortunately, regardless of whether being private or public online, women will “always face the critique that they are performing inauthentically, even if they are attempting to present a persona that represents aspects of an authentic self” (Scott) Young women are especially vulnerable to the world that is online. They are not only experimenting and experiencing themselves for the first time, but they are also doing so with the influence of other self-portraying women. I feel this goes in hand with the idea of what even constitutes a “woman” or “female”. Not understanding the idea of being neutral or authentically yourself creates a scary place for a young woman online. An important paragraph from Scott’s chapters is here. To further elaborate I feel that Scott exemplifies the multiple factors that take place when a woman participates in social media. We are not all taught about the creation of the “Cyborg” nor when we know of the Cyborg are we (women) taught how to master the fluidity of it. However, I do feel as though in more recent years, women have been utilizing social media to protect their rights, bodies, and existence. Although there will always be cases of being mistaken for “inauthentic” cyberfeminism continues to grow and be more prevalent in the modern day. 

 

“Risks identified in media, policy, and theoretical debates on girls and young women and digital technology include (among others): surveillance by other online users, privacy risks, concerns related to self-disclosure (particularly in terms of future employment, sexual harassment, reputational damage, or constraints on higher education), potential sexualization and resulting miscellaneous threats to personal safety in response to self-images that are posted online, other reputational risks, body image risks related to internalization of gendered media representations, and cyberbullying and cyber gender harassment. Upon looking at each of these issues more deeply, however, it becomes clear that not all of these areas are exclusively sites of risk and constraint for girls in virtual spaces. Without discounting that for some they may indeed represent constraints upon agency or unrestricted use of virtual technology, for many girls and young women these areas can also facilitate liberation. Even when these areas do present certain constraints, research has shown that girls are aware of these constraints and are cognizant of potential online risk, proactively enacting strategies to independently manage them.” (Scott)

 

I immediately was not certain that I may have picked the correct module for this week when I first began prepping my materials for this post. However, as I began reading Hayles’ essay on Virtual Bodies and Flickering Signifiers I immediately came into contact with some familiar territory of signifiers and the signified. This is a concept that has been mentioned on multiple occasions in my critical theory class. A signifier is usually an aspect of the sign or the form the sign takes, like a red octagon used as a road sign. The signified is the mental concept that one develops associated with the signifier; the red octagon is now a road sign that implies for you to stop before proceeding on a road.  

Hayles brings up their theory of “flickering signifiers” that juxtaposes “Lacan’s notion of floating signifiers” (77). According to Hayles, flickering signifiers “signal an important shift in the plate tectonics of language” (76) At first I was confused about what a flickering signifier was, so, if anyone else had some mild confusion as well I am here to explain. A flickering signifier is a signifier that is constantly changing and has no fixed meaning to it. Because it is ever-changing it is highly unstable causing an ambiguous tone centered around it. An example I thought of that can be classified as a “flickering signifier” is the word “hot”. This word has developed throughout the years and depending on the context in which you use the word “hot” it can have a different meaning. If you were to touch a stove top you’d probably say, “ *insert curse word of choice* that was hot”. This signifies that the surface area in which you touched is hot (in temperature). However, if you were to see a shiny sports car drive past you and you say “Wow, that car is smokin’ hot” you are implying that the car’s physique is attractive. 

Now, I was a little stumped when I initially read the prompts and I thought “How does Slender Man fit into any of this?”. Well, I am here to tell you how. Assuming I am the only one who knows about  Slender Man, you will find that “slender” is hyperlinked with a brief article that was provided to us explaining the origins of Slender Man. Slender Man himself is a “flickering signifier” because of his ever-changing embodiment. After the initial post of Slender Man on Something Awful, “wherever the stories were told [after], authors put their own stamp on the character” (Cohn). What started as a faceless, dark figure had turned into a 7-foot-tall faceless figure wearing a suit with tentacles. The variability of his physique is what causes him to be a flickering signifier. As for Slender Man and the interpellation of bodies, the digital and physical realities are often blurred. Consumers are mostly viewing Slender Man through digital media causing this sense of uneasiness and disembodiment. I specifically remember playing the “bare-bones” video game called Slender which was briefly mentioned in the article. My stepbrothers would torture me with it, and it used to scare, we’ll say, poopless. As well as the video games and movies presented about Slender Man, we also have the stories that were told. Furthering the complication of bodies and agency are stories like the two Wisconsin girls stabbing a classmate. The two young girls told authorities it was “inspired by Slender Man stories” (Cohn), showing how the influence of this faceless figure had blurred the lines between human and non-human bodies. This coincides with Hayles’s “human and posthuman” (79) section of their essay because of an unfixed signifier that is Slender Man. Because Slender Man is so vague and can be conformed into anything, it is hard to determine the reality of its origins when it has been dragged on and turned into far more than what it was intended for. 

Essentially, I do believe that these myths point out insecurities or changes in the way young internet users view bodies, presence, and information. To start, I believe the view of bodies has become a theme of vulnerability and insecurities as Slender Man is an entity that can infiltrate digital spaces. This can make one feel unsafe in their embodiment and feel they can be susceptible to the unknown that lingers with Slender Man. As for presence, this challenges the notion of physical presence. If a digital entity can influence the feelings of someone in the physical world through a digital platform, this blurs the line between the physical and digital worlds. This can alter, especially younger minds, how they navigate and challenge the online presence. Finally, the informational aspect. This can cause distrust in any online platform. How do we know the information is not manipulated, is its source accurate? The reader/viewer is unsure. This can cause skepticism in younger users which would essentially be a good or bad thing. They may lead with caution but may also not take anything serious or real. 

P.S. I will be sleeping with the lights on for a few days

Enjoy a Meme by clicking the “P.S.” 🙂

Reading the chapters from Remediation the discussion of Virtual Reality (VR) is discussed. When I first began the reading and began to understand what remediation was, my mind instantly went to VR systems. Bolter and Grusin mention how VR is meant to alter one’s reality, essentially submerging the user into their desired reality. However, being that VR has already been discussed I wanted to touch upon another form of remediation. Augmented Reality (AR). Some people may not be aware of AR, but I’m sure you’re aware of the new Apple product dropping. “Apple Vision Pro” the new AR system is a new system Apple has designed using AR to enhance the day-to-day activities that you may partake in on your phone (i.e. Scrolling through TikTok, Watching Netflix, Facetiming Grandma). Apple Vision Pro is not the only form of AR being used in our society today. Many construction companies use AR to envision a model or prototype that they are working on within the space where the “real deal” will happen.

Unlike VR, where it only uses a virtual setting, AR uses a real-world setting. I believe because of its real-world settings, AR is a form of hypermediacy within the remediation world. It is constantly reminding the viewer of its surroundings as it is not fully submerging its user into a virtual reality, it is more so creating one in front of the user. However, you could argue that the feature of watching Netflix or TV on the Apple Vision Pro glasses could be seen as immediacy. When engaged for a prolonged time, the user could essentially forget their surroundings and feel completely submerged in the system. But, I would argue that they can be easily reminded that they are within the comforts of their own home by scaling the apps they want to use to any size. If the user chooses not to take up their whole vision with one app, they can see their real-world surroundings. 

Another company that uses AR is Ikea. If you download the Ikea app and are shopping for some fun furniture just because you truly need to furnish an apartment or home, Ikea has got your back. Ikea uses AR for consumers to essentially “try out” the furniture before purchasing it. Its immediacy comes from the furniture being placed in the consumer’s home. It is placed exactly where you want it that way you have an idea of what the actual product may look like. However, the quality of the photo is where the hypermediacy forms. The photo is a 2D pixelated photo that quickly reminds the user that this isn’t the real deal. A lot of other companies use AR for similar reasons. I do find it rather interesting that we are now able to try out furniture before bringing it home. Although it is not the real piece of furniture it is still useful to see what something could potentially look like.

Overall, I feel that AR was created to fit the needs of technology in our generation. Technology grows every day and the creation of AR allows for a broader appeal within all generations. It creates a sense of safety (knowing you picked the right chair), familiarity (seeing the real world around you) and allows for a chance for technology to grow more.

*Apple Vision Pro and Ikea are Hyperlinked. Please view for your enjoyment:)

Hello everyone! My name is Lillie Pisciotta (She/Her), I am 23 years old and this is my first semester at Stony Brook University! It’s so sad to admit that I have grown up on Long Island and have never been to the campus before. I am excited to explore the campus and see what a big campus life is like! I am currently a master’s student in the English program at SBU and have graduated with my Bachelor’s in English Adolescence Education from St. Joseph’s University in Patchogue. During my undergraduate, I completed a 30-page thesis on Religion and Spirituality within Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac’s Poetry. Spirituality, Feminism, and Queer topics are something I am passionate about and enjoy exploring within all literary forms. Aside from the “English” part of my degree, I am also very passionate about teaching. Although I do not have a full-time teaching position, I am very eager to get into a school. Topics I am looking forward to teaching in the future are Poetry and Short Stories. There is just so much you can do with small texts, it’s very exciting (for me). My ideal grade to teach at an adolescent age would be 7th or 8th grade. I have just the right amount of “fun” and “serious” for that age group and I heavily enjoyed teaching my 8th grade class when I was student teaching. However, I am planning to teach writing at a college level as well.

Apart from my education, I surprisingly have some interests that don’t involve reading and writing! I am currently the only fossil… I meant a grad student… you will find on the Stony Brook Cheer team. I have cheered for 9 years of my life and have found it to be the hobby I love the most. Besides my athleticism, I am also very into crystal healing properties and tarot card reading. Yes, I have my own tarot cards and yes, I have given plenty of readings before. My most intense interaction with my cards was seeing and describing someone’s late uncle who came through during a reading. The person I was reading cried, we had a moment, it was beautiful. More fun things to know about me is that I love aquariums and sea life. English won over Marine Biology by a hair, but it is still my secret passion (don’t tell anyone) . A silly goal in my life is to visit as many Aquariums in the world as I possibly can. So far, I have 4 under my belt. Three of which are not on Long Island, I’d say that’s progress. One final thing I’d like to share about myself is that I have a dog! Her name is Daisy on good days, and on the bad its “booger brat”. She is about a year old and is a mix of shepherd, lab, and pit bull. My girlfriend and I rescued her from Brookhaven Animal Shelter last October. She was a stray and had been at the shelter for 3 months before she came home with us! 

Finally, my interest in this class stems directly from my passion for teaching. I am not one to be totally stoked about Chromebooks and Google Classroom being heavily used in a classroom setting. However, I will inevitably be teaching using a lot of online platforms. With the pandemic, a lot of students and teachers have become comfortable with using various media. This has become a new gateway to engage students as well as a new way to have students participate. I am hoping by taking this class I will be able to explore a different outlook on education and learn how to safely engage/use multimedia with my future students. 

Overall, I look forward to taking this class and I’m excited to read everyone’s blog posts!

Lillie Pisciotta 🖤