Dyscalculia & How to Overcome ItBy: Ariana Richard (Google Images) Some people struggle with writing, others struggle with math. There appears to be no in-between. For me, I struggle with math. I have struggled with math my entire life, and almost every summer since the 2nd grade, I would have to retake the same math course over again. I would go through countless tutors, go to office hours with my teacher, and still, nothing seemed to help. I began to realize early on that this was a problem that could not easily be fixed by tutors. This was a problem that was persistent and needed to be addressed a different way. In the summer of 2016, I was diagnosed with Dyscalculia. I had been diagnosed with ADHD a few years before, and my parents and I soon found out that Dyscalculia is linked to ADHD. The Google definition of dyscalculia is, “having severe difficulty in making arithmetical calculations, as a result of a brain disorder.”
There are a few ways that one can overcome the struggles of dyscalculia. According to Brain Balance, the five ways are: 1. Talk or Write out a Problem A lot of people who have ADHD, and/or dyscalculia, find that visual learning is a lot easier than verbal learning. It appears best for the student to talk or write out a mathematical problem for them to better understand it. 2. Draw the Problem When someone who has a learning disorder writes/draws out a mathematical problem, they are more likely to understand how to go about it a lot easier, than figuring it all out in their head. 3. Break Tasks Down into Subsets It is difficult for someone with dyscalculia to finish a mathematical problem without breaking it down first. For somebody who has a hard time with numbers, more often than not, they end up getting the wrong answer. This is why it is important to break down the problem into separate parts, so that one can more easily understand the path to getting the answer correct. 4. Use “Real-Life” Cues and Physical Objects Using props such as measuring cups, rulers, or even toys can help ease the stress of a dyscalculic student. Using these types of objects can help one’s mind grasp information much easier than trying to think the numbers out in one’s head. 5. Review Often Math can be a very difficult subject for some. It requires, in some cases, insight, practice and time to fully understand the mathematical concepts of a problem. For a dyscalculic student, it generally requires a lot more time than the average student. It is necessary for dyscalculic students to try and review mathematical problems every day, and try not to fall behind in general. It is important for students with dyscalculia to learn how to tackle math in ways that work for them. With dedicated time, help, and courage, dyscalculic students can learn to function when it comes to doing well in their math classes, as well as mastering math in the future.
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Your personal brand needs to positively reflect your reputation. By: Angelica Perez Image from @scalbsu on Instagram The Student Communication Association (SCA) from CSULB held a “Building Your Personal Brand” workshop on February 11, 2020 to help students on how to professionally represent themselves on the Internet. The workshop was detailed with helpful tips that every student can benefit from, especially in this day and age where having a digital presence is essential if you want to have a career in PR, marketing, journalism, etc.
1. A strong brand is consistent In order to get the most engagement, you need to aim to post at least three to four times a week. They can be regular posts or stories but staying consistent shows your audience that you are active and the more consistent your messaging, the more consistent your branding will be. You need to make your audience aware of your product, aka you. A great tool to make sure you are posting often is Hootsuite. This website helps you track and manage your social media channels. 2. The 50-30-20 social media strategy This rule is a great way to outline your social media marketing efforts. It is suggested to have 50% of engagement (memes, behind the scenes, jokes, things you are involved in), 30% is to inform (educate your audience) and 20% is for promotion (plug your own programs, activities, events and yourself). It is important to have a good amount of different content or else you will bore your audience. 3. Credibility This tip is very important because if your personal brand is not credible, then no one will take you seriously. Make sure your grammar is perfect in every social media post because people will be judging if it is not. A helpful tool to help you is Grammarly, especially when you are writing blogs. Grammarly automatically detects spelling, punctuation, word choice and style mistakes. 4. Expand your knowledge on more resources To be a well-rounded skilled person, you should learn how to use different programs. A few that will help you look like a talented individual are Canva, Adobe Spark, Adobe Suite, Google trends, Mailchimp and Audacity, just to name a few. 5. Google yourself!!!! Cleaning up your social media profiles has to be the most important tip anyone can give you because you do not want to be seen as a negative person for something you posted online many years ago. It is highly recommended to take the time to go back to your old posts and delete anything that you think your target audience will not like. Presenting yourself in a positive way online is very important for your future career. It makes you look professional and it helps give off great impressions when people see your online presence. Once you follow all these steps and learn how to brand yourself online, then you are ready for the real world. Marvel vs DC (Marketing Edition) By: Gabriela CastroSuperhero movies have become a big staple of entertainment over the last decade. Marvel and DC have come a long way since the 1960s, where superheroes were just silly characters straight out of television series to films where there taken seriously than ever before. Marvel and DC both have the same objectives but comes in different outcomes. Marvel Studios has a game-changing and well planned out strategy that helps their movie schedule while DC does have a lineup but is still scrambling. Marvel Disney's Marvel studios started created films back in 2008 with the start of Iron man and the birth of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). Marvel has been dominating the movie industry over the last decade by earning $22.5 billion, thanks to its game-changing marketing strategy. Some of the marketing techniques that marvel has been using were VFX visual effects. Notice that many, their trailers have been edited, so the fans would not be spoil and it makes the fan speculate the plot. It is a technique they been using over the last few years and has become very successful. In the Averages Endgame, you will notice that the final trailer has many editing details they left out. The studio does not want the viewers to know how the movie will end. The directors' Joe and Anthony Russo stated they want the marketing for this film to be as critical as possible to the point where only the first 30 mins of the footage only to be shown in their trailers. That technique did succeed, and most fans and critics were impressed by the surprises and shocking moments of the film.  Picture by MarketWatch DC Superman, there was much criticism among critics and fans due to the over amount of details of the movie plot, adding more characters, and releasing a ton of film clips and trailers too highly publicize the movie. The significant problem that Warner bros been having over the last few years, the studio is taking over their marketing control so they can try to appeal to their audience. Marvel has since been very critical when it comes to marketing and they work so hard by showing as little as possible by not revealing the whole plot of their movies. Warner Bros seem to be showing the entire plot through their trailers and clips. Other films such as Justice League has suffered the same faith as Batman v Superman did. Justice League was supposed to be a box office hit, but it both bomb so hard, the film barely made any box office revenue. Fans and critics hated the movie, stated that the movie has already revealed most of the footage from the trailers and nothing new was put into the final cut. As pictured below, the only film to have success ever since the DCU launched was Wonder Women.  Picture by Wall Street Journal Solution for DC
My take on Warner Bros, the number one problem that has to get a fix, is their entire marketing strategy and learning how to plan. For example, during the marketing of Endgame, the director's Joe and Anthony Russo wanted only to show the first 30 minutes of the film. I find it interesting because they care about this movie so much that they want fans and critics to feel satisfied and successful. Planning has to be their number concern, Warner bros have to be grounded, meaning they will not be involved. Their marketing teams should take over on how the film presented so that way Waner Bros do not have to struggle like they are already are. 5 Easy Tips For Reducing Your Environmental Impact By: Amber Viramontes Image source: https://www.tpi.ie/the-pursuit-of-global-environmental-sustainability/Being a college student is already tough enough. Aside from juggling work, rent and school, we have the impending thought of our world dying and the “but there’s nothing I can do to help...” thought too. Well, you’re wrong. There is so much you can do! There are simple ways to be more sustainable in our everyday lifestyles. There is a widespread trend of “Going Green” across the world right now to address the climate change problem. CSULB takes pride in their sustainability efforts to help fight the climate crisis. Here are some tips on how to be a more sustainable college student.
Who wouldn’t want to be more sustainable? 1. If you haven’t already, hop on the reusable water bottle train Plastic pollution is a leading factor in the warming of the earth. Plastic pollution generates and emits greenhouse gases that cause the climate to heat up. All those one-time use plastic water bottles are never really disposed of. Plastic water bottles take up to 1,000 years to decompose. 2. Borrow, rent, or share a bike or scooter If you live close enough to campus to ride a bike or scooter, then do it. Not only are you avoiding Long Beach State’s nightmare of parking, but you are also reducing your carbon footprint. Carbon emissions are another main cause of climate change. By not driving a car, you are reducing carbon emissions. 3. Unplug Let’s save energy. As public relations students we utilize our electronic devices for almost everything. Powering down our devices when they are not in use helps reduce energy usage immensely. Unplugging our devices at home helps save energy too. 4. Thrift what you need I think we can agree that money as a college student is a little tight. In that case, buying second hand items from a thrift store can help you save money and help our earth too. Over-consumerism depletes our natural resources and produces a lot of waste. Avoiding buying new things helps reduce the use of new resources and helps reduce waste too. 5. Eat less meat Think about the cute cows and piglets. Just kidding. Not really though. The agricultural industry is one of the climate crisis’s biggest enemies. Raising and preparing meat produces a huge amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Almost twice more than growing and harvesting vegetables. On top of that, more than 2,000 gallons of water is used to produce just one pound of meat. Yep, just one pound. Cutting meat out of your diet just one or two times a week can help more than you think. You see, there are many simple ways to be more sustainable. Try some of these tips some time and soon enough they’ll become healthy habits that help fight the climate crisis. Tips & Tricks to Save As a StudentBy: Samantha Trosi No matter how you slice it, college isn’t cheap. Sure, you can get a 10% discount at Target or a $2 coupon on a one-time purchase at the local Starbucks. But what about the things we really need to elevate our college experience? Here is a list of the top discounts and services to help you cut corners and look good doing it. LinkedIn Learning Professors love to talk about all the cool stuff we get just for being a student. A lot of us groan and roll our eyes at the idea of watching some sort of tutorial or video on our own time. I get it. We’re swamped with classes and assignments, but hear me out on this one. LinkedIn Learning has an extensive collection of videos made by top experts and professionals in almost any field. Confused about what to wear to your first interview? LinkedIn Learning has a video for that. Want to brush up on your graphic design skills to wow an upcoming client? It’s got that too. It’s available on mobile as well and completely free for CSULB students. Plug those AirPods in and get to learning. Canva Ok, I’ll admit it. This isn’t really a student discount. It’s even better because it’s free. Canva is legitimately the fastest way to create logos, layouts and designs for practically all your marketing and PR needs. A free account gives you access to a variety of shapes, designs and templates that can be tweaked and modified to represent your personal style and brand. You can download your designs for free with little hassle and without some lame watermark. Apple Student Discounts Sorry, PC lovers. Apple products are a fan favorite among college students. According to recent studies, 71% of college students own or prefer using a Mac and nobody is confused as to why. Built-in products like iMovie and GarageBand make multimedia editing a total breeze for PR and journalism students. Lucky for us, they have student discounts and special education pricing. It varies between products and applications, but if you bring your student ID, you’ll reap the rewards. Adobe Creative Cloud This right here is the holy grail. Remember all that talk in your PR Principles class about convergence? How public relations, marketing and advertising are becoming more entwined every day? Well, here’s your chance to brush up on those design and editing skills basically for free. Adobe Creative Cloud includes programs like InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. Programs you’ll definitely use to create content like newsletters and maybe even press kits. Normally it’s $59.95 per month. Even the regular student discount is hefty at $19.99 per month. But get this. For CSULB students, it’s only $20 per year. Did you just hear the record scratching too? Not only can you download all of the applications you want on your personal computer and mobile device, you can also log in on any of the labs on campus to access projects you’re currently working on, fonts and all. Take my advice. Take advantage of these discounted applications while you can. The knowledge and experience you’ll gain from using them now, while they’re still affordable, will only benefit you as you step into your next step professionally. Now, get to it! What is the trick to accentuate your overall image?By: Hector Tepayotl Zarate Having a professional social media presence can be instrumental to an aspiring public relations professional. PR practitioners can be passed over for positions and promotions because of content posted on their social media accounts. While social media can be useful in the creation of an online media presence, it can also highlight inappropriate or insensitive behavior. Here are some tips for effectively maintaining a professional social media presence: 1. Photos Strategically and consistently post photos that highlight your aesthetic, hobbies and personal qualities. The trick is to post images that accentuate your overall brand. Never post images that compromise your character such as being drunk, participating in drugs or any other offensive content. For a more detailed list of what not to post on social media, head over to Business Insider. 2. Captions and Comments Although many social media pages are image driven, well written captions and comments are essential to the overall development of a professional social media presence. Strategic communication can be effectively implemented by typing cohesive, punctual and entertaining captions and comments. 3.Resharing Memes have become embedded in all forms of social media. Not only are they entertaining but some are also informative. Take a look at what Forbes had to say about memes. Although memes are prevalent throughout all social media channels, it is crucial to not post or reshare any potentially controversial or insensitive content on your personal account. Just because you didn't create it doesn't mean you can't be associated with it if you liked it or reshared it. For the aspiring PR practitioner social media can be essential in effectively creating an online presence but make no mistake, not everything of your personal life should be shared with the world. Always be mindful of the photos uploaded, captions and comments, and content reshared. A good piece of advice to keep in mind is, would you want your future employer to see this? If the answer is no, then it's probably a good idea to keep it to yourself. An Introduction to InDesign in PRBy: Clarissa Nazarea Photo Credit: Jaber Lounes I never really associated design in and public relations. I always thought my career in PR meant writing press releases or creating content for social media. MAN WAS I WRONG! First, let me give a brief introduction to what InDesign is all about. A definition derived from American Graphics Institute, “InDesign is a desktop publishing software application for creating flyers, brochures, magazines, newspapers, and books.” Can you see what I mean now? How can you tell a story in this day and age without any visuals? If you’re serious about actually landing a job in this profession, to stand out from the crowd means you have to be well-rounded in ALL aspects of media. How can this powerful tool change your strategic communication in PRplan and why is it so important? The answer is simple, professionals in this field are required to be quick-witted, Jedi Mmasters for crisis communication management. Creating great content with your a design identity can bring brand awareness to the next level. Here is a great example of brand awareness from Sugarfina:  Photo Credit: Oberlo InDesign can be a little overwhelming in the beginning. Believe me when I say, I felt a little light headed when my design professor went over the different tools/options in the software. Fear not, my fellow PR students! Although I’m still learning, I’ve debunked some of those fears by utilizing a nifty website called Creative Could Tutorials. This website is the mecca for all Adobe tools from InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. You can even choose from beginner to experienced tutorials! The most useful tool for me right now is: The Clipping Path. This tool will be your best friend for last-minute projects which may require you to use an image online. Adobe User Guide explains how to use it best:  Photo Credit: Adobe InDesign
The best way to use this software is to jump right in and start exploring what InDesign can do for your career. Trial and error is key! But once you get the hang of it, you will have a skill that is absolutely essential for our profession. |
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