Can you believe it’s already December?
Time has flown, starting my fifth year at the Open University; this year is Crime, harm and the State. This semester, I’ve delved into the intricate world of drugs, focusing specifically on opioid dependence—a topic that resonates deeply with me due to a serious accident I endured. After undergoing life-threatening surgery, I was prescribed Dihydrocodeine to alleviate my pain. However, I realised that my repeat prescriptions seemed endless, and my doctor never informed me about the risks associated with becoming dependent on this medication. My friends noticed the warning signs and encouraged me to stop using them, motivating me to choose this subject for my assignment. However, I faced an unexpected setback when my entire project vanished from my writing helper software. Panic gripped me; I complained to my friends at Texthelp and then refocused on my tutor-marked assignment, plugging my laptop into my computer monitors. It’s crucial to raise awareness about these issues, as they can affect anyone navigating the challenges of pain management. However, I ran into my next disaster; upon submitting, I did not realise that half the assignment was missing. The email came through saying my assignment was marked. To my horror, I opened it up and found that I had failed! This was my first, and I opened the feedback to see where I had gone wrong. I discovered my referencing, and the second part of my assignment was missing. I WhatsApp my tutor, wondering where I had gone wrong with parts of my assignment missing. Fortunately, my tutor let me resubmit my assignment; I discovered everything I had worked on passed! Phew!
Assistive Technology
I have been busy training students and talking at venues about assistive technology. Of course, I encountered the usual problems. My Present Pal account license had run out. I was giving a talk to tutors about assistive technology and wanted to use Present Pal to polish my talk. It will tell me how to improve my speaking, help me time my presentation, and aid me in putting everything into manageable chunks. I gave further presentations at the Dyslexifest and Dyslexia Scotland’s Education conference. I love informing people about the benefits of assistive technology. I discovered that pro study and pro revise can be used from age 14 to aid students with all their exams. Students said they wished they had known about Glean while at high school to assist with notes. dBuds will help with noise cancellation from distractions in the classroom. It is excellent that Texthelp Read and Write is being used in schools on Chromebooks. However, what about the TextAid read speaker? This can be used on a Chromebook and a pupil’s phone. How can we improve primary and secondary information about assistive technology and what is available? This is a subject which frustrates me. It has aided me so much with further education. I still hear issues about this subject in primary and secondary education. I would love to see pupils flourish in school, having the correct technology to support them.
A Baby Hippo Christmas
Well, it is that time of year; you mention Santa, and Mr. G starts shouting BAH HUMBUG! I, of course, have had a look around the Christmas markets. I didn’t see anything special this year. It might have been the mood I was in at the time. A few days later, Mr G and I celebrated my birthday. I knew Mr. G would want to avoid the Christmas crowds. The weather was not very nice either; it was cold and wet, with a fresh, westerly breeze. Mark Stoddart’s social media page showed a beautiful Bronze Baby Hippo coffee table to aid his charity. I was unsure if I would be in the area to see the hippo with his big red Christmas bow. I know Mark does fantastic charity work raising awareness for dyslexia. I even have his book “Making a Mark”. I had been fortunate to see the last table with a silver Oxpecker during the Fringe. It was a “dreich” night when visiting the fringe exhibition; also, the bus broke down to add to my adventure. Mark wants to raise money with a baby hippo coffee table to aid neurodiverse charities. I entered the last raffle to win one of his beautifully sculptured tables. Thinking about this, where would I put it in my house if I had won? At the start of our day out, Mr. G had forgotten his hat, so we looked for one after a festive pint of Rudolph’s Red Nose. We found a lovely hat shop; I was going to buy Mr G a new hat, but this did not happen. We had to leave. I was informed there were too many Christmas tunes on. We headed down to Duddingston to a beautiful old pub called “The Sheep’s Heid Inn”. It is historical as it has been running as a pub since 1360. It has had many famous visitors and has even been mentioned in Mrs. Beeton’s cookbooks. It was a great lunch with a few refreshments before heading back home. A few days later, Mr. G thought I was too quiet. He came to our snug to find the Christmas tunes on the tree being built. I could not resist a bit of mischief, so I put on Micheal Bublé’s Christmas and sang along. I forgot the lemonade to make a festive snowball with Advocate (Egg Nog). Mr. G retreated to his dug basket in the huff!
Catfishing!
As the festive period approaches, catfishing has increased on social media. Catfishing is when a person makes a false identity online. They may claim to be international artists, as many false accounts I receive claim to be people I follow. I have tried to prevent this by adding to my profile that I am studying Criminology. This needs to be addressed; however, sometimes, I would like a rest from the constant stream of followers and messages. Maybe the answer is to put up a big pink sign saying I study Crime! You may receive messages saying hello; I will warn you about scammers and imposters faking my identity online. They claim to be me and scam people. I saw your profile, and I know many scammers will message you. I have quickly created this account to message you and warn you about them. Beware of scammers. They could come as thanks for all your likes and comments. Your support means the world to me, and I am truly honoured to have you as a fan. Thanks, you’re fantastic. They may also tell you that they have made a private account, as their official one is run by their management, and they have chosen to take it to you. Everyone is entitled to a voice on social media. However, be careful about who you are talking to online. I have become addicted to watching Social Catfish on YouTube. Many of the stories are familiar to me from conversations I have had with scammers. I tried to reach the famous person but received many fake messages. It must be frustrating for them to know that very little can be done with the number of accounts created in their name. Suppose you find yourself in a situation where a person asks for personal identity. Please be careful, as this can be used against you in their criminal activity. If I am being asked to receive a package, I tend to give them an address such as the Berlin Police station. This often angers scammers, and I get blocked. Through investigation, catfishing is frequently ignored as it is too large. Also, in my case, even with lots of evidence, as there has not been a crime committed, no investigation will go ahead.