The GradLab

Last week was quite stressful for me. As I shared in my blog, I must start preparing for my expected Prelims in January. Amidst this stress, a faculty member asked if I was okay. After our conversation, I felt immensely relieved and confident that I could ace the exam. This experience underscores the crucial role of faculty support in student success. I strongly advocate for this support, having personally contributed to students' academic and moral development in the past. Without such mentors, students often find themselves vulnerable, lacking the guidance and encouragement to navigate their academic journeys effectively.

After watching the movie “12 Years a Slave”, how white owners exploit black female slaves sexually and how their wives did not blame their husbands and punish the black female slaves have made me think about the moral corruption of people with power.   The movie portrays the physical and psychological torture inflicted on slaves by their owners and how the slaves endured them. Slaves were treated as chattel property, deprived of their identities, and subjected to constant fear and violence. This objectification and dehumanization are starkly contrasted with the more subtle psychological torment, which probably left lasting scars on their psyche. The movie further highlights the unique struggles of enslaved women, highlighting the harsh conditions of their lives, their children being sold separately, and disregarding their cries and sufferings. Furthermore, young women were often sold at higher rates than older women, subjected to nudity, and slept with male slaves. These conditions wer

  This week, I wrote a critical essay on “12 Years a Slave,” and I am still processing how a black female slave in the movie was treated. The film highlights the exploitation and suffering of Black women, the pervasive physical and psychological torture endured by slaves, and the deeply ingrained racial prejudices of the time. One of the most disturbing representations in the film is Patsey’, who embodies the collective suffering of all enslaved African American women. Patsey's character illustrates the severe physical and sexual violence inflicted upon Black women. She was not only subjected to harsh physical labor but also exploited for sexual pleasure by her owner. This dual exploitation highlights the multifaceted abuse of the Black female body, used for both physical labor and sexual pleasure, reflecting a broader societal view of slaves as mere objects rather than human beings. These dynamics highlight how race, gender, and free status intersect to compound the suffer

At this semester stage, I'm feeling exhausted and battling self-doubt. The upcoming prelims in the Spring require early preparation, which adds to my concerns. Balancing this with my regular coursework seems overwhelming, and I'm unsure how to handle it. Thoughts like "Will I manage?" persistently trouble me. I wish to have a break to prepare for my prelims with a free mind!  I wish I had 30 hours a day!  I wish I could manage stress, get long breaks to relax, and focus on upcoming exams!

Dennen's forthcoming chapter is well-crafted and comprehensively explains six knowledge activities: collecting, curating, sharing, brokering, negotiating, and constructing. The chapter also explores three supporting activities often associated with these knowledge processes: networking, tagging, and annotating. 1.     Collect: In an online context, collectors save and organize digital content by bookmarking web pages, favoriting or marking items on social media, or downloading media like PDFs, photos, and music to their computers. This collection can be purposeful and formal, such as gathering resources for a specific project, or more casual, such as saving items they find interesting for later use.    2.     Curate: Social media curation involves creating organized, annotated collections of online artifacts. This term, borrowed from museums, archives, and libraries, describes selectively building a collection to serve a specific purpose or audience. Unlike simple collecting,

While reading this week’s article by Dennen et al. (2020), I was reminded of when I taught Grade 2 as a pre-Junior teacher about seven years ago. During that time, I regularly posted activities on Facebook as part of the summer holiday homework, and all the students were part of the group. The students were excited to use Facebook and engage in activities on digital platforms, which also allowed them to stay connected with their classmates during the break. They actively participated in the comments, sharing their perspectives and what they had learned. My experience aligns well with the authors' findings that “Facebook has a high degree of posting and commenting, with knowledge negotiation frequently visible in the comment-based dialogues” (p.167). Additionally, Facebook is designed to support direct knowledge construction through various posts and comments. The platform’s structure encourages interactive discussions, making it an effective tool for collaborative learning. Moreo

               Each week, I am not only becoming more familiar with digital tools and platforms but also gaining confidence and comfort in using them✌. The consistent exposure and knowledge have significantly enhanced my skills and ease with these digital resources.  The Web 2.0 Course continuously encourages me to explore these platforms, not only as a side hustle but also as a way to relax and engage in purposeful activities. This inspiration has sparked several ideas that I can pursue while remaining behind the camera.                 In the coming days, I hope to embark on a project that brings fulfillment, happiness, and a sense of purpose. By leveraging what I've learned in the course, I aim to create something meaningful that resonates with my passions and interests 🎈🎊.

          As an active user of Instagram, I have come to appreciate the power of features such as tagging people and sharing stories. These tools are incredibly effective in several ways: ·        Firstly, they allow us to show support for our communities by highlighting local initiatives, accomplishments, and events. By tagging individuals and businesses, we can amplify their voices and help raise awareness about important issues or achievements. ·        Moreover, these tools play a significant role in creating a positive global image. By sharing diverse stories and tagging people from different parts of the world, we can foster a sense of global connectivity and cultural understanding. This soft diplomacy can help bridge gaps and build a more cohesive global community. ·        Supporting local and home-based businesses is another major benefit. Through tagging and story-sharing, we can promote these businesses to a wider audience, helping them gain visibility and grow. Th

                                              Nowadays, I am very keen to observe the shift in earning patterns. As a millennial, I was always taught at school, university, and home that studying must come first and that a job obtained after earning a degree was the primary path to income. There seemed to be no alternative. However, I have observed a significant change with the rise of digital platforms. Young people in Pakistan now earn substantially more than degree holders at a very young age. Given the declining economy and currency depreciation, the youth are increasingly drawn to earning in dollars through digital platforms that offer the flexibility of working from home and being their boss. Examples include vlogging, content creation, and add/drop shipping on Amazon, YouTube, Instagram, etc. Such earners are having a great lifestyle as they are earning in foreign currencies.                I earned my master’s degree from the most prestigious institute in Pakistan, LUMS, and

For years, when social media and internet access were limited and print and TV media were state-controlled in Pakistan, people revered the military and the state. They had to believe the official narratives. However, with increased internet access and social media presence, a "shared awareness" has emerged as people have become more informed and critical of political dynamics, better understanding the true state of affairs. Reading  “The Latent Community in Every Webpage”  by  Clay Shirky  made me reflect on the current political climate in Pakistan. The recent elections saw the highest voter turnout in history, driven by a shared awareness of the importance of voting rights. People are now more engaged and recognize the importance of their voting rights. This change shows a more informed and active population, thanks to the shared information and discussions on social media and the internet.                 

Key Terms Context collapse: Online social media networks provide a space for free expression and, in the process, create the potential for their social groups to mix, which results in context collapse. Virtual third space: These online platforms provide them with a social interactive space, neither school nor home, and it's not a primary field for any actor, and people can freely socialize with one another. This space provides more options to the teens for social connection . The article aims to explore social media use among high school students, looking at how online social networking platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat serve as virtual third spaces, bridges across physical environments, communities, and purposes. The study focuses on the following research questions : What social media tools are high school students using? What do high school students’ personal and school communities look like? How do high school students use social media tools to acce

             LinkedIn and YouTube are my primary social media tools. While I could manage without Instagram, YouTube is indispensable for me. It is a valuable resource for various content genres like dramas, podcasts, horoscopes, interviews, recipes, and other everyday-related videos, significantly enriching my life experiences. YouTube's diverse content has positively impacted my daily routines and leisure time, offering entertainment, education, and practical advice. From learning new recipes to exploring different cultures through travel vlogs, YouTube has become integral to my online experience. Additionally, YouTube has transformed earning dynamics, prompting a reevaluation of employment types. Traditional jobs are becoming less attractive, especially in developing contexts, as content creation on platforms like YouTube offers new, lucrative opportunities. This shift challenges conventional career paths and necessitates reconsidering what constitutes viable and rewarding em