Educational & Academic Writing

As an educator, I am constantly writing and updating my course materials, developing curriculum, and pursuing my own scholarly goals. Below, find a few examples of resources developed for college-level classes and a sample abstract of my academic writing style.
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Abstract from
Picture Book & Book Illustration, a Creative Portfolio Creation: Historical background, Analysis & Understanding, & Educational Implications

Picture book and book illustrations provide an important non-verbal means of communication, assisting the reader in a better understanding of the story while visually expanding the narrative. This integrated project seeks to compose a creative portfolio, with respect to the study of the history of illustrative visuals in children’s literature and the analysis and understanding of pictorial/compositional elements. In order to create a sound illustrative portfolio for this medium, illustrators must inform their work through research and consider the context of the images. The analysis of illustrative devices and methods concentrates on a selection of works created by Caldecott-winning illustrators Maurice Sendak, Virginia Lee Burton, Allen Say and others. Within the original portfolio pieces presented, visual devices and methods of creation as well as educational implications for the audience are acknowledged. The portfolio presented herein addresses the concerns and considerations above while applying them in four categories: narrative—picture book; narrative—storybook; non-narrative—poetry; non-narrative—alphabet book. This portfolio selection intends to reflect a body of work that is historically valid, soundly composed, and educationally relevant while still showcasing individual style and aesthetic sensibilities. 

Communication Studies: Topic Du Jour

Pique your interest in human communication with these course-related topics, including videos, audio & written pieces. These were created to inspire conversation and engagement for introductory communication students, reinforcing class concepts vocabulary. 

Handouts & Downloads

Resources for Writing Papers
a student's style guide

Have you ever wondered how to format and structure your academic papers perfectly? Most writing intensive courses rely on either APA (American Psychological Association) or MLA (Modern Language Association) style. English majors and humanities subjects tend to use MLA more often, while science and research subjects tend to use APA .  I allow for students to choose which style they favor.

[DOC] Click here for an example of APA formatting.
[DOC] Click here for an example of MLA formatting.

Journalism and communication students: Do not confuse these academic paper writing styles with AP (Associated Press) or Chicago Manual styles, which are used in print and news media. AP and Chicago style refer to mass media writing standards, and are updated regularly to reflect changes in grammar, word usage and punctuation.

Is This Article For Real?
One Tip For Making sure The Resource You Use is Legit.

It's easy to take the written word at face value. We have a tendency to believe it, if it's in writing, especially when it seems to come from a recognizable media source. And if it makes the rounds on social media, or "goes viral," it can be easier for false narratives to emerge as "true" assumptions. So what can be done to critically approach the validity of what we find online? Here are a few tips for published works and images, and how things can be (even mistakenly) skewed.  This article was published by The Conversation, an academic and research online community that provides perspectives and insight on journalism and other academic pursuits.

[PDF] Click here for "Six Easy Ways To Tell If That Viral Story Is A Hoax"
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