Is It Spring Yet?

Life gets crazy.

We're six weeks into the semester, and it's the time when assignments and tests and projects are out in full force. It's all too easy to get caught up in everything that's going on, so if you're feeling a little too stressed...

Find your happy place.

For me, that's taking advantage of the warm weather we have been having to sit outside and read. I'm already counting down the days to when we can officially say that cold weather is behind us, and spring weather is here to stay. 

A lot of the reading and discussions in class have been focused around the need for balance, and that's a topic that I covered in my post about TPACK. Balance is vital in the classroom, but it's also important to remember to have balance in your personal life.

So take a deep breath.

School, work, and other responsibilities may have you running every which way, but remember: the sun is shining. The sky is blue. Take 5 minutes to sit and enjoy that before you get back to what needs to be done. 

Pinterest

My previous experiences with Pinterest have consisted solely of searches along the lines of "Sorority Big/Little Crafts" and "Prom hairstyles", so I was excited to see how I could use the website in a way that will help me with my future professional career. So far I love what I've found! Pinterest contains a treasure trove of tips and tricks that I can use as a SLP.

Follow Madison's board Speech Therapy Ideas on Pinterest. Follow Madison's board Inspiration on Pinterest.


So far I have started two boards, one with specific ideas for games and activities to use in speech therapy, and one that can serve as a source of inspiration as I work toward my goal of becoming a speech-language pathologist.
I'm excited to explore Pinterest more and use it as a source of ideas and inspiration now and in the future!

iMovie #TBT

Last Thursday in TEAC 259, we were tasked with making an iMovie as a group. The point was to practice using the technology with our groups so we were at least familiar with the program so we can use it for our video journals later in the semester. For me, the task took me back to the past, to the time in high school where iMovie was first introduced to me. I remember feeling as if a world of possibility had been unlocked; I could make my VERY OWN movies, chock full of cheesy transitions and special effects. As a junior in the journalism class, I had to make two editions of our weekly podcast. This was always a very stressful experience, so naturally are most of my memories of iMovie. And high school was about where my experiences with iMovie ended... I hadn't opened up the program since making the video for my graduation party almost two years ago. Because of this, last week's brief experiment was a welcome refresher.
It's interesting how using a technology you haven't for a while can really bring you back, reminding you of the times when you might have used it often. For me, iMovie is definitely intertwined with my memories of junior and senior year of high school. I'm excited to get to use the program again and become more proficient with it.

Teaching Channel: Academic Conversations + ELLs

Our Tech of the Week this week is Teaching Channel, a website where teachers can watch videos to share their knowledge and techniques. Although the website is not designed specifically for SLPs, I found a great series of videos, "Academic Conversations with ELLs."


This series of six videos highlights three middle and high school teachers whose students are primarily English Language Learners. They use different techniques to engage their students in academic discussions in class. This is a skill that is very important for any student to learn, but it can be especially challenging for ELLs. It typically takes about 7 years after the start of learning a language to become proficient enough to use that language in academic and abstract contexts. This means that these middle school and even high school ELLs still need a lot of support and guidance to be successful in academic discussions, even if they are more proficient in conversational English. I think these teachers have done a great job coming up with structures that scaffold students' ability to participate in class discussions. I think this series offers helpful, concrete ways to support ELLs, a population of students I may be working with as an SLP in the school system. It is important to keep in mind the additional struggles students may experience if English is not their first language, while also challenging them to meet Common Core standards.

Click here  to check out all six videos!
And click here to read the accompanying articles offering more information about the content of the videos.

Mobile Learning

Last week in TEAC 259, we tried an experiment in mobile learning. On our walk from the classroom to the new library Learning Commons, we engaged in mobile blogging as groups. During travel time and while at the library, we chronicled what was happening through the use of pictures and text on a group Google Doc. This was my first time editing a Google Doc on a mobile device. It was definitely an interesting experience. It was a bit disconcerting at first to have everyone editing one document at one time on a screen as small as your cell phone screen is. It felt like we were virtually tripping over each other to input information. However, as time went on it got easier. It helped that each person was signed in with their name so you could see who was typing where. Some things we were able to do were add text and images, change font color and size, use different devices among the group, and install apps on the go. For example, while at the library, we realized we would also need the app for Google Slides to add a link to our doc to the class's Chaos Dump. One thing we could not do was add videos directly to the Google Doc. Later we learned that there were a couple different workarounds to this problem we could have tried. 

Check our efforts by clicking on this link: 

Thursday February 4th TEAC 259

While at the library, we were shown a demo on the One Button Studio. The room allows students to easily record themselves. I think the studio is a great resource for students. I especially like that you can record yourself giving a presentation or doing a speech so you can go back and critique yourself. It's a chance to step back and look at what you are doing while presenting (and a step up from practicing in a mirror). When we were given our demo, the equipment was having technical difficulties. Brad had to troubleshoot, and it turned out that a wire had come unplugged. Even though this delayed our demo, it was a good lesson in how to troubleshoot when problems come up. Video recorded in the studio is downloaded directly to a flash drive for you to take with you. It also has cool features you can utilize like a green screen. The studio seems pretty straightforward to use and has many opportunities to be creative with its use. I'm glad we got to take the trip to see it, because it was a resource I didn't know we had!

Mobile learning definitely has its advantages, such as allowing learning to happen anywhere and on-the-go, and allowing people not physically in class to participate in what's going on. However, one limitation I noticed is that I felt slightly disconnected from what I was doing. I was very focused on updating our mobile blog and felt awkward being glued to my phone throughout the trip to the library and especially during Brad's demo. This activity took me slightly out of my comfort zone and forced me to do some quick thinking on the go. Mobile learning is something I would want to explore more before using it in a classroom. 

Balance is Key

As a dancer, I'd like to think balance is something I'm sort of an expert at. It's what, literally, keeps me from falling flat on my face. Bringing this same sense of balance into other areas of my life, however, is a whole different question.
This week we read an interesting article about the importance of implementing technology in a way that is specifically relevant to your classroom. It introduced the TPACK framework, which stresses the need for balance between knowledge of content, pedagogy, and technology. All three areas need to be taken into consideration to successfully use technology.
For a quick overview on TPACK, you can watch this 2 minute explanation and check out the way the idea looks visually represented on a scale.

What good is knowing what the latest, greatest technology out there is, if you can't utilize it in a way that actually facilitates the learning of your students? I know this sense of balance is something I'm going to try to work on in my future practice as an SLP.

For my Parks and Rec fans out there, here's your daily reminder to be the Leslie Knope of whatever you do. xoxo