20% Proj. 6 Blog Reflections: Number 5

           Earlier this semester, we read about what attributes make learning meaningful. As the reading said, there are many attributes that make up meaningful learning; it’s not simply lecturing or sticking a student in front of a computer. Understanding these attributes, such as active learning or collaborative learning will help one teach with meaning and success. In my research on Speech Therapy, I have found that it is important for both the therapist and the patient/student to be able to collaborate efficiently. I included on my project that the ability of a Speech Therapist to cooperate orally and in writing with a student is a means of effective communication. In Speech Pathology, learning can become more active if the therapist is patient, understanding, and resourceful. Therapists use the iPad as an interactive tool to guide the patient and include another resource that he or she can use for help. I found in a lot of my research that most Speech Pathologists like using the iPad to back up their own activities because younger students and patients find it more fun. This illustrates its ability to engage a child and make learning more fun and easy. We talked about how teachers use technology as a tool to help them, but not a primary method of teaching. When I researched what apps make therapy effective, I found several apps used by Speech Pathologists. Speech Therapists have talked about these apps, and most say they make learning more fun and appealing, especially for children. In one of the articles I read, a Speech Pathologist who has created 14 Speech Therapy apps wrote on them. She said, “Today the iPad is seen as the number one therapy box for many therapists. It is also the number one topic many speech therapy groups discuss online.” Clearly, the iPad serves as a reliable and useful tool in the speech therapy setting. Any aged patients can benefit from using it in the hospital setting, as well.