20% Proj. 6 Blog Reflections: Number 3

           Along with using sources found on the Internet, I have also used various social media sites to find information on my topic of the use of the iPad in the classroom or Speech Pathology setting. I find that ads come up on my Facebook for certain apps. I have found several apps through following Speech Therapists on Twitter as well as Speech Therapy boards on Pinterest. Some of the links on Twitter lead to blogs of Speech Pathologists and how they work with their patients. The iPad has so many functions that people do not realize. I follow Twitter accounts that give me information on my topic, and some of the account users have followed be back, too. I have been commenting on my partner’s blogs, and she has been commenting on mine, as well. The feedback we give each other has helped me with the 20% Project by providing commentary and feedback on the ideas I have had so far. These have been helpful in keeping my ideas on track. Although we do not have the same topic, our feedback is helpful. Most importantly, my research has led me to find that the iPad has features on it that let therapists better connect and interact with his or her patients. In my previous reflection, I listed some of the specific apps, which have proven to help with collaboration—a key factor in improving.  Whether it is verbal or visual training, the iPad helps with an array of skills.  These skills have proven to be effective in the therapy setting.

Reflection #4

Visual literacy is so important because as technology is improving every day, it is important that we take advantage of every thing we can do with it. Visual literacy has been part of my education for as long as I remember; my teachers used a variety of things such as TV shows, movies, YouTube channels, and interactive computer games. I have even been taught with music before; our project was to analyze different parts of a song and explain and criticize it. This involved listening to certain sounds and phrases. Especially going into the Speech Pathology field, I think George Lucas had a great point in saying if people aren’t taught the language. Graphics have such a strong way of relaying a message in a way that reading and writing cannot. One can experience the emotions and expressions involved. These factors alone can make learning more exciting and engaging. Learning is a very holistic matter—there are so many elements involved that make it effective. The article “Life on the Screen: Visual Literacy in Education,” makes a very good point that the country survives on its educational system, which should include every aspect of learning. To thrive, there should be a sufficient amount of learning through visual methods. In our daily lives, we are used to having iPhones. iPads, and laptops. We use these for games, online TV shows, and communication. We understand technology, and we should all be doing our best to use our resources to their fullest potential—to learn from the things that we have. Sometimes, I watch certain TV shows and actually learn important life lessons from them. They have the potential to be a very good tool in teaching. As the article “The Eyes Have It: Potent Visuals Promote Academic Richness” states, people spent so much time telling kids stories about art that they were training them to be good listeners. Visual learning is key to doing well. The VTS program the Fran Smiths writes about proved to be successful, with students in the program for three years showing significantly higher growth rates in visual literacy, which correlated strongly with reading and math gains. This is just an example of its importance; it can benefit other categories of learning as well. As a 21^st century learner and future educator, I would help myself and others develop visual literacy be using the whole realm of methods to teach and guide my students. I would use sounds, shows, videos, and other interactive, stimulating resources. I have seen first hand how they have helped me, so I plan to help others the same way. I don’t think this blog is too challenging with visual representations because we use these visual aids and resources so much more than we think. We have plenty of options to use and choose from.

This is a video from YouTube of Marilyn Joyce speaking on the importance of teaching Phonics as well as how to efficiently teach it. She uses various notecards and other visual mechanisms to help early children's development of Phonemes. 

This is another YouTube video on a teacher using visual aids to encourage creativity in the classroom, an important concept that the articles touched on. 

Communication and Collaboration Project - Floor Plan

I have created a floor plan for a Speech Therapy office. This is how I picture my office and how I would set it up according to my priorities as well as how I think a patient or student might learn most efficiently. I have put a desk in the top left corner of the room for the Speech Therapist to do individual work. In the middle of the room, I have put a circular table with three chairs. If I were working here and had a group of students rather than just one, this method could be useful in letting them collaborate with each other. This may be carried out through things like practicing certain exercises together or working on projects as a group. This will place them in a quiet setting where coordinating is easier, as well as a place where they can integrate technology into their work. In the bottom right corner of the room is a desk with a computer and printer. At this desk, a therapist can work with his or her student on the computer. This may involve using helpful computer games, word documents, sound recordings, or listening to correct examples of various words and sounds. In the top right corner of the room is a bookshelf with books on it; these could be books students can read aloud to help them better understand and practice. In front of it is a desk with four chairs. If the therapist were working with a group, they could sit here as well and read aloud together, bettering their collaboration skills and managing their resources. In the bottom left corner, there is a long chair that the student or patient can lay or sit on so that they may comfortably work on verbal exercises with the therapist—much like a Psychiatrist might have in his or her office. Overall, I have created the room setting so that the students can easily engage with not only each other if there were a group, but also with the therapist. Setting is a very key aspect of learning, and it is important to understand how to make a room so that students can work to the best of their abilities and can positively interact with one another. 

20% Proj. 6 Blog Reflections: Number 2

           In my 20% Project, I want to address various learning issues, methods, and skills that are benefitted from the use of technology in the Speech Therapy field. Specifically, I am focusing on the use of the iPad and iPod devices. These devices have numerous apps on them that have proven to be extremely helpful to both the Speech Therapist and the student or patient. In my research so far, I have found countless games and methods on the iPad. These apps not only give the student the chance to interact more efficiently with the therapist, but they also let him or her become more comfortable with improvement. With the use of the iPad in this setting, there will be improved communication, motivation to do well and practice, and a better method of collaborating, maybe giving the student more patience in working. These apps help both people involved. Essentially anybody can benefit from having the knowledge about these apps, but especially teachers or other educators. As we have learned, technology is a resource that engages students and encourages them to learn. With the use of these apps, students can have another tool for learning, but main focus will be on exercises provided by the Speech Therapist. Apps such as “Speak It,” “Dyslexic Like Me”, and “Prizmo” are reading and writing apps that can help any type of student, not just those struggling with speech-related issues. They help teach the fundamentals of reading, writing, and spelling to any young learner, so they may help children in elementary and middle school, as well.

"Is School Enough?" Video Reflection

20% Proj. 6 Blog Reflections: Number 1

           I feel as though my topic is a little broad, but I can work with it and narrow it down to more specific categories within the topic. It is a very interesting topic to me because I did not know apps could be used for speech therapy, but there seems to be an app for everything! I can modify my topic of technology such as the iPad in Speech Therapy by focusing on certain apps, such as the ones my group posted to our Pinterest Board earlier in the semester. I can divide my topic into smaller sections. I can even include personal experiences and stories from online about success in the Speech Therapy field with various apps from the iPad and iPod. I can address questions such as which apps to use, which apps have the best success rate, and what do people of different ages recommend? I think people will be surprised by the usefulness of this technology in this specific field of work. Different issues, such as lisps for example, can be helped with different apps or methods. Not only does the iPad provide beneficial apps, but it may also provide a source of information and research for the Speech Therapist. There are apps that help the students and patients, but there are also apps that help the therapists themselves. This way, both can receive advantages from the iPad technology. Though this topic is a rather broad one, I can go into depth about the certain apps and how exactly they function to help the speech issues.