Cool SLP Resources for adults

Hey all, look at some of this cool stuff I found (thanks to some of my awesome collegues).

365 ESL short sories with activities:
http://www.eslyes.com/
These stories each come with comprehension questions, vocab activities and other games and tasks perfect ALSO for those of us who work with adults with neurological trauma.  Sweet.

Apps for SLPs who work with adults:
http://www.tactustherapy.com/other.html
I love finding new iPad apps and making sure I have the latest and greatest stuff to do with my patients.  Here's a fun list for SLPs. 

And have you heard about Pinterest.com?  My cute SLP cousin just told me about its awesome application for SLPs.  More on that later...

I'm also excited about the free Passey-Muir Webinars in a couple weeks.  Check them out here...  Free CEUs that can be done over lunch!  I'm all for it.  And they provide really good information in my experience.  (Passey-Muir does not pay me to advertise!)  :)

Hope you have a more fun caseload than I do right now.  I'm feeling the blahs.  I have a few patients who can't stay awake for a second, and a few who don't respond, even when awake.  Sigh...

Anyone have a good pick-me-up for SLPs in burn-out phase?

XOXO

~K

Autism Tweeters for SLPs and Moms

Kristin here.

If you work with people/children with Autism, I want to share some awesome resourses.  Here are a bunch of SLPs, Special Ed teachers and Moms who tweet autism-related stuff all the time.  (If you don't understand what I just wrote, you need to sign up for a Twitter account, make an SLP-ish name for your username, and start adding people on these lists to your contacts (it's called "following their tweets").  Then as you sign into your twitter account each day (or week, or month...), you'll have a network of people with related interests, sharing info, swapping stories, asking and answering questions, etc.  It's a great tool!

Here is that autism list I mentioned:

http://www.onlinecolleges.net/2011/08/24/60-essential-twitter-feeds-for-following-autism-education/)

Happy Tweeting.
Kristin

SLP Vlogging

Hey all!  It's Kristin.

I'm sure many of you know how big the vlogging world is getting.  (Vlog = a video blog.)  For example my mom just did the HCG diet and discovered a whole community of buddies through the youtube hcg channels.  They motivated eachother, and gave tips, came up with their own HCG jargon, and they commented on eachothers' vlogs.  My mom had a blast getting into that "world."  Here's a little sample of one I liked- The ABCs of HCG.  I figured I would start exploring the vlogging world I'm into too, including SLP vlogs.

Well, I'm sure I am just BARELY tapping the surface on what's out there as far as SLP blogs go, but I thought I'd share and also see if any of you have any faves.  I got an email from linguahealth talking about their vidoes and thought they were interesting.  Here's one on choosing a graduate program for you undergrad students out there:

http://www.youtube.com/linguahealth#p/a/u/1/WRb53hbvhsQ

They I found a vlog by the SpeechPathway.  I also want to share with those who are not-so-Youtube-savvy that you can look at other SLP's vids by clicking on some of the followers listed below his video, either in his Friends, Subscriptions, or Comments sections. 

http://www.youtube.com/user/thespeechpathway

I'm hoping to narrow my search more and find more medically-based vlogs.  So many of them are pediatric/education SLP-based.  Let me know if you have any good ones!  When you find a vlogger (video-maker person) you like, you can click "subscribe" and you will actually be emailed occasionally a list of the new posts by your favorite vloggers.

Hope this launches a few of you into the youtube SLP world.  If you find anything great, let us know and we may even post it for others too!

XOXO
~K

New SLP iPad App: Caseload Tracker

Hey everybody, I hope your summer is going well. Probably better for the education SLPs out there.

I wanted to announce that the Caseload Tracker app has finally been published and is now up and available on iTunes.

This app is designed to help SLPs and Special Educators keep track of their caseloads and stay on top of IEPs and Eligibilities. I came up with the concept as I was getting completely bogged down by meetings with no good clear way of keeping track of all of them.

This app has a built in system for tracking these important due dates by color coding alerts in the app as well as using the iOS's push notification alerts to keep you informed of the total number of students with upcoming meetings. Its also a great resource for keeping your caseload information handy.

For those such as myself, this will be a very useful tool in staying organized with your students. Let me know what you think

And we'll be having a contest on here soon to win a code for this app. I'll stay in touch.

ASHA

It's Kristin here.

Woo hoo!!!  I'm going to ASHA this year. 

I am one of those really big SLP nerds who gets all excited about ASHA and badly wants to go each year.  I love the classes, the exhibit hall, the networking, and just walking around looking at all my fellow SLPs and feeling this weird professional comraderie.  I have only gone once when I was a new SLP, so it was all the more invigorating.

Of course, it's pricey and far away usually.  San Diego sounded do-able.  Anyone else going?  Anyone need a roommate for ASHA?  Anyone have any suggestions for what to do in San Diego? 

XOXO
~K

Kristin's picks- AAC Best-of Awards

I work with AAC a LOT.  Here are my favorites as far as AAC stuff goes:

And the award goes to...

Best AAC Software: Interaact

Best Eyegaze technology: Eyegaze Edge

Favorite Device: Dynavox VMax

Best Customer Service: Dynavox

Best looking icons/pictures:  Tobii ATI ("Communicator software")

Best for aphasics: Lingraphica

Best iPad AAC app: Proloquo2go

Best for teaching syntax: Prenke Romich

Best textbooks: Beukelman and Miranda

Any of you have any favorites?

-Kristin

New Apps in the Making

Just so you know, I've been working with Barbara Fernades at Smarty Ears on a new app for the iPad. It will be particularly helpful for the education SLP, but might be able to adapted for other settings as well. This will be the second app that I've helped publish, the other being the SLP Goal Bank app.

I'll keep you informed, but I'm super excited. My school district is purchasing iPads for the SLPs to use in Tx, so its nice to help make some apps that can make my life easier.

I hope y'all are enjoying your summer (at least for those education SLPs out there) as for the medical based SLPs, try to get out if you can.