September Speech Link Up!

The school year is off and running!  We are in week 4 already, and time is flying by!  Here's my link-up for September, brought to you by All Y'all Need!

Schooling: We have to do online trainings for my school district on allergies, bloodborn pathogins, HIPAA, ethics, and a few other things.  On top of that, the company that I do PRN work for also makes us do similar yearly trainings.  You can bet that the systems aren't compatible, so this weekend, I will be sitting down and doing TWO rounds of the same trainings and quizzes.  Plus, I signed up for some continuing ed credits through my ASHA SIG so that I can have all the credits I will need for my state licensure at the end of October.  That's going to be a lot of time on the computer!

Excited: I have two eligibility reviews due October 1st this year (yowza! That's like *no* time from now).  I am hoping to use the CELF-5 for these kiddos, since it ships this week.  Keep your fingers crossed that it gets to us by next week!

Prepping: I bought a bunch of stuff at the last TpT sale, but was out of cardstock.  Today, the three packages I requested came in, which totally made my Monday.  Color printer, here I come!

Trying: At the building I've been at for a year already, I am trying 5 minute quick artic 2-3 times a week. It feels more time consuming right now, because I have a lot of kids that I see for one sound only that I'm trying this with, but I'm hoping that some of my kids that are close to generalization will get to that point faster and I'll be able to rotate in new kids.  I'm on week 3 of actually doing therapy for some of those kids, and already I've seen a huge improvement in one of my students that worked almost all year last year on getting the /r/ in isolation (it was like starting from scratch every week!).  He's almost ready to move to syllables, which is a pretty big leap for him.   

That's all about my September, what about yours?
Is anyone else waiting for the CELF-5? 
Have to sit through awful monotone trainings that you can't skip through? 
Have you had success with quick artic?  I am seeing the kids individually, which is the part that feels the most time consuming. 

Back to School Shopping

You've heard about the TpT sale that starts tomorrow, right? Because it does. And I could not be more pleased.  I have been quietly adding to my wishlist (OK, so the last few weeks have been more in the "frantic" realm) as I read over student goals, and start to think about how I am structuring this year.  One of the big things I am thinking about is homework.  Homework that will actually get done, is relevant, and maybe, just maybe, might be a little bit of fun, too.  I am inspired by a homework post I read recently that sends home games and activities with the students to help facilitate speech and language at home. I have many articulation bingo cards that I inherited from the SLP who retired before I was hired, but Bingo will only get me so far.  Here's what I'm thinking right now:

1. Quick Drills from Mia of Putting Words In Your Mouth. How cute are these?  The concept is simple, the price is certainly right, and there's a little something for everyone (everything from sports to flip flops to Star Wars!), along with word lists for multiple sounds.  How easy would it be to practice with a student and then send it home so they can show off to their folks?  Just print, laminate, cut, and go.

2. Silly Stories Articulation - s, th, l, ch, sh, j and /r/ & vocalic-r from Speech2U.  These are mad-libs lists by sound.  Neat for some of my reading-level kids. Easy enough to send home a mad-lib story and have the students practice.

3. Speech and Language Homework for a Year and Social Language Homework for a year by If Only I Had Super Powers. Talk about thorough!  A great supplement, and great examples for parents of opportunities they could take to help their student target their goal areas.  And so easy to organize for sending home, which is much appreciated.

Since not everything can be homework, here are some of the other things I have been coveting lately:

1. Secret Agent Articulation by Jenna of Speech Room News.  My students go crazy for QR codes, and love them to bits.  What a great way to incorporate something fun with articulation AND a little vocabulary building. 

2. Idiom of the Week from Speech with Sharon.  My recent office move has put me smack dab in the middle of a hallway that every student passes at least four times a day.  Since my door is in prime real estate, I would like to do an idiom of the week.  My idea is to preview it on week 1 with my students, have them do the worksheet that comes with the activity, and then hang the idiom of the week up with the student definitions the following week.  My students can take pride in their work being on such prominent display and have the opportunity to tell their friends what an idiom means.

3. Evidence Based Practice Quick Reference Binder by Carissa Ten Hoeve from Home Sweet Speech Room.  This year, we are reevaluating our district-wide RtI programs, which includes speech.  There are also talks of new materials, and I anticipate that this binder will be really helpful in my hope to get some new, relevant materials for my buildings.

Have I missed anything?  What are you looking forward to clearing off your wishlist?

Anatomy of a speech room

Last week, I went in to set up my office.  Luckily, I stopped by the principal's office to check in.

"How do you feel about moving your office?" he asked.
"Well," I said hesitantly, "when we talked about it in the spring, I said I was a bit worried about the location of the other room, and I would miss my window.  Also, it's a smaller space."
"Yea, but it's air conditioned," he responded.  "And it's possible that you will end up with two staff bathrooms in your room, so I think it might be less disruptive if the teachers aren't coming and going while you're there. Plus, the new room has a HUGE closet."
"OK. If you tell me I'm moving, then I will."

At that point he suggested I go look at the new room.  I realized my nameplate was already on the door.  Since the decision was already made, I came back, asked the secretary for the key, and set about to figure out just how to get everything that was in the room out, and everything from my office in.  Because sometimes, you know when it's time to just smile and do what the principal asks.

Now for the "Before" shots:

Here's the room with someone else's stuff in it (except the bag on the chair, laptop, and waterbottle).  After a few hours, a lot of moving, and access to our color printer, here is my speech room for the year.  Let's do a rundown, because almost all of my room is decorated compliments Teachers Pay Teachers, and I am super excited to start the year! 

 1. Speech-Language Therapy Objective Binder by Queen's Speech. Common Core is here, and the principal that will be evaluating me this year is gaga for "I can" statements and objectives clearly stated for every lesson.  After printing out the file, I put each sheet in a sheet protector and used two binder rings so I can easily flip between the objectives.  Hanging it on the whiteboard puts it in a prominent space that my students will easily be able to read.

2. Super Social Skills by If Only I had Super Powers.  I am so excited to incorporate this program in my room this year.  I have a number of students working on social skills, and my new elementary building includes our district's BD/ED program.  This packet has social stories, power cards, games, and those handy reference posters (which you can get free as a preview!).  I just found out today that we have to hire a new social worker in one building, so this will be great for some of the co-treating I was planning on doing while the new person gets their feet under them!

3. This is a combination of efforts, and isn't actually related to TpT, but to my other source of inspiration: Pinterest.  I got the idea for it from The Learning Curve, who posted it a while back.  I used free worksheets from Mommy Speech Therapy, printed at half size, and color coded on cardstock initial, medial, and final for each sound.  I put one for each sound on a binder ring, and ta-da! Instant word lists for those times when I need quick drill, if a teacher stops by to ask a question, or if I need some words for a language activity.  Plus, because the worksheets have pictures for each word, so my younger students can pair the word with a visual.

 3. This awesome bulletin board comes from Danielle Reed at Sublime Speech.  Speech Slides and Language Ladders is my new reinforcer.  Last year, I did stickers, and when a student earned 5, they were rewarded.  It was OK, but got old fast.  This year, I am excited to use this. Students will get 1 roll of the dice if they follow the speech rules for the session and get their work done. If they bring back homework, they get another roll of the die.  Hopefully, they will be motivated to bring back that homework!

 5. Inspirational Subway Art from Middle Grades Maven. A packet of 12 inspirational quotes that I put on construction paper to jazz it up a bit. They are very cute and colorful, and a very quick way to decorate!



That's about it.  My principal wasn't wrong- the closet is HUGE, which means I have plenty of space for materials so the office space can remain uncluttered, which I appreciate. I still have to put up some of my visual cue sheets for vocabulary, which will go on the other side of the whiteboard, secured with velcro for easy referencing.  

In other news, the AC is highly effective.  So much so that I wore a jacket today! 

One speech room down, another left to set up!



*No one asked me to write this, and I have not received anything in exchange for doing this.

July Link-Up

I know I've been on a bit of a hiatus, but hopefully, you can see why!

Time for the July link-up from  All Y'all Need.  If you want to participate, check out the details on her page. 

 Just finished our travels!  We did 3 days in Rome, and 3 in Florence.  The weather was beautiful the entire time we were there, and we walked walked walked around the cities!  We averaged over 14000 steps a day while we were there and 25 flights of stairs (thanks to my Fit Bit for keeping track!).   We took close to 1000 pictures, but here are some of the sights!

Using: oh the bugs!  We got back from our travels and turned around for one (rainy) weekend in Indiana, and the following in Wisconsin, both on camping ventures.  I thought we were bathing in bug spray!  I hoped we'd left them in their respective states, but over the weekend, we took the dog for a walk and only made it a mile out before we had to turn back- even with the bug spray, they were swarming and biting through our clothes.  They are serious this year!

Loving getting back into my Zumba groove.  OK, so the school gym we use makes it feel more like Bikram Zumba, but there's something fun about bopping around to the catchy music.  And an hour and a half class gets me about 8000 steps, which is hugely helpful in the summer.  Last summer, I started a session and in the second class, I had a "Zumba solo", wherein my coordinated self lost my footing and sprained my ankle.  It benched me for quite a few weeks, so I am happy to be able to actually participate this summer.

Yummy- I went to a freezer meals workshop yesterday, and made 20 crockpot ready meals, that I am super excited to break out when the school year starts.  I am a big advocate for freezer cooking (it's the only system my husband and I can agree on to get dinner on the table), but I was in a bit of a rut with my regular marinades and go-to recipes.  It was fun to get together with some friends and put things together.  Let's hope those dinners turn out as good as they sounded!

One material purged...

The speech pathologist that retired 2 years before I took my job left a LOT of stuff behind.  Lots and lots of worksheets (a whole file cabinet full!), workbooks, references, and games.  Some of it has been helpful, and this being my first year in the district, I didn't want to make too many waves and get rid of things en masse.  After all, one never knows what one will encounter on a new caseload, yes?

At the end of the year, I did start to tackle some of the extra materials.  I needed a better organization system that worked for me, and part of that meant taking the games off the shelf where they were taunting my students and moving them to a place where they were a bit less...obvious- namely a cabinet.  In order to do that, of course, I had to go through the cabinet's contents.  I was able to whittle away some extraneous materials, including this gem:

Copyright 1979!

It's too bad this book was missing a cover and had been split into chunks to fit into a folder.  I looked on Amazon, and they are selling for over $100!

What's something you've uncovered hiding in your speech room?

More Inferring Activities: Print Ads

I've mentioned before about using visuals like comics and TV commercials to help my students who work on inferring information, figurative language, and visual humor.  Let me share with you another resource I've been using: I created a Pinterest board using print ads.

As with anything Pinterest related, it is a work in progress.  I usually take about 4-5 to work on in a session, throw them on powerpoint slides, and then crop out or cover what is being advertised using a filled in text box (always have a 2nd picture to show them whether their guesses were right!  My students love to guess what the ad might be about, and I usually get a lot of language while they are hypothesizing.  It also tells me a lot about their areas of knowledge, as some kids really lack a point of reference for some of the ads.

Next year, I am looking for more carryover activities for home to start with my students.  I am thinking a few small books of advertisements for some of my students that are working on inferring might be a great place to start.  I'll let you know when I get on the ball with that!  ;)

SLP Link Up, June 2013

Last time, I shared my bucket list for the summer.  Then I came across this SLP Link-up, and wanted to share.  I know the point is networking and promotion of products, but the fact is, I just got onto summer break mode as of yesterday, and my brain isn't quite ready yet for thinking about that.  In fact, you can see where my brain is, exactly with this post!

If you are interested in participating in the SLP Link Up, check out the post from How Pinteresting.  

 

Jamming to: While I've been working out in the yard, I've been enjoying Mumford and Sons.  It's pretty relaxing stuff, and has enough variety that I don't get bored.  But I've also added Fun. to the playlist and the Lumineers, just for additional variety.

Unwinding: The flower beds have been driving me batty!  I planted a few weeks ago, and you wouldn't even know it with all the weeds!  But there's something satisfying about a cleaned up flower bed, and I can see my productivity.  Plus, it's given me a lot of time to listen to music and enjoy the sunshine.

Needing: some good summer reading books. I have one book, but a lot of time on planes and days of camping ahead of me, and I am looking for good recommendations.  I mostly read memoirs, or "chick lit", but I've really enjoyed books by Gillian Flynn lately.  I also like YA fiction, but I burnt myself out on dystopian societies with strong young females last summer after doing the Hunger Games trilogy, Uglies Trilogy and Divergent/Insurgent in the span of 3 months.  Here's an almost complete list of books I've read (I sometimes forget to record) over the past few years if you want a more comprehensive idea.

Excited about: our trip to Italy!  Unfortunately, the weather is projected to be cool this summer, which might make the maxi dresses I bought last week a moot point, but oh well!  

So there, you can see, I haven't done anything school related because my brain is on break!  Although, I did purchase the SLPs Care for OK bundles, because, hello?! an awesome deal and fabulous cause? Sign me up.  And I can download them when my brain is a bit more willing to think about goals and materials and all that stuff!

Summer Bucket List

Today marks my first official day of summer break.  Tomorrow I have an SLP work day, so it's a little hard to get in the groove for summer, but it does give me a chance to think about what I want to do this summer to recharge my batteries, as it were.

I don't know about you, but the last month of my school year was mighty busy.  I had initial evaluations, a bunch of 3-year re-evals and progress reports, galore.  I also found out I will be switching one of my buildings in the fall with another SLP in the district, to help balance out numbers.  It means I had to say goodbye to my middle schoolers, and will be split between 2 elementaries next year.  But before I can think about setting up another office, looking at new goals, figuring out schedules (oh, the dread!), and getting to know a new staff, I need some recuperation time.  

So, here's my list for the summer, which is supposed to be a mix of fun and rejuvenating.  Somewhere in there will be working my PRN position, and maybe some more home projects.

1. Get a pedicure.  It may only be 60 degrees in my part of the world, but I am convinced that it will help me get in the mood for summer.
2. Go on vacation.  This will happen.  We are doing a trip to Rome and Florence for a week, then a few days hanging out in New York, recovering from jet lag at my folks' place.
3. Go camping.  This is also on the calendar; one weekend with my mother-in-law's family, and leaving 4 days later to spend a long weekend at a YMCA camp with my father-in-law's family.  But I'd like to float a weekend with a few friends out there, as I do enjoy cooking over campfires.
4. Tend to my garden.  My peppers, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes and herbs are all in.  Now to keep them all alive, and actually producing!
5. Take enough walks with the dog to finish an audio book.  I just started Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (who also wrote Gone Girl). I imagine it would be a page turner, if I had an actual book, but it definitely makes me motivated to walk more.  My poor dog is both excited by the prospect and, I think, slightly filled with fear, since she makes it about a mile and then starts turning up almost any driveway we pass.
6. Read more books. This is on everyone's summer list, no?  I haven't decided what I want to read, yet.  My mother-in-law just passed along a book called Left Neglected, which I will definitely get to.  Just not sure what else I want to dive into. Any suggestions?
7. Clean up the basement. OK, this is an embarrassing tidbit: we moved into our house 4 years ago this summer. When we moved in, the previous owners had taken what they wanted from the basement, but didn't clean it out.  We started to clean it out, but never finished.  It is now on my list!
8. Catch up on Doctor Who. Fact: I am becoming a Whovian.  I am two episodes away from David Tennant's departure, and while I am trying to savor him, I want to get caught up by the 50th anniversary in November. I know the most recent episode was quite the subject of debate, and I have been trying to avoid all the chatter.
9. Make some new speech materials. I have some ideas rattling around in my head, and there they have rattled since sometime in the spring.  Like I said, it was a busy spring.
10. Go to the drive in theatre. It seems like such a staple summer activity. We have one about 45 minutes away, and last year I took my husband to go see Amazing Spiderman and Brave. It's just a fun way to spend an evening- providing I can stay awake!

There are other things that might make the list down the road, but I don't want to overdue it.  It's about relaxing, right?

How close are you to summer vacation? What are your summer plans?  Any good trips?

It Is, but it Isn't: a Quick Tip for Vocabulary

Last month, I had the opportunity to attend a really awesome continuing education class about teaching vocabulary, led by Patricia Sanford.  If you have the chance and she swings through your neck of the woods, do yourself a favor and sign up.  Her information is very accessible, and easy to implement starting as soon as you get back in your building! 

One thing she introduced me to was it is but it isn't.  It's a strategy to help a student figure out a word meaning by giving examples of what it is, while also giving examples of what it is not.  When they think they have it figured out, the student can come up with their own example to prove they understand the pattern. 

I find it's easiest to use for words that are categories.  But my students LOVE figuring out the pattern.  And once they do that, they can often verbalize a definition better. 

For example, here's how I use it to figure out the meaning of the word antonym before I started on an activity targeting them.  So you can see, I said that an antonym IS big and small, but it IS NOT big and large.

Or I might say an appetizer IS pigs in a blanket, it IS NOT hotdogs.  It IS chips and salsa, it IS NOT tacos. You get the idea.

It sounds so simple that I wish I could say I had thought of it before.  But my students are so much more engaged when they have to figure out what the pattern is and it seems like they are more engaged with the process.

What strategies do you use to help get word meanings to stick?  We just started a book study at my elementary building on Bringing Words to Life for a building-wide effort to increase teaching of Tier 2 vocabulary words.  Has anyone else read this book as a group?

Interviewing? Here's what I learned

I know this time of year is exciting for many SLPs.  Graduation is (seemingly) moments away, and the real world can finally begin.  The first big hurdle is landing a job- preferably in the field, with CF mentorship, in a setting you want, with a paycheck that might actually support you.  Sounds like a daunting task? Read on for my 9 tips for interviewing for an SLP position.

When I graduated from my program, I applied to EVERY school job within a 60 mile radius.  It amounted to about 90 applications, which was pretty simple, because we are set up by regions (usually counties), and you can apply to multiple school districts that belong to one region/county with just a few extra clicks of buttons.  So it was a matter of scouring the regional sites daily, and making sure that I applied to any new positions quickly.  Around my part of the world, most of the hiring for SLPs happens between early May and late June.  So starting in mid May made me already feel behind.  Although it's been a while, I do distinctly remember some of the things I would have done differently if given the opportunity, as well as some helpful tips I picked up along the way.

From The Graphics Factory

1. Check out the applications EARLY.  I didn't realize most districts around me would want the letters of recommendation before they even scheduled an interview. If you are like me and have two external placements during your last semester, get your letters of recommendation early, even if you aren't sure if you'll end up in the schools.  Better to have them on hand than to watch jobs appear and disappear because you are waiting on that letter.  And check the application requirements.  Mine included essays(!), which aren't huge, but do take time to do.  Seriously, get on that early.

2. Have access to a scanner.  While there are many benefits to online applications, one of the way they streamline is to have you submit everything electronically.  Including but not limited to your transcripts (of which you'll need a second, official copy when you are hired), letters of recommendation, resume, licensure paperwork, etc.  For some things, learning how to save a word document as a pdf is a great place to start.  For things you'll need to scan, the scanner will be your best friend.  Or your worst enemy if you have a finicky one (*ahem*).

3. The suit matters.  When I was in grad school, the career center representative came to talk to us about making a resume and going on interviews.  She said yes, you need a suit for interviews, but as an SLP, it doesn't have to be quite as prim and proper as a suit might be for, say, a business major.  We can add some tasteful color, especially those who were looking to go into the school setting.  But for the love of pete, a fitted suit does matter.  Plus, there's something about it that makes you feel confident. So even if it's the place you did your placement at, and you know the dress code is "don't look like a student," still wear a suit.

From The Graphics Factory

4. Be on time.  Boy, this should go without saying, right? Being a few minutes early is even better.  You don't want to blow in and look frazzled because you just ran from your car.

5. Be prepared for more than one interviewer.  In my interview meeting, all of the SLPs in the district were in on the interview, along with the Director of Special Education. One interview had only 2 people, but that was pretty atypical.  Usually, I saw 5-9 people in the room. It can be a bit intimidating, but it's better if you expect that. Those people can include other SLPs, SpEd Director, principal(s), coordinators, special ed. teachers...pretty much any member of the special education and related services team. 

6. Smile. Remember, inherently, we are a caring profession, whether it is in the medical setting or the school setting.  Even if you are nervous, a warm smile will give off the appearance of confidence, and make you appear to be a good team player.  Which I'm sure you are.

7. Prepare yourself for the interview questions.  There are, of course, the standard questions, like identifying your strengths and weaknesses.  But as SLPs, there are a few role specific questions that I was asked on EVERY interview.  Those were:

• How would you assess a bilingual/bicultural student?
• What populations do you have experience with?
• What assessments are you familiar with? Which is your favorite? Why?
• How have you applied the Common Core to speech goals?

At one interview, I was also given a scenario regarding students with varying needs in the same group, and asked to devise an activity that would meet all goal areas (thank goodness for barrier activities!).

Additionally, if the position works with a specific population, research the population (no brainer, right?).  When I worked at a therapeutic day school for individuals with autism, you wouldn't believe how many applicants had no background knowledge on kids with autism.  Be prepared to talk (without going into specifics) about clients/students/patients you may have had in the past that relate to an experience or population.  You may not have a chance to bring it up, but most interviews I was on asked which populations I felt comfortable working with/ experience in.

8. Have a question or two prepared: it can be about number of SLPs in the district, their RtI procedures, mentoring program, CF mentorship (very important if you are in your CFY!), professional development...basically anything (except salary specifics/benefits), just so you don't have that moment at the end when they say, "do you have any questions for us?" and you say, "uhhh...not that I can think of." 

9. Write the Thank You letter.  In the school setting, this can usually go to the Director of Special Education, a lead SLP, building principal, or whoever else seemed "in charge" of the interview.  Write it that day if you can, because you never know when the decision will be made. Include something relevant to the interview that will make them remember the conversation you had.  Compliment the district in some way, and make sure you include how excited you would be to join the district.  You can Google thank you letters after job interviews if you want to see some fancy wording.

Those are my tips for a successful interview process.  For those who are starting the interview process, I wish you the best.  For those that have already been there, any more suggestions for the courageous souls that are knee deep in applications and listings?

A little bit of structure going a long way

Oh boy! A whole month has FLOWN by!  Somewhere in there, I had Spring Break, which was lovely, 10 IEPs, and LOTS of evaluations.  The weather here has been vacillating between beautiful sunny days and dreary cold rain, which hasn't been very inspiring, and the caseload at my PRN position has been high, so I am spending more time there after school.  Busy busy busy!

With all the testing and the meetings and the end of the year fast approaching, I feel like I have spent much of my time putting out fires.  You know, the student who holds a sit-in in the office because he just doesn't want to be in class today? The student who has been doing fine all year at the end of the day, but suddenly starts having meltdowns about cleaning up and packing up?  My world has been filled with social stories on the go, and attempts at problem solving to figure out why things are the way they are, and what to do next. Most of the changes are relatively small, and usually involve changing the environment and adding just a touch more structure.

Here's what I whipped up today for a student who is struggling with the end of the day.  Last week, we added in a break after cleaning up so that he had the opportunity to unwind a bit.  That helped some, but when I observed him, I saw that he was using his time inefficiently. While many of his classmates made only 1 trip to get their coat and backpack, he made two.  And three trips to his mailbox!  So it seemed like a bigger task because he was doing so much more work!  Enter his end of the day checklist.  For most of us in speech, visual aids are second nature, so this is probably nothing new.  But I always like to see how people are using things in the real world, so I thought I would share. 

Given that it's the end of the day, I didn't want something that he had to write, because his pencil pouch should be away.  However, since I love the feeling of getting to check something off a list, and only imagine that others feel the same, I did want to give him the satisfaction of "crossing something off", which explains the flaps.

As you might have gathered, he's a big fan of a certain web-slinging superhero. 

I started by taking pictures of his afternoon routine.  Then, using powerpoint, I put all the pictures into a table, and added some words at the top (mostly so an adult can prompt him if necessary).  While he can read more than he realizes, written words often increase his frustration, so I wanted him to be able to rely on pictures.  I made another sheet with some webs and Spiderman, so he is motivated to flip down the flaps.  I laminated it.  When he completes a task, the flap comes down and is secured with velcro.

I tried it this afternoon, and it was great! He was the model student- referring to the pictures, doing what he needed to, and then flipping it down all by himself.  He was one of the first to sit back down on the carpet, which is HUGE when you consider that last week, he was 10-15 minutes late getting picked up because he was struggling so much.  Here's hoping that the trend continues.

What I really love is that adding a little bit of structure (in this case, a short break in preparation for a transition and a visual checklist) not only makes things run a bit more smoothly, but it increases the student's ability to be independent and successful, which can be a huge confidence builder. Now that he's learned how to use it, I asked the teacher to just make sure it is on his desk every afternoon so he can start with it (it lives in his seat sack during the day).

I am always on the lookout for different ideas.  What do your visual checklists look like? How do you help with transitions, or dealing with activities/transitions that may be challenging for a student?

How I am letting go of Google Reader

A goodbye to Google Reader

The thing I use on the internet most frequently (aside from Pinterest!) is Google Reader.  I have been using it since it "graduated" from the Google Labs in 2007, and while I have amassed quite a collection of now-defunct blogs along the way, it is the main way I get my local news, keep up with SLP blogs, webcomics, and keep up with quite a few other personal blogs along the way.I haven't loved all the changes along the way, but by far, the time it saved me or the amount of information I could gather outweighed all the disagreements we had along the way.

So, when Google announced this week that Reader will be vanishing come July 1, I was heartbroken.  And the outcry from my friends was loud and fierce.  How could Google say this service is declining in usage, when Twitter exploded as the news broke?  What would we do? How would I get my local news  update and follow it with laughing 'til it hurts with The Bloggess (mild language warning, but seriously awesome!)? Not to mention the 80 or so SLP blogs I try to keep up with?

I currently use Newsify on my iPad, but it is not Android compatible, doesn't have a web presence, and it doesn't seem to actually be a full-blown reader, so much as a fancier way to view the things you already subscribe to on Google Reader.  With Google Reader disappearing, I need a way to switch over the information stored on the Google Cloud to a different server without having to manually add each blog again.

From what I have read, the front runner in the replacement of gReader is Feedly.  Feedly is a bit like Newsify in that it is more of a magazine style reader.  But it is compatible with Google Reader, so switching over is seamless.  And, according to what I've read, they promise that by the time gReader shuts down, users will be able to automatically have their data from gReader switch over to the Feedly cloud servers.  It's also web, Android and iOs friendly, which was a criteria for me, since I use all three. Feedly is also free on all devices, which while not a criteria for me, was certainly a perk, especially as I was looking for what to head to next.
 

As you can see from my examples, the screen is more visually based than list-based.  Really good if you are good at keeping up with your subscriptions, but I haven't decided how it is if you are like me, and have a weekly goal to dip under 1000 unread items, because you pick and choose what to read, and "mark all read" the rest. With only 4-6 stories per screen (swipe up for more screens), it takes quite a bit of shuffling to get through some of my feeds, like news headlines, that might update with 20 new headlines a morning. I do appreciate that Feedly is VERY user friendly, and pretty intuitive, to boot. 

Aside from one for SLP blogs, I don't really use folders in gReader.  The blogs that don't update don't show up, so I've just let all the blogs hang out in one list, and I just go through the alphabetical list.  From first glance, I think Feedly encourages more specialization and organizing, which is a bit of a daunting task, but do-able. It is super easy with the web version (I haven't really looked into the how to do it on my iPad or Droid, because the click and drag was so easy on the web).  But I LOVE that each new folder is a different color.

I think it will take some getting used to, but so far, I am happy with Feedly's offerings.  They are also apparently a small 10 person team, who have been working their tails off since the announcement Wednesday, and I appreciate that.


If you are a die-hard Google devotee, there are a few petitions out there that are encouraging Google to reconsider.  KeepGoogleReader.com is encouraging the company to keep the Reader.  Barring that, they ask that the code be opened to the public so that other companies like Newsify and Flipboard that rely on the information stored on the Google Cloud to present the feeds in a different way don't go under with gReader.  Change.org has a petition to keep Google Reader, which throws back to when you could comment on articles and share them easily with a small group, a time which I remember fondly.

How real events can change your lesson plans.

Some days the kindergarten teacher comes to you at lunch about a student in your next group that is having trouble making friends at recess.  He is (for the first time all year!) branching out and trying to play with the other kids in his class. Unfortunately, he attempts to include himself through pushing into other kids and trying to throw snow at them.  In turn, when he is pushed back/has snow thrown in his direction per rules of the "game", he suddenly feels very threatened and returns inside sobbing.

So, what happened?  Well, it's layered.  First of all, throwing snow and pushing are two things against the recess rules, so that issue is dealt with by the teacher for all parties.  But the underlying issue for this upset student is that he tried to put himself out there, and ultimately felt rejected. 

Enter the SLP, since the fundamental problem was that there was a breakdown in communication at a few different levels.  My student didn't properly initiate the interaction, which led the other students to assume he understood and consented to the game rules.  Furthermore, when he didn't consent to the game rules, he didn't stand up for himself and tell them to cut it out, walk away from the situation, or figure out some other way to cope with his situation.  Instead, he became upset and frustrated, and it led to him feeling rejected and, for lack of a better term, harassed.  It was an excellent opportunity for an SLP or Social Worker to step in, and I happened to have a longer standing relationship with the student, and we have been working together on social stories and various other social language issues that have arisen recently.  He was also to be seen by me in about 18 minutes.

So I started with something basic: a sort for good ways to make friends, and not-good ways to make friends. The idea was simple: I needed to rule out if he understood that there are ways to initiate a friendship that are successful, and others that are not.  Because I wanted it to be a little jazzed up, but didn't have time for graphics, my trusty eggs were employed. 

I left out most of my pink ones, since it's a group of boys. In the end, neither wanted the pink one, so I ended up opening that one.

Into the eggs went my little slips. 

The students enjoyed picking an egg and deciding if it was a good egg (good idea) or bad egg (bad idea).  I wrote the sort up on the whiteboard to help visually differentiate the good ideas and bad ideas.

 


The good news is that my student seemed to understand (in theory at least) which ideas were good and which were not good.  It means my next step was talking with the teacher to make sure she gives him some ways to "get out" of playing with kids at recess if he doesn't feel comfortable with what's happening. Either through some script practice or working something out with the adults who are outside with him during recess.  At the same time, I will reinforce those ideas and help him practice the skills he needs to be successful.  And of course, fill the social worker in on what happened so she can offer suggestions for him as well.

If you could benefit from this quick mini-lesson for your students, you can grab it here for free.