I am really glad that I decided to explore this blog. Not knowing what the blog was about initially, I was surprised to see that the author, Sean, is an SLP and created this blog specifically as a resource for other SLP’s. The great thing about his site, however, is the fact that it provides so much information to several different audiences, including teachers, paraprofessionals, as well as parents.
Sean has set up the blog to where he was weekly posts, sometimes posting several times within a seven day period. In this section, he blogs about new issues, different topics, etc. What really stuck out to me were his other pages on the site, including a whole section titled “The SLP App List.” It is a collaborative effort between himself and those subscribing to his site to build a comprehensive list of any technology concerning SLP’s that may have clinical value.
My favorite part of the website, and this is why I believe his site can pertain to such a general audience effectively, is his use of analyzing new Apps, specifically for the iPad and iPhone, and the ways in which he uses them to instruct and help his students. By constantly introducing new applications and sharing their educational value with the viewers, he shows teachers and parents alike how to utilize these seemingly entertaining forms of technology and reach children through games and virtual activities. Not only does he explain these new apps and their purposes, he actually posts screencasts for viewers while demonstrating technology in a “how-to” fashion.
For me personally, I’m not sure how much I would use this site in the near future as I plan on teaching high school. As a parent though, I would most certainly peruse this site and watch several of his “how-to” screencasts in order to learn effective ways of teaching my child proper language skills through seemingly fun, yet educational, games. Another drawback as a teacher is many of the applications he discussed and provided tutorials for actually cost money. While that would be permissible for maybe a few activities, the totals would seem to add up.
All in all, I think this serves as a great resource for paraprofessionals and instructors, especially SLP’s and those working with students who may have disabilities, as well as parents, but for a high school teacher, I do not think this site would be particularly useful in addressing higher order thinking and abstract subject matter.
Becca Feher - Web 2.0 