Author Archives: Mary Huston, PhD; MS, CCC-SLP

Adventures with Zero-to-Hero

Posted in General, Self Reflection by

One of the things that I’ve been really considering lately is my blog. What can I do differently with it…should I play with the design….am I blogging about what’s important? You know…little things. New year…New Blog…You know how it goes.

While on twitter I stumbled across this tweet talking about how to re-invent (or invent) your blog and make it … more. So, because my life isn’t complicated enough…and I’m a glutton for punishment…and I’m really really hoping to make a blog that’s worth the time you take to read it – I decided to join the challenge.  If you are a WordPress blogger, I challenge you to do it as well (because then I won’t feel like an idiot!).

So…the first challenge is….((drum roll please)) Continue reading →

Adventures with VOTING!

Posted in General by

That is to say Edublog Voting!  Awards_350px_02-1dcdiip-300x300

Last year, Speech Adventures was a finalist, and runner up, in the “new blog” category. I was stunned…and much like Sally Fields at the Oscars many years ago, all I could think of was “you like me…you really really like me!”

This year, I am beyond pleased to announce that once again Speech Adventures has been nominated for an Edublog and we’ve made it to the finals! Now it’s time to vote…

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Please…take a few moments and vote. I’d love it if you vote for speech adventures, but even if you don’t…please go vote!
Once again the SLPeeps are a finalist for best hashtag!
So you DEFINITELY want to vote for them too
While you are at it – go here to go vote for all the other options as well!
Voting will close at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, December 18th…so please…please make it count. The poll list will show the real-time votes so no waiting until the live awards to see who is winning… 
What are you still doing here/?? Go vote! But be sure to check back here regularly for the Research Article Blog next week…and a couple new app reviews!
In the meantime, I’d love to hear about the new blogs you’ve found after voting. I’ve already found some new blogs and can’t wait to get started following them! Leave me a note here with one you think I definitely shouldn’t miss!
Until then…Adventure on!
**updated: Unfortunately there has been a change in voting this year and you can only vote for each blog – once. So…once you’ve voted – you’ve voted.

Adventures with Edublog Awards

Posted in General by

It is that time of year again when It’s time to put a name to your “favorite” blogs for the Edublog awards. I say “favorites” because it really depends on the day and what I’m looking for and my mood and … well you get it. There are however a few that I go to regularly where the information is almost always good, or funny, or …

So, in the spirit of Edublog’s efforts to “promote and demonstrate the educational value of social media,” and without further ado, I give you my 2013 Edublog Award Nominations. 

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Adventures with A Call For Action

Posted in ASHA, Conventions, General, Self Reflection, SLP Issues by

There comes a time when we simply have to say enough is enough. There’s also a time when we have to look deep within ourselves and determine are we a part of the problem – or are we a part of the solution. At the risk of sounding rude, if you are not actively…ACTIVELY…a part of the solution, then you are, by default a part of the problem.

Hmmm…Did I lose a few readers there? I hope not. If you’re still reading…thank you! I promise, I’m not judging 🙂   Continue reading →

Adventures in Article Reviews – 5 (assessments)

Posted in Language, research by

Otherwise known as how to fool your brain into doing something it doesn’t really want to do because you’ve procrastinated far too long as it is and have a deadline coming up.

Also known as, although reading journal articles can be tedious it is very necessary and extremely informative…

In reality, this blog post almost didn’t come about as my mind just wasn’t in to reading journals today (I KNOW! It’s almost sacrilege). I have been super busy (not an excuse) and I set aside today as the day to write the blog (it’s even on my calendar). Unfortunately, my brain did NOT want to read a dry boring article (I swear some people think they get paid by the word!). But, I persevered and finally found one that was 1) relevant to me, and 2) interesting.

So…without further ado I bring you…(hey that rhymes)….

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Adventures with … donations and birthdays

Posted in Self Reflection by

We all get those fliers in the mail…you know the ones, donate here…donate there. For the most part, I ignore them. Don’t get me wrong, I have my select few charities I donate to…and I donate to the scholarship funds at my university…and I donate to the organizations at school. But I don’t donate to every group that comes begging. I like to know where my money is going and is it truly going for good things. I’m also trying to instill a sense of giving in my daughter. After all, wee may not have a lot, but we are very grateful for what we do have, and we always have something we can give, even if it’s time.

This year, my alma mater (Minot State University) is celebrating it’s centennial. In honor of that momentous occasion, the communication disorders program has put forth the effort to garner the donations to fund 100 cleft-lip-palate repairs through operation smile. The details are here: MSU – Communication Disorders. 161_ex01

Now, I know full well that this is an expensive season…we have conventions, ASHA dues, licensing, holidays, etc… and I’m not really even asking you to donate to my university…although if you want to I’d love to hear about it…(and you can do it here and even just $5-$10 adds up if enough people do it…)

But the purpose of this post is really to ask, since I know we’re all giving people, HOW do you donate during the year? Is it financial? Is it time? How do you teach your children (at home) and your clients to be giving? Have you done any community service events like my university is doing?

I can’t wait to hear. Drop me a note here.

Until then….Adventure on!

Adventures with … delay?

Posted in General by

Don’t worry…it’s temporary.

This last month has been pretty busy and the last few weeks I’ve been focusing on doing my  1) job – lots of testing and paperwork/meetings this month, 2) preparing my presentation to the Oklahoma Speech Hearing Association’s annual conference, and 3) some local presentation/teaching opportunities.

As a result, the blog has had a bit of a hiatus and I was not able to partake in the monthly Blogging about Research coordinated by the fabulous Rachel Wynn at Gray Matter Therapy. I just couldn’t make it all come together despite my best intentions. But, never fear it will be back soon…Next month in fact!

In the meantime, my plan is to do a couple of app reviews and I have a couple of thoughts that are itching to be discussed…so stay tuned. The first post will happen in a few days!

Until then….Adventure on!

Mary

 

Adventures with a Graphic Novel

Posted in App Review, Language by

No! Not that kind of a graphic novel…A graphic Novel APP! You didn’t know those existed? Neither did I! A friend of mine answered a question I posed on twitter while I was researching/updating which apps to present on next month at the Oklahoma Speech Language Hearing Association annual conference. When asked to tell me ONE must have app, Tej Sohan of www.letstalkspeechlanguage.com answered with the Middle School confidential Graphic Novel app…(okay, that was MY name for it not hers!).

Who better to write about what this fun little app will do…than the person who recommended it to me. So, without further adieu…I give you my first guest blog post (well, a repost from one of her earlier posts over at http://www.letstalkspeechlanguage.com!).

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Adventures with Calendars 5

Posted in App Review by

Anyone who is driven by a schedule knows how important it is to have a good calendar.

For me, having a good calendar that would cross platforms and work seamlessly with my work and personal calendar was necessary. Having it work on my desktop, iPad, and iPhone all together – so I could update one and they all update – was critical.

A few months ago, my superintendent suggested I try Calendars by Readdle. I liked it enough to buy it for $4.99 and never regretted it…But it wasn’t absolutely perfect. It didn’t have my tasks or to-do list in there. It wasn’t as neatly organized as I wanted with coordinating my calendars…But it was far better than the generic iPad calendar app. I really liked it. That is until I found… Continue reading →

Adventures in Article Reviews – 4

Posted in General by

It’s the second Tuesday of the month – which means it’s time for Blogging About Research. Today’s research will follow a similar format (I think) to last month; although, to be fair, I reserve the right to make [side excursions] as I often think out loud while typing. Don’t forget to read the compilation of all the article reviews from participating bloggers here.

Today’s research article comes from The ASHA journal of Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools and … Continue reading →