Techblog Three

     This week, I decided to write about one of my "go to" websites/apps when I have free time or am bored. Buzzfeed is an eclectic website containing many things to watch and read. It has anything from serious, current events to quizzes to humorous articles and videos. If you need a good laugh, ideas of what to cook for dinner, or want to know what is going on in the world, Buzzfeed provides all of that. 
     When you log onto Buzzfeed, there is a homepage with some of the trending articles and such that are popular at that point in time around the world. At the top of the page, it provides topics to get exclusively world news, fun articles, quizzes or videos. There is also a tab that says "more," which lets you narrow down what themes you want to see, such as food and health. It is almost set up like Pinterest. 
     As a busy graduate student, I'm on the go or studying for most, if not all of the day. Some days, the only time I get to myself is right before bed. I use Buzzfeed to catch up on what's going on in the world, and I can always get a good laugh while on it. The writers are extremely talented, creative, and quick-witted.  I especially love any of their posts involving dogs. Buzzfeed is recommended for anyone who wants a lot from one website and is interested in reading some of the most random, but funny, things. I can truly say it is one of my favorite apps and websites. 

App Smackdown

For my App Smackdown, I chose an app called Lumosity. Lumosity is an app made to train and workout your brain through different games. The idea behind Lumosity is that it provides new, challenging activities for the brain daily in order to create new neural pathways and connections. If the brain is not introduced to new stimuli, it won’t make any new connections and will continue to use its existing ones. Lumosity “challenges the brain to work in different ways.” The activities are created by a combination of neuroscientists and professional game designers. This means that each game serves a purpose for your brain while being colorful, stimulating, and fun. Also, the app can personalize a daily workout for you, so it makes sure you’re stimulating different parts of your brain and changes difficulty levels as you get better. Unfortunately, the app itself is free, but to have access to all the games at once, you have to pay for the premium version, which is about sixty dollars for the year. With the free version, you only get to play about three games per day. However, it still is personalized to your profile, and it’s still great if you just want to quickly workout your brain once a day.

Lumosity is a great app for the Speech-Language Pathology field. I actually discovered in while observing a Speech-Language Pathologist. It can be used for all ages. Many of the clients SLPs treat have memory, attention, and processing impairments, so this app is perfect for improving cognitive abilities and training their brains. Specifically, it can be used for traumatic brain injury and stroke patients to retrain the connections they have lost. It’s great for kids because they’re playing games, but little do they know, they’re making their brains stronger at the same time. Right now, I only have the free version to experiment with the app and decide if it is a good investment for my future career. I definitely think it will be an app that I will put out the money for because no matter my client population, I can make it fit. It would also be a good app for educators as well and those who just want to train their brains! 

Technology Blog 2

     For my second technology blog, I decided to share my thoughts on our first presentation assignment, our Webtool Smackdown. I found everyone's presentations to really enlightening and creative. Even more, I could relate my professional field and daily life now to almost every single one that we have seen so far. 
     While I enjoyed all of the Smackdowns, I want to talk about a few that really stuck with me, especially if I realized they would be useful to be in the future. For one, I wish I had known about Google Docs before spending hundreds of dollars on Microsoft office. It's amazing that you can do all the same things as Microsoft but for free, which is great for college students drowning in debt, like myself. I was always a little skeptical to use Google Docs for projects, especially because I did not really have the desire to learn a new website. However, now I see how easy it is to use and how convenient it would be to work on group projects, and in the future, I could use it to collaborate with other professionals. Next, I really liked Socrative. It seems like a great way for students to be involved, and it would be less complicated than creating a Jeopardy game. Even though it is intended for teachers, I am sure I could somehow use it as a Speech-Language Pathologist. Lastly, another one that was cool was Remind. What a great way to be able to remind many people at once of something without having to use e-mail or print anything out. I could use that now when collaborating with group members and in the future when I'm working with many professionals, clients, etc. 
     I really like how we can all take away from the Smackdowns. It's a great way to quickly learn about resources that I have right at my fingertips but never knew existed. Also, everyone did a great job at keeping the class involved and interested. I think this was because we were all learning about things that we might have never heard of before. I know that was the case for myself. After last week, I am looking forward to finding out what else we can learn through each other when we complete future Smackdowns and other projects. 

Smackdown 1

Smackdown #1: Web tool

            The Web tool, Skype, is an oldie but goodie. Founded in 2003, Skype created a way for people around the world to easily communicate with others by means of the Internet. Skype is a website that allows people to download a free software to any Mac or PC. Then, users can make a Skype account and find their friends, families, and colleagues that must also be Skype members. After finding the desired user, a person can “call’ him or her. They can talk directly via free HD video conferencing, or users can call landlines and mobile phones at low rates, which would be useful for international calls. Just recently, Skype also made an option in which users can sign into any computer and talk through the Web, as opposed to having to be on the computer where the software is downloaded. Finally, Skype allows up to 25 people to be on one call at the same time, which could be great when, for example, colleagues have to collaborate at times that they are not in the office together.

Skype uses a technology called voiceover IP, which is method of transmitting voices over Internet protocol networks. It is extremely user friendly; once the account is made, the user is guided through how to make calls. Also, right on the home screen of the website is a “help” tab that answers many questions somebody may have.

While the popularity of Skype may have decreased, perhaps because of Apple products with Facetime, it has become prevalent again in the field of Speech-Language Pathology. A new trend in treating clients with speech, language, and swallowing disorders is Telepractice. Telecomunications technologies, such as Skype, are being used to treat clients from a distance. The clients can be anywhere-schools, rehab centers, hospitals, or nursing homes. It’s the closest thing to having an in-person experience. One reason it could be used is if a clinician does not feel competent in providing services to a client and may want to refer them to a specialist. Therapy via Skype may be the best option in order for the client to see the best possible clinician for their impairment. Skype is the best option for Telepractice because it is extremely easy to use and is low cost, if not free. It is already something that my classmates have used, and it will not be long until I experience it as well.

Sources:

http://www.skype.com/en/

http://www.gcflearnfree.org/skype/1

http://www.asha.org/Practice-Portal/Professional-Issues/Telepractice/

Tech Blog #1

     Many people believe that the website, Pinterest, is an addictive site that women sit on all day to pass time and avoid their responsibilities. While this may very well be the case for some people, there is more to Pinterest than just ridiculous memes and workout plans that people will never look at again.

       In a nutshell, Pinterest is essentially a virtual cork board for people to organize almost anything found on the Internet such as pictures, quotes, and recipes. Every user can create their own “boards” that they “pin” what they want to save for future reference. There are numerous categories to search from, or the option of seeing a little bit of everything or what is popular that day is available. Also, there is a search bar that enables users to look for something specific. Furthermore, Pinterest is similar to social media in that users can follow people they know and share and see each other’s pins. Everyone can connect their Pinterest and Facebook accounts as well so they do not have to create a separate account and can easily find their friends.

     As Pinterest has evolved, it has actually become a great source for certain careers, like Speech-Language Pathology. Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) can use this site to get treatment ideas, information on disorders, free printables, etc. Any disorder or topic can be put into the search bar and easily give someone information from other SLPs around the world. Nobody has to reinvent the wheel when people can share what they already know. Even if an SLP is not looking for something specific, Pinterest becomes familiar with the topics the user is most frequently pinning and searching for, and puts related pins on the user’s homepage to see. Therefore, SLPs can always get new ideas even if they do not need it right in that moment. All in all, using Pinterest can be a leisurely activity and a great way for SLPs to get educated.

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