Week 4 in CD 315 land has really opened my eyes to a lot of wonderful things that our field is doing on the internet. There is an abundance of resources from which to pool from in our research. When I first started researching my topic, I was not finding what I thought was concrete research material. For instance, I would put in a topic like speech and language advocacy, and all the returns I received were links to just the main topic of speech and language pathology. Therefore, I retired from the research end of things and relaxed for a couple of days this week. Upon returning to my research endeavors today, I immediately found an article on the ASHA home page that directly talked about my topic and gave an email address to request more information on legislation. So, me being the inquisitive person I am, I emailed and requested any information available on this topic as well as ways to get involved after graduation in advocacy work.

Of course, with every good thing comes the bad. While searching the net for other sources of information on my topic, I ran across an piece of legislation in Michigan that dealt with the current state administration and their rejection for regulation on Audiology and Speech/Language Pathology. Maybe Mrs. McComas, being from Michigan, can enlighten us on this topic and its impact on our field.

Upon finding this article, my fury was again enraged against political systems, because they dont think that our profession is important enough, and their ignorance in areas of our field. So I added that page to my favorites as evidence of for my topic. You may be wondering how that ties in with my topic of Advocacy. That decision in Michigan is leaving hundreds and hundreds people without intervention because of a handful of people in a high office that think they know the answers to all the world's problems. If we could get this type of information out to the people along with information about success rates and severity that comes with lack of intervention, then maybe our field would be elevated to a level like other therapy fields, such as Physical Therapy. Its funny to me, but more people in this country think it is more important to walk than to talk!

However, overall this has been a good week. Work is excellent. We are having great weather and I shot 3 under par today golfing...BIG PLUS! I have learned a lot this week about researching further and deeper until I finally find something dealing with my topic. Everything that is on the internet is not as credible as they would lead you to believe. You can almost bet on an .org or .gov or .edu but most of the .coms I visit anymore are being hosted by any backyard Joe. So, I guess thats a learning experience! Do not trust all websites!

One question: I would like to have a f2f meeting to get concrete info on our MRP and the various Genres. If this is possible, either individually or group, please let me know! Until next week..tata

Well another week is gone, and a load of work is behind me. I started off this week by getting my series of Hepatitis shots for work so that I am totally protected. I don’t know about you, but infectious diseases scare me! So, I received that painful shot and, I am pleased to say that I am doing fine!

Academic wise, I have been focusing on starting my webliography. I have never worked with this kind of posting before. I had always used Microsoft Home publishing to develop my own web page and used some html to post to it, but most of the hard stuff was covered by the simplicity of the program. Anyway, I found out, through completion of my webliography, that I have visited more websites than what I realized. Before starting this assignment, I began to think that I would not be able to name enough websites to cover the set topics. Yet, contrary to my belief, I had plenty of websites to choose from. Having the resources to complete this assignment, even though it is a rough draft, made my life much easier.

Secondly this week, I began reading the instructions for the MRP(Mulitgenre Research Project). It overwhelmed me then and is still overwhelming me as I write this journal entry. I don’t think it will be hard if we do all of the support assignments; however I think that the amount of work is more threatening than the content of the work itself. After reading these instructions, I began to finish the homework from week two that will be due June 30th. I took a day off of work to complete these and focus my attention only on these assignments. I found it interesting that Marshall has a mailing list. I don’t think I even know what it mails out. If someone could tell me I would greatly appreciate it.

I finished up this week by going to a concert on Friday and today I am writing my journal, polishing my webliography, reviewing the MRP instructions and washing clothes. I have found that in posting hyperlinks on our webliographies can be quite tedious because if one little sign is out of place the whole page is messed up. I had this happen earlier and I emailed Mrs. McComas. Upon reviewing my setup, I realized what I had done and self corrected. Now I will never forget how to do this because I messed up, corrected MYSELF, and thus it will remain with me, probably, for a long time.

As I completed the Foundation Questions assignment, I realized a flaw in my essential question. I was focusing primarily on those people who are denied service. Well, upon current rethinking, I feel that most people are not denied a service. The problem lies in that either that their insurance will not cover speech services, or they just do not have insurance. So, not only is this a professional concern but also an economic concern. About 80% of those people who said to not have insurance were not employed. The other 20% were employed part-time and not eligible for insurance. Thus, upon reviewing this information, I now see that the problem addressed in my essential question is more important than mentioned before.

I have read a lot of my classmate’s essential questions and they seem to be dealing with actual disorders we might encounter in our clinical practice. My question to Mrs. McComas would be, is my topic something that a speech pathologist can help to intervene on. I do find the disorders interesting and I know that they will be a major part of what I am faced with on a day to day basis in my practice. However, I cringe at the fact that many who need intervention do not receive it for one of my reasons on my essential question. I am only wondering should I even address this topic, or move on to something that I will encounter in my practice?

One last question I have deals with the webliography. I know this week is just a rough draft, but before we turn it in for the first time in a couple of weeks, can you show us how to put pictures on there and other types of media? I think that would be really neat to add that kind of stuff to our web pages. Until next week...keep it real!

Well, another week gone and I feel like I have learned so much in such a little time about people, life and computers. It seems everytime I read an assignment that someone emails to the class list, I get a little glimpse into what their true personality is. I know we see each other in class everyday in the fall and spring, but in class people try to keep their personas to a semi-formalized state. In a computer class there isn't that face to face interaction, therefore people feel more free to express their true thoughts and I think, through being more free, our assingments have been better. Anyway enough about my thoughts on everyone else. I started out this week just like every other one, with work. I have been moved into a lead position at our facility on my shift. Yes, it is nice to know people trust you enough to offer that kind of position, but it is SO much responsibility. However, I am not complaining. I can handle it.

This week I has been one of those true learning experiences for me. I have come face to face with situations that have made me a better person. First of all, I had great intentions of completing every assignment for Week 2 before Wednesday, but as many of you can tell I didn't reach my goal. I only got as far as assignment 1.2.2. However in doing assignment 1.1.10, I finally had a chance to convey my thoughts on an issue that has been bugging me ever since I was in the 9th grade. The issue of teaching and usage of our information resources. Essentially, Information Literacy.

As I began to read the articles for this assignment a thought came back to my mind that my 9th grade history professor once said. He stated, "Most of the new ways of education start on the west coast and trickle eastward. Yet, by the time those same ideas reach our education system, they are already outdated on the west coast." I dont know why, but that statement has stuck with me ever since that day. So, after completing the assignment and expressing my view that very seldom does extensive teaching go into preparing students to use the information resources to their ability, I found out that many of my peers, including my instructor, felt the same way. Also, Mrs. McComas was able to point out several other educational advances that we are now stuck with that started on the west coast.

Now you might not think that was a learning experience, but it was for me. I learned that other people do have the same thoughts on some things as I do. This might sound crazy, but it almost elevates your self-esteem to another level to think that there are people who share the same concerns as you. You might never get to meet those folks, but it is still good to know that your thoughts and opinions are of some concern. Now you might be wondering where this all ties in together with work, well here goes.

Every other week we have staff meetings, and I am always the one that has new ideas or concerns, yet no oneis ever there to hear them and thus act upon them. Yet, this staff meeting, they made it and walked in right when one of my ideas was being tossed around on the dry erase board. Well to make a long story short, when the meeting finished, they asked me to stay and discuss these ideas further. I did, and come to find out they were having the same concerns as I was, only they did not know which way to go on a resolution. Therefore, this week I had to institute a plan for budgeting at our facility, which made my self esteem over my work and ideas sky rocket. That is why I feel it was a learning experience. That time and moment will stick with me for, probably, the rest of my life because the ideas I was pushing were important to others and most importantly, myself.

In conclusion, I only hope that I have an experience like that each week because it really makes me feel good. I have one question, and its not about assignment. Its about the future. How hard or easy, would it be to institute the MOO audiology lab into our program as well as other virtual screening and therapy programs? Well, until next week...adios!