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Sunday, November 25, 2012

EduBlog Nominations

The EduBlog Awards have been around since 2004 but I was unfamiliar with it until last year when I saw that several of the #SLPeeps has received this honor for their blogs.  The purpose of these awards is to show that social media in all its various forms has educational value and relevance.

I almost let this get past me, but I am not too late.  The deadline is not until tomorrow so by the skin of my teeth here are my nominations.

Best Individual Blog- The Lexical Linguist.  Tanya brings the spotlight to social media in a way that we can ALL understand it; novices or savvy techies both gain from reading it.

Best Group Blog- Pediastaff Pediatric SLP, OT, and PT Blog.  They deliver the best of individual blogs to focus and broaden our perspective in speech, physical, and occupational therapies.  They share bloggers who stay abreast with the latest research and information needed by therapists as well as techniques to make us better as we work with others.

Best New Blog- Speech Adventures.  Mary Huston focuses public attention to those topics which we all discuss in our private worlds, but which also need addressing in a public forum. She stirs the collective voice that will one day exact change.

Best Student Blog- SLP_Echo.  Katie Millican personalizes her blog with highlights of life as a graduate student in the field of Speech-Language Pathology.  The thing that makes her blog rise above similar blogs of grad students is her insight into working life beyond school.

Best Twitter Hashtag- #SLPeeps.  How a handful of SLPs can increase to 1000 or more frequent uses worldwide, in a couple of years to form a collective body with buttons, tee-shirts and national notoriety, speaks for its self.

Lifetime Achievement-Dr. Caroline Bowen.  Dr. Bowen has spent her life working, instructing, and sharing globally with Speech Therapists.  She has been educating SLPs from around the world via the internet not for profit but from a deep desire that we become better therapists.  




Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

Thanksgiving kicks off the Holiday Season...or triple threat in calories as I see it! 

Let me kick it off with a little FREE Holiday activity for your Pre-K and K groups!

 
 You can pick this up right now in my TpT store.  http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Dean-Trout
 
It also kicks off the shopping season and "the most wonderful time of the year" for saving a little hard earned cash!  Saving a little money is what I want to share with you in this post. Not only can you save a little money but you can do it in your PJs!  Anything I can do in my PJs is my "thing" to do.  I'm also not one for losing sleep just to have things snatched and grabbed out of my hands!  Unfortunately that can go on in the physical world,  I prefer the clicking of a on-screen button.  I don't have to fear for my life, or get up early.

Everyone knows about Black Friday and how internet shopping on Cyber Monday is quickly surpassing the Friday blitz.  What you do not know is that I'm having a sale on the Teachers pay Teachers website on Cyber Monday Nov. 26th and Tuesday the 27th. EVERYTHING in my store will be 20% off plus the TpT site is offering you 8% more so that makes 28% off!  A fantastic deal, right?

Be sure to use the promo code CMT12 to get your discount!!

Oh, you should also know I have permanently reduced the price of the Adventure Pack from $90 to $40! So, if you missed the one day sale last week, you can still get it at an unbelievably low price.  Do I hear a WooHoo?  I know several people from the Perkilou Yahoo Group didn't receive notice in time to take advantage of it :(  so here's your chance!

There are many SLPs creating fabulous materials and opening stores through TpT.  There are more than I can mention, but Jenna Rayburn wrote a blog about it yesterday! http://speechroomnews.blogspot.com/
She says there are at least 50 now and she has links to most, if not all, of them in this blog. Have you seen her things on TpT?  She has tons of things for language and speech already made for you.
 http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Jenna-Rayburn-26  All you have to do is download and print them out!

I want to mention Kim Lewis (Activity Tailor) and her store.  We were talking earlier today and she said she's offering 10% off her therapy materials!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Activity-Tailor 
So with the TpT discount that's 18% off... that's a great deal! 

Anyway, hope you'll take advantage of this big sales event, get some fantastic buys and build your therapy bag of tricks!

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!  I'm thanking God for blessing me with all of you.
Dean


Tuesday, November 20, 2012

A Guidebook on Social Media: Pinterest, Blogs, and Twitter!

I am not going to make this post an "after ASHA wrap up" but I do want to say that it was absolutely wonderful to meet all these SLPs that I've been tweeting with for 2 years!  The #SLPeeps are as delightful in real life as they are online.  If you haven't dove into the world of the twitter #SLPeeps you really are missing out on a fun, supportive, smart group of friends. 

With that said let me share a link where you can get a gist of how to get the most out of social media (Pinterest, Blogs and Twitter) on a professional level.  This was written by four different SLPs from across the country who are active in the #SLPeeps on twitter.  This was a brilliant idea from @Pediastaff  (Love you Heidi). 


You will find the download for this guidebook towards the bottom of that page. 

I hope everyone has a safe and blessed Thanksgiving!
Dean

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Just For the ASHAless SLPeeps

Last year I physically grieved as I read all the wonderful things people were doing at ASHA-2011 and determined then that I would be in Atlanta for this year's convention.  I am and I'm not attending, as you read in my last post, but feel very blessed for the limited interaction I do get to have.  I feel for  all the SLPs who can't be here this year which is why I wanted to do something so very special for YOU!

What I am offering you ASHAless SLPeeps at home to make you feel a part of all the excitement is STUPENDOUS.  We all love to purchase new things when we attend conferences and really like getting a discount, so  what I am offering you is an INCREDIBLE deal!!

~For 1 DAY ONLY~
ASHA SPECIAL

Friday, Nov. 16th 2012 
 from 12:01 AM -11:59 PM

 ADVENTURE PACK SOFTWARE 

for only   $30

when purchased through my TpT store

This offer is only good for 1 day so don't put this off.  You need to buy it NOW!  Here's the direct link to it!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adventure-Pack-Software


Cheers!
Dean  


Monday, November 5, 2012

I'll be at ASHA 2012!.....sorta

When you start reading all the tweets and chatter about ASHA you can actually feel the EXCITEMENT in the wording!  There are literally "squeals" of excitement expressed (and no,  not all of them are from me) 

I've titled this blog post "I'll be at ASHA 2012....sorta" because my involvement is... well, complicated.

I'll be in Atlanta, YES!

I'll be at the #SLPeeps Meet and Greet for dinner and drinks on Wed. night,  YES!

I'll be in the Exhibit Hall, YES, uh NO, uh YES, ok this is where it gets complicated.  Let me explain.

As you know, I am retired and have let my license to practice as a speech-language pathologist expire, so I don't need the CEU hours.  Therefore I will not be attending ASHA.   BUT, I am still very involved in our field creating little games and things for you who are still working.   I have enthusiastically joined the #SLPeeps on Twitter and have found my place among them. I have made so many delightful cyber friendships that I hope to turn into real life friends on that Wed. night. I have also made a major discovery.  Most of the small business SLPs on there are not competitive but cooperative in attitude and spirit.  We all help and support each other.   This spirit of cooperation and  helpfulness was extended to me by Kim Lewis, owner of Activity Tailorhttp://www.activitytailor.com/  She offered to sell my FAME cds at her booth at ASHA.  Now I ask you, is that not the nicest thing one small business person could do for another?  See there really are nice SLP business owners out there!

So here is where I need to tell you that her booth is #840 in the Exhibit Hall and to be sure to make your way there during your ASHA experience this year! 

I mentioned the cooperative and supportive spirit of the #SLPeeps so I need to also share that that has even extended to the small businesses that are going to be a ASHA this year!  They, and when I say they I really mean http://www.lessonpix.com/, have created for you a system whereby you can identify and locate them easily.  Just look for these signs among the exhibitors:




This "tweety" bird has affectionately been dubbed Julio.  So watch for Julio and support these vendors:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Have a great experience at ASHA 2012!






































Dean


Friday, November 2, 2012

ASHA 2012 in Atlanta, GA

Just in case there may be someone who does not know, Atlanta, GA is also referred to as "Hotlanta" because it is the place to be, and this November it certainly is as it is hosting ASHA 2012.  In today's post I want to share with you some information to help you get the most bang for your buck while you are there.  Not going? Well you won't have to feel left out as there are some delightful things going on for the ones left at home that I'll be sharing in a another post.

ASHA has always been deemed as the cream of the crop for conferences and no one has ever returned from one without being totally impressed with all the courses they could attend. This year the conference has been elevated to a level that surpasses anything you've experienced in the past.  Beyond the highly regarded professional development courses and trainings that is offered, SLPs will now experience social media's influence.  This will be brought to you by Pediastaff, (http://www.pediastaff.com/) a national staffing company that specializes in placements for pediatric therapists. This company has brought and is bringing social media to therapists and directly impacting the delivery of our therapy.  Heidi and the staff have started a tsunami of helpful ideas on Pinterest, and have contributed in a massive way on twitter by keeping us informed with the latest information through articles and blogs.

Let me tell you what they are doing at ASHA!  They are staffing a booth (#1823) in the Career Fair area of the Exhibit Hall. You will not want to miss going by there because of all you can learn and experience while you are there. The booth is titled The Pediastaff Social Media Learning Center Featuring SLPeeps  let me list some of the "goings on" at their booth.


They are offering rotating sessions on Twitter, Pinterest, Blogs and more.  Here is the schedule for those. 




This booth will be staffed by Pediastaff and SLPeeps volunteers.  They need more volunteers so if you want to get in on that contact Heidi @pediastaff on twitter.     These sessions are appropriate for EVERYONE.  If you are totally a beginner using the computer they can tell you more about it.  If you are tech savvy they can talk shop with you too! So don't let that keep you away.

They have also scheduled 3 Tweet & Greet, in which you can go by the booth and record a video message for your SLP friends at home that don't get to attend this year.  They will also be posting these on You Tube :)  What fun!

If you want to be able to quickly identify your SLPeeps be sure to go by Pediastaff's booth (#1823) and get a button.  Once you start wearing your button complete strangers will start speaking, then after you say hello you won't be strangers any more! You can put a real life face with that twitter avatar you've been chatting with for months!!
HINT: I'd go early on in the conference as they go quickly! 

Another fabulous idea that came about from the SLPeeps and executed by Heidi at Pediastaff was the creation of our very own SLPeeps tee shirts and hoodies.  Even though I won't be actually attending ASHA this year I did purchase a hoodie to wear this winter.  You can order one before you go to wear while you're there or like me you can just get one to wear.



Here's the link: http://slpeeps.spreadshirt.com/

The ASHA convention this year is gonna be GREAT!  I'll be in Atlanta only for the Wed. night meet and greet and am so looking forward to meeting YOU!

Dean