Where I'm At...

I think about this time last year, I wrote a career update.  At that time, I was switching from my position as an Instructional Tech Specialist at a middle school in my district of Newton, MA, back to an SLP position at the elementary school level.  So here I am again. It has been a very rewarding year at school and in other aspects of my work life. Interest in my professional development services has been very steady, and in fact, more than I can really handle in the one day a week allotted for those endeavors. In addition, I had the completely unanticipated development (pun intended) of being asked to be part of the team at Smarty Ears Apps, and that exciting work has kept me very busy. We currently have two apps that I have worked on in the app store, another VERY COOL one coming really soon, and more projects on the plate.  It is really much more than a full time job, altogether, and I have had some near head-explosion moments, so it has seemed like the time to make the jump from the public school setting. So here I go.

I am finishing out the school year, and next year I will be taking an expanded role at the private practice where I have worked for the last 10 years, The Ely Center in Newton, MA. There I will be working as the Assistant Program Coordinator focusing on staff support, growing our center (including helping with a new website and forays into social media), consulting with schools, providing professional development, and also, of course, being an SLP! I will still be seeing individual clients and groups, primarily those with language disabilities, executive function deficits, and social cognition difficulties. This will be a part-time gig, and I plan to continue my work for Smarty Ears and the presentations and consultations associated with SpeechTechie Services. Of course, I'll still be writing this blog!

Overall, it's scary but exciting...my instinct is to follow the opportunities that are presenting themselves, and see where the path goes.

In addition, I wanted to let you know about some other things on my calendar:

I am excited to be writing a few columns for The ASHA Leader this year on using web and mobile apps.  The first one, Tech to Ease IEP Pain, was published last week.

I will be speaking for the CT Speech-Language Hearing Association's Spring Conference on April 13 and at Nova Southeastern University on April 21.

I am doing a two-day series for the Southeastern Mass Educational Collaborative; this is a broader workshop that will include SLPs and other educators interested in iPad applications for diverse learners.

On May 5, I will be doing an "update" workshop on iPad Apps "through a language lens" for the MA Speech-Language Hearing Association.  This one will be really fun and, like the session at Nova, includes an "App Smackdown"- an informal component where all participants can share apps they have found useful in their work.

I am super-psyched to have been accepted to present at the Social Thinking® Provider's Conference in CA in June.  I will be giving the same presentation, Social Apptivities: iPad Apps Aligning with Social Thinking, at "traveling" Social Thinking Providers' conferences in Boston (convenient for me!) and Minneapolis in Fall 2012

Phew! After mid-May it calms down...and it will be summer! Thanks, all, for your continued support and loyal readership.