JCPSLP vol 14 no 3 2012

Technology

SPAD (Speech Pathologists in Adult Disability) Top 10

S PAD is a support network and special interest group for those with an interest in communication and/or dysphagia for adults with intellectual and/ or physical disabilities. SPAD provides a forum for speech pathologists to share ideas and resources about communication and dysphagia. Current members of SPAD include people working for Ageing Disability & Home Care (NSW Government), health settings including acute and rehabilitation, the Northcott Society, the Cerebral Palsy Alliance, private practitioners, and students. We have four meetings each year and the dates are advertised on our wiki (see link below) and on the Speech Pathology Australia website. We would like to thank Yvonne Pearce, Bettina Bacall- Arenstein, and Margaret Trzcinka for sharing their top resources.

2 Teleconferencing and videoconferencing

The SPAD team (organising committee) often use teleconference to meet and discuss plans for SPAD meetings. This often saves a lot of travelling time! During interest group meetings we can also have members join via phone. Although these people may miss out on the full interaction of the session, teleconferencing allows them to hear the information first hand and ask questions. Videoconferencing sites across the state mean that SPAD members can join meetings, interact, and present across large distances. Our evaluations have shown that while there can be hiccups with technology, both rural and metropolitan members find that it is worth the effort to use teleconferencing and videoconferencing for meetings. 3 Twitter Twitter is not just a social tool. The health industry is rapidly discovering that sites such as Twitter can provide a new avenue for professional networking and learning. Speech Pathology Australia has developed a Social Media Guide for Speech Pathologists which is a valuable resource for those

SPAD members love bits of technology that help us connect SPAD members across large distances (even internationally!)

exploring the benefits of social media for professional networking: http://www. speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/ my-spa/social-media You can follow SPAD on Twitter: @SPADite

1 Websites and wikis SPAD has used a website to share meeting agendas and minutes in the past and now uses a wiki site: http:// spadgroup.wikispaces.com. What is a wiki and why do we use it? Visit the site to find out! Or you can watch the video on YouTube called “Wiki’s in Plain English” from www. commoncraft.com

SPAD members love useful things that help create materials and support augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).

4 Boardmaker Plus! Boardmaker Plus! starts at $499 from Spectronics. This program is probably on the list of every speech pathologist who works in the area of AAC so we couldn’t leave it off ours. There are also a number of other programs that can help you create materials for communication supports, such as SoftPics ($190 from Spectronics) or Picture This... Pro Photo

Library ($152.90 from Spectronics). http:// www.spectronicsinoz. com/

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JCPSLP Volume 14, Number 3 2012

www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au