JCPSLP vol 14 no 3 2012

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Technology
JCPSLP Volume 14, Number 3 2012 153
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
exploring the benefits of social media for
professional networking: http://www.
my-spa/social-media
You can follow SPAD on Twitter:
@SPADite
SPAD 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.
SPAD (Speech Pathologists
in Adult Disability) Top 10
SPAD members love bits of technology that help
us connect SPAD members across large
distances (even internationally!)
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://
. 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.
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/