This is just a way for me to organize my thoughts and to make sure I can get this posted.
Feel free to comment, just remember I’m not finished. Could this go in my reflection?
Tuesdays class meeting was my first. I really enjoyed it. Everyone seems laid back and more open. I’m really impressed with technology and our virtual classroom. This is the most I have ever worked with computers and I’ve never gotten this deep into them. But yesterday was fun and showed me that computers are fun and not always scary.
From class yesterday I experienced maneuvering around the MOO and special commands. For instance, typing emote is a way to express emotions and I learned how to page people. I also discovered I need to type much faster.
We discussed communication disorders, individuals with cds, the professionals involved with these individuals, the general public’s knowledge of our field and the media’s portrayal of it all.
I just wanted to finish a thought that I was unable to on Tuesday. We were discussing how some people think little kids with speech impairments are so cute that they talk back to these kids mimicking the impairment. This disturbs me greatly because I think it causes more damage then we think. Worse case scenario, but possible. A child with a speech impairment is thought to be cute and mimicked and never realizes that anything is wrong. Then this child starts school. All of a sudden what was cute is now wrong. This stranger called the teacher keeps asking the child to repeat themselves because they cannot be understood, the teacher also keeps repeating the word correctly to the child but the child doesn’t understand this. Remember; everyone always mimicked the child and never exposed the child to the correct pronunciation. As if this isn’t enough, the other children make fun of this child and do not include him/her in their activities. Finally, here comes another stranger, this one is the speech therapist and this stranger wants to fix how the child talks because it is not cute but wrong.
I think this could cause confusion, embarrassment, low self-esteem and the therapist may have to spend extra time working on the three things just mentioned before even beginning therapy…just a thought.

Journal of Week One
We had many assignments to do this week. The assignments consisted of
reading, obtaining a username/password, an email to describe our tecnology
setup, join the class group, send a letter of introduction to the class,
design a weblog, read three articles, develope a prompt and answer the
prompt and finally more reading.
All of these assignments were designed to help us adapt to the computer as
the classroom.

Most of the assignments were very new to me and they were also a little
scary. The MOO was totally new to me. The MOO is a virtual classroom.
Although I missed the first meeting I found out how to get around the MOO.
We communicate nonverbally and were put into groups. The weblog was also
new, this is a place to post our online journals.

Our first meeting took place at the library. I found out that you could
search for a periodical through a specific title search. This shows if the
library subscribes to a certain periodical. You are also able to search the
medical library and the graduate libray.

The process fo completing these assignments has been difficult for me. The
process is to read the assignment instructions and follow them. I'm not
very competent or literate when it comes to computers, this is why it has
been difficult. I'm still having trouble joining the group, but I've joined
the class mailing list. Everything is coming to me through my hotmail
address.
I missed the first MOOing session, but thanks to Laura and Frances I now
know how to MOO. I know the correct password and that to get the respond
you have to type 'say' before your comment. They also helped me create my
weblog. I'm learning how to ask others for help,well.
For most of the assignments we had to create a username/password. Since we
have so many I made mine the same or similar.

I'm not very literate or competent when it comes to computers. This class
is very scary and exciting. Even though things are going wrong all over the
place, I want to learn more. My first response to difficulties is panic and
email Mrs. McComas. I'm slowly working out of that.
My hope is that this course will ease some of the intimidation I feel when
facing a computer and help me become more competent when working on a
computer.
l

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