This week, Chris chats with Michaela Ball, TWT’s Audio Engineer & SLP Grad Student, about getting a certification in Assistive Technology while she finishes her Master’s degree. They have a lively discussion about why Chris thinks that the time and money spent on AT certification could be better spent on other kinds of professional development.
Before the interview, Chris and Rachel discuss a recent experience Chris had in a classroom of young students playing Minecraft, including using Immersive Reader to read text in the game and learning about coding while playing Minecraft.
Key Ideas This Week:
🔑 In many parts of the US, there are lots of SLP jobs available without needing a specific certification to get the job. AT jobs may or may not be more competitive depending on the area you work in.
🔑 People who choose to get certification have good reasons to do so, but getting a certification can be a large expenditure of time and money that could be spent more effectively in other ways.
🔑 RESNA certification could be useful in situations where professional competence is called into question or to improve your resume when looking for AT jobs. Chris has heard from RESNA-certified colleagues that their certification was not very useful in improving their day-to-day work as an AT professional.
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Rebecca Gettings: A Parent’s Journey Supporting AAC, Language, & Literacy
Sydney Elcan Birchfield: Assistive Technology Q&A with Chris Bugaj
Coaching Call with Sarah Seiger: AAC at a Nonpublic/Nonprofit School
Small Talks VII: Darla Ashton, Hank Poore, Sean Sweeney, Shelley Anderson, & Tami Altschuler
Samantha Hagness & Becky Woolley (Part 2) - Strategies for Improving Communication Partner Coaching
Samantha Hagness & Becky Woolley (Part 1) - Modeling AAC in the Classroom Using Grid 3
Alyssa Hillary Zisk and Lily Konyn: Gestalt Language Processing and AAC
Darla Ashton: What Have We Learned About AAC in the Last 10 Years?
Nanny Aut: Autistic Blogger, Advocate, and Teacher
LJ Seiff: 14-Year-Old AAC User
Kristina Edie, Erica Sauer, Joy Mockbee, & Bernadette Wiley: Exploring the Specific Language System First Approach (Part 2)
Kristina Edie, Erica Sauer, Joy Mockbee, & Bernadette Wiley: Exploring the Specific Language System First Approach (Part 1)
Bruce Alter: Pros and Cons of Allowing AI in Schools
Noah Callan: AAC User, Disability Advocate, and Technology Coordinator
Takeaways from ATIA 2023
Coaching Call with Marcella: Benefits of Early AAC Intervention
Dr. Theresa Bartolotta: Supporting AAC for People with Rett Syndrome
Sarah Lockhart: Using Requesting to Teach New Communication Functions
Chris Bugaj: Accessibility and Inclusion at Disney World
Jennifer Hyles: Creating Materials That Better Reflect AAC Users
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