Hello and welcome to my webliography! First off, allow me to introduce myself. I am a senior at Marshall University majoring in communication disorders. While I have spent the past three years in Huntington, WV attending school, I am origianlly from Martinsburg, WV.

Fun Stuff:
Do you ever get up in the morning and don't know what to wear because you forgot to check the weather report? Just click here to find a local weather report.

Is there a TV program you want to watch, but you can't remember what time it starts? Click TV Guide for TV listings.

Do you ever wish that your family would spend more time together, but you don't know what to do? Check out these great ideas for some family fun!

Personal Interests:
I have so many interests, I don't know where to start. About a year ago, my mom and my "adopt-a-mom," Mrs. Baker, got me hooked on scrapbooking with Creative Memories. It's a great way to relax and store your precious memories.
When I'm not busy doing class work, I find myself watching TV. My favorite shows are Friends, ER, and Law & Order. I also like to get decorating ideas from Trading Spaces.
After I graduate, and I'm actually making money instead of spending money, I'd like to buy some paintings from my favorite artist, Thomas Kinkade. He specializes in inspirational paintings.

Discipline Specific "Stuff":
As the site states, ASHA (American Speech Language and Hearing Association) is an association devoted to ensuring that all people with speech, language, and hearing disorders have access to quality services to help them communicate more effectively.

While ASHA is the best source of information for Speech-Language Pathologists, another source of information you may want to check out is Speech Language Pathology Web Sites. This web site allows you to choose from a list of discipline specific topic. It then supplies you with a list of resources on that topic. This site has earned three listed awards, such as the Links2Go Key Resource award, Hardin MD's Clean Bill of Health, and the SLP Site of the Month Award.

Of course, speech-language pathologist are required to carry a license to practice in a certain state. To learn more about registering for a license in the state of West Virginia and the requirements for maintaining this license, visit The West Virginia Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology.

Research Resources:
My main area of discussion for this MRP has been how chronic otitis media can cause a language delay. To find out more information about this topic, visit the following sites.

One site that I came across came from ASHA's Kid Source. This site is a good resource for parents, in that it provides a basic definition of chronic otitis media and its affect on language development. It also provides advise on what to do if one suspects a child of having this problem.

Another site discusses the results of different studies on this topic. This site discusses the possible link between chronic otitis media and speech/language disorders.

Perhaps your interested in learning about ear infections. This document discusses ear infections and why they put a child at risk for a language disorder or delay.

Back to Journal Entries

Again, information literacy seems to be a key factor. Continuing to forge professional and educational development will require me to recognize a need for information and an ability to acquire that information. There are, of course, several ways to accomplish this. The first method that comes to mind is personal research, which would involve the use of journals, Internet articles, news articles, etc. to acquire the needed information. I could also accomplish this through attending continuing education seminars or conventions, such as with ASHA. Professional peers give many of these seminars. Maintaining interpersonal relationships will play a major role in forging my development. Just as I learn from my professors and fellow classmates, I will continue to look to other professionals for information that will allow me to develop educationally as well as professionally.

When asked how I might inquire into my learning in an ongoing manner, the first word that comes to mind is reflection. By writing all of my thoughts, I allow myself to track my journey from a moment of uncertainty to a realization of the truth. However, I don’t have to be uncertain or confused about a specific topic in order to use reflection as a learning tool. I may use reflection to track my journey from a current state of understanding to a new sense of enlightenment. This process allows me to organize my thoughts so that I may better retain the information learned. Instead of just memorizing facts, I am thinking about everything that this newly obtained information entails and the reasoning behind it. Actually, I think I may have just learned something in answering this question. I think I’ve come to a new understanding of why we are required to reflect about all of our assignments. It makes a lot more sense now J.

One of the main motives behind ongoing research is to promote professional and academic development. When conducting research, one must keep an open mind. Research provides us with new understandings, new perspectives. Because of this, it holds the potential to influence the paths we take professionally, from diagnosis techniques to intervention. As students, this is extremely important. For the past three years, we have been learning the information that we will need in order to make informed decisions in regard to these topics. What diagnosis techniques will we use? What course of intervention will we take? Research will play a key role in ensuring that we are capable of making such logical and ethical decisions.

Up to this point, I have not made much of an effort to research beyond the information that is learned in class. All of the research that I have conducted has been the result of a class assignment. For me, time is definitely an issue. Other obligations combined with educational responsibilities for classes are a major reason for this. I am in no way trying to make excuses. If I had really wanted to do research, I would have found the time. The truth is, I never really saw a need for it. I figured I was learning everything that I needed to know in my classes. However, after reading about information literacy and answering these prompts, I have a newfound respect for the concept. I realize that it’s going to be up to me develop to my fullest potential. In order to do so, I am going to have to learn independently through research.

I would say that one of the most effective ways that I meet my own learning needs is to attempt to make connections between newly obtained information and previous knowledge. This helps me to better understand the information and to retain the information instead of just remembering the information long enough to take a test. I also consider myself to be a visual and hands-on learner. This helps me to apply information more effectively. Lastly, I’ve discovered that one of the best ways that I learn is through group work. I used to hate group work. I preferred to do work independently so I could do it my way. However, many of our classes have required in-class group work. This has led me to become more open-minded, which, as I stated before, is important to professional and educational development. Everyone learns and thinks differently. Sometimes, when I fail to grasp what a professor is trying to explain, another student will use different terminology or wording to help me to better understand the information. Listening to things from different perspectives helps to ease the learning process.

I attended a private school from the kindergarten through the 8th grade. I remember asking my parents one day why they had paid so much money for me to attend St. Joseph School when I could have attended a public school free of charge. They told me that they did it because they wanted me to receive an excellent education as well as learn about moral issues. They wanted me to become an asset to society in every way possible. However, I must say, I was not always a hard-working student. I remember one incident especially for which I am not proud of. I had a science project to do in which I had, of course, procrastinated to complete. Science was my least favorite subject at the time (now, it's history) and the last thing I wanted to do was spend hours reading about something that I had no interest in what so ever, electricity. In fact, two days before the project was due, I went crying to my parents to help me. They reluctantly agreed, but actually ended up doing it for me. I remember sitting at the kitchen bar at 1:00am, writing down everything my father told me to write down. He and my mom took turns telling me how irresponsible I had been, while I sat there crying, continuing to write. It was definitely not a kodak moment.

When parents lecture to their children, they usually end up saying, "I know that this is going in one ear and out the other, but I'm going to say it anyway....." Actually, this was usually true for me. I admit, I was an ungrateful teenager, with an attitude to go with it. However, that night, when they were lecturing me about responsibility, I actually listened. That was a turning point for me. I started paying more attention in class and caring more about my education. While I still procrastinated for just about everything, I got the work done on my own. When it came time to enter high school, my parents asked me whether I wanted to attend the private school in Hagerstown, MD or the public school in our city. I appreciated them trusting me to make such an important decision. I decided that I would rather attend the public school. I had already received an excellent educational foundation and established my own moral standards, now it was time to learn more about different types of people. Coming from a class of 25, I hadn't been exposed to a very diverse population. My freshman class included about 300 people, which was terrifying. However, I soon became comfortable in that environment and met so many people. People of different religions, ethnic backgrounds, income levels, and interests that helped to shape my views on various topics. I must say, this was a learning experience in itself.

Both of my parents went to college. My mother has an associates degree in nursing. My father first earned a bachelor's degree in social work from Marshall University and later earned an associates degree in nursing. He and my mom are both RNs. Coming from a family in which both of my parents went to college, it was always assumed that I would go to college. I was never asked if I wanted to go to college. Instead, I was asked where I wanted to attend college, which was fine because that's what I wanted to do. I actually did not want to go to Marshall at first. My father talked me into coming to see the campus, which turned out to be a great decision. After touring the campus, I knew that this was where I wanted to go. I am so grateful that I did because the other college that I was considering does not have a communication disorders program, so who knows what I would have done. I would have been in a completely different major, changing the direction of my life.

Looking back, there have been so many people that helped to shape me into the person that I am today. I remember my third grade teacher, Mrs. Hampton. She was such a wonderful, enthusiastic teacher. She was so excited about fostering our young minds and we all loved her for it. She made me look forward to coming to school and want to learn. And who could forget Mr. Hicks, the 9th grade Honors English teacher. He was one of those teachers who constantly made you laugh, while at the same time taught you something new everyday. He made learning fun. There are so many other teachers and mentors that made a significant impact on my attitude towards education and learning, but the list would go on forever. Thinking back, there have also been many fellow students who have influenced my thinking. Since coming to college, I have been exposed to so many different perspectives on various issues. I've learned to keep an open mind and to always be open to change.

Perhaps the greatest influence on my thought and practices as a student has been the words of encouragement that I have received throughout my life. Throughout the 12 years of my education, my parents encouraged me in everything that I pursued. I can't tell you how may times they said, "Laura, we're so proud of you!" While I never told them, these words meant so much to me and still do. To this day, my dad will call just to tell me that he's proud of everything that I've accomplished and who I've become. I think I'll give them a call later and thank them. I don't think parents realize how much words of encouragement can affect a developing child. Knowing that someone believes in you makes all of the difference. Because of this, I know that I can accomplish anything I set out to achieve.