Untangling "the Web" to Support Kids with Special Needs

As a therapist, I am always searching for new ways to share information with the families I serve and the colleagues I collaborate with.  In fact, SNEAK outside the box (this blog :) came about, in part, from that ongoing quest.  A few weeks before I decided to start SNEAK, I was in between jobs during a transition across the country, and I had some time to start exploring this whole world of “blogs”.  I had never, actively read a blog up to that point, had no idea what an “RSS feed” was, and really didn’t think Twitter had anything to do with me or my thirst for information and continuing education as a professional.      As I embarked on this social media-blogging-Twitter- Facebook-Pinterest  (Pinte-what??) adventure, I soon realized an entirely new world of resources and information at my finger tips!   But how could I make sense of it all?  I have a hard enough time getting through my email inbox, could I find the time to surf the web for hours on end to stay in the loop? Probably not-but what if there was an easier way (or a few easier ways)?  Luckily, there are. :)

And once I started discovering how to organize this www goldmine, I was determined to find out how I could make this whole idea a little bit easier for my families and colleagues to digest.  How can a busy mom stay in the loop about resources, tips, and more for her child with special needs?  How can a special education teacher with minimal planning time keep informed on relevant topics to improve her classroom? What about that SLP with a back-to-back caseload who knows she needs to keep on top of novel therapy techniques and new technology, but just can’t find out how?  In a series of posts this week and next (Untangling “the Web”:  Finding the Information You Need to Help Your Child with Special Needs), I hope to offer some tips and resources to help all of us who serve kids with special needs stay “in the know” without pulling our hair out!    

Although some of you may not consider yourselves “tech savvy”, you are on your way!  Hey, you found this blog, right?  You have to start somewhere. :) Let’s kick things off with something a bit more familiar: Facebook.   Check out the first post in this series:  Untangling “the Web” Tip #1:  Connecting with Special Needs Resources on Facebook

How do you stay in the know?