Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Thoughts on Guest Speakers

Hey guys! This past Monday we had two guest speakers, Matt and Jena. Towards the end of the discussion we talked about SimCom. Jena used SimCom for her entire presentation. I would like to know everyone's opinion about SimCom. For those of you that don't know what SimCom is, what do you think it means. Do you think it can be used properly? What were your opinions on SimCom before we met Jena? Have your opinions changed? I would also like to know what all of you learned most from our guest speakers. Did you learn something new? Any perceptions you had change because of the speakers? I cant wait to see all of your responses! I really enjoyed our presenters and their point of views. I know that I personally had some changes of perception. :)

14 comments:

  1. I think Matt and Jenna showed us that there is no right or wrong way to live life. I think each of us come in with bias and they showed us that you can't judge someone and you can't tell them what is right or wrong for them. I really don't understand what SimCom is. I am guessing that it is a mixture between speaking and signing to communicate. I think she did that effectively throughout her presentation, so I would say it can be done.

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  2. Matt and Jenna really introduced me to a very different side of anything that I have been used to. It was interesting to hear both their perspective and to hear where their opinions were coming from. I loved hearing from both of them that they wouldn't go back and change anything they had done with using either oralism or getting cochlear implants. As a future teacher, this showed me how each child and each situation truly is different. As for SimCom, I really don't know much about it. I'm assuming its is something about simultaneous communication using both ASL and English at the same time. Again, I am guessing, but I felt like Jenna effectively signed and spoke at the same time.

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  3. i really enjoyed this weeks speakers and their story about themselves and about their experiences through school and everything else. i never knew there was as difference between ASl and Simcom and now i do and i think that is an awesome thing. i think jena used it very properly and in a very good manner. i learned a lot from our two guest speakers but one thing really stuck on and i really enjoyed that they talked about it because i think it is a huge deal in special education. i loved when she commented " i have a disability but i am not disabled".

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  4. I really enjoyed this weeks speakers and how they told their stories. The different experiences they both had was very interesting to hear. I knew what sitcom was a little bit, but it was different to see it in action. I loved how they were okay with how they chose to communicate with people. Jenna was comfortable with sitcom, while Matt preferred to talk orally. Both of these way were effective with communicating to the class as a whole. I thought it was interesting how Jenna identified herself, as Jenna White. It was great to see and understand that not everything needs a label.

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  5. I loved having both Jenna and Matt come and share. I really enjoy the program at EKU but I feel like at times they categorize the deaf into one outlook and don't allow you to learn all the different aspects and perspectives. I am aware that in ASL class you are to learn ASL but there are other deaf studies classes in which I think we should be taught and exposed to other perspectives because while one way may be right for one individual it may not be comfortable for another. Having Jenna and Matt come really helped to show this. It's one thing to talk and learn about it but I think it adds a whole new dynamic to see it for yourself. The questions I asked in class were just a few of the ones that I had. The more I reflect on them coming and sharing their story the more questions I have. It was just cool to see something so different, a new perspective, from the "norms" all the other classes I have had seemed to have drilled in our brains. A couple things that I loved the way they worded it was, "I have a disability, I am not disabled." and not accepting a label, they have a name just like everybody else and that is who they are. If this is just a taste of what the deaf panel will be like, I can't wait!

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  6. I really enjoyed hearing Matt and Jenna's life story. It was very interesting how their lives had some similarities and some differences. I was surprised that Matt preferred to share his thoughts orally. SimCom I believe is looked down upon the Deaf community. I don't really know too much about it though. I think it should be a personal choice though. If someone wants to use SimCom then let them use SimCom but if someone wants to just sign ASL then just sign ASL. Everything is a choice. Nobody has to do just one thing.

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  7. Since I am not very familiar wit a lot of the controversial topics in the deaf world, I did not even know that SimCom was something that was frowned upon until our last class. I do now know why people think it is so bad. I feel as if people should be able to communicate in any way that they feel comfortable doing so. I really enjoyed seeing all of the different guest's stories and forms of communication. They showed that you can be successful any way that you communicate, and there is more than just one way to communicate successfully.

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  8. Prior to Jena and Matt's presentation, I knew that some people sign and talk simultaneously. However, I did not know that the correct terminology for this method of communication was called SimCon. In our ASL class, we did not cover SimCon as a method of communication. I believe that any method that allows you to communicate to your fullest potential is a valid or appropriate method. There is no single method that is completely correct or incorrect. Individuals and their unique circumstances affect the choice of communication that will be most effective for them. Jenna's presentation gave me perspective. I am open to working with my students and their families to develop the best method of communication for them.

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  9. I loved listening to Matt and Jenna talk about their life. I was hanging on everything they said just because they had such a different experience than anyone I had ever heard before. I really liked the fact that Jenna used SimCom, because she was communicating to everyone in the room at the same time. Yes, there was an interpreter but she has a vocal voice and she chooses to use it and use sign language.She was just communicating in two ways at once, which I don't see as a bad thing. We are always told that when a Deaf person is in the room, if we know sign, we should use it. Well if we are in a group of deaf and hearing people, its hard and time wasteful to go back and forth between signing and talking, so if you can, why not do both at the same time? As long as no one in the group has a problem with it and everyone is getting the same information and included, I don't see the problem.

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  10. I've always thought SimCom was "improper" and denying a person's place in the Deaf community. Jenna and Matt's presentation really opened my eyes to see that everyone is different. It was up to them to decide which method of communication was best for them instead of people around them doing it for them. It made me open my eyes to different points of views.

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  11. I have never seen SimCom before, nor did I know what it was. I also did not know there was such a major difference between ASL and spoken English. It's nice to know that there are people who use both to be able to accompany both the hearing and the Deaf. I've heard that some Deaf/hard of hearing individuals get offended when they know someone is using SimCom I dont understand why? But Matt and Jenna really opened my eyes up to the idea that it can be okay.

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  12. I have always heard that SimCom was bad for your ASL skills. Seeing the presenters in class really opened my eyes. They both had completely different situations and used different methods to communicate and were taught differently in school. But they both still are able to function completely normal in the hearing and Deaf world.

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  13. I really had never heard of SimCom until the day we met Jenna. After meeting Jenna, I learned that this is possible. I heard a lot of other students comment that they have repeatedly learned from ASL class that it is impossible to do. I have learned that this is true if you try to use ASL with spoken english because the two languages do not have the same format and they do not connect. I really enjoyed our presenters because they brought to me a fresh new outlook on some things and I truly have learned so much from them. I was shocked to hear that Matt was more of a oralist and not as much of a signer but he adapted because of Jenna which was really heart touching.

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  14. I personally like SimCom because it helps me sign more fluently. I think it is just each person's opinion on how and when they use it. In EKU's ASL program they teach you that ASL is the only way and that no other way is the correct way. So having a different perspective is interesting to me.

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