You might be wondering why I am naming my posts so suddenly as Genius Hour but I am taking a technology class via the University of St. Francis at Joliet. As part of this class, we are creating and focusing on a passion of ours that we would like to develop more. Since I was already blogging about my cochlear implant journey and it was a passion of mine ; I thought it would be a perfect genius hour topic!
As part of my genius hour project, we needed to think how can we make this a part of my routine? This took some thought because the only way to hear better and get the brain used to sounds is to consistently make the brain hear. I have been told that even 15-20 minutes practicing a day getting my new cochlear implant is good practice! SO THIS IS WHAT MY ROUTINE IS! Every morning and every evening, my commute is an hour ride to school and home. So I turn on the radio to a channel I know will be easy to hear and have clear slow speakers like NPR. I can hear well with both cochlear implants when it is clear slow speakers but I must use only the cochlear implant on the left ear to train it to hear. I used to do this but now am back at it again. I heard quite a bit and am shocked to know I heard somethings.I am so excited that I can hear the words. I did not hear all the words but can get the basic drift. I was sooooooo tempted to put my other cochlear implant on but didn't. The radio was talking about how Texas is now one of the states to require insurance companies to go to arbitration when it cannot decide a price on payment of services. Many people were complaining how insurance companies would exploit patients by charging ridiculously high prices. Texas has now passed a law that shields patients from surprise medical bills. When I got home, I researched this topic to see if I heard right and I did!! Some parts I did not hear and then when I read about surprise medical bills, then I understood! I feel like I am not so afraid to try this exercise and will endeavor to stick to these routines!
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI'm in your Engaging E-Learning Class. What a crazy journey you are on! I used to work for a family where one of the kids had a cochlear implant, so I'm a little bit familiar with how they work. I remember the hardest part for me was being conscious of the noise I was making and the ambient noise that existed when I was talking. It was hard for me at first to remember to turn off the water in the middle of doing dishes if I wanted to ask him to bring his plate to the sink, for example. I read somewhere that books on tape (or CD) can be helpful to try as well, but I find them hard to do myself. I tried to improve my Spanish by listening to Spanish podcasts on the way to or from work, but I found it difficult because on the way there my brain was focused on my plan for the day so I would get lost and on the way home my brain was too tired from the day so I would get lost. I can't imagine how difficult developing this routine is, trying to maintain focus in order to get the message. I'm excited to see where your journey takes you and what you find beneficial. Good luck!
This is such an interesting and unique Genius Hour topic and journey that you're on! I absolutely loved reading about your routine this week and can't wait to see the progress that you make as you continue working on this genius hour project!
ReplyDeleteI am so excited to read about your progress. It sounds like you are on your way to better hearing. I never thought about NPR! Great idea! I use audio books that I download free on my phone for my commute. I can adjust the speed on the Overdrive App to match my listening ability. I find that stories with a lot of detail require me to slow it down a little to give my brain time to process the information.
ReplyDeleteHigh 5 for sticking with your challenge! Looking forward to hearing more!