Saturday, 10 September 2011
Thursday, 1 September 2011
A Life Changing Week!
What an eventful week for the McLaughlin family! First of all my 15 year old twins, Eoghan and Aine got their first year module GCSE results. They both did really well and I am proud as punch! Eoghan now has a GCSE in Maths (with a Grade A). I am very lucky to have 2 sensible, intelligent and kind hearted kids, although like all teenagers they have their moments.......
There was no time to rest on our laurels as we headed off on a family camping trip for a couple of days to Cranfield, the most southerly part of Northern Ireland. My husband has drawn parallels with our family holidays and those of the famous Griswalds. If I told you some of our Griswaldy experiences you would fully understand! A blog for another day! We had a lovely break, except for going to the wrong campsite first, the stinking weather and a huge bout of sickness for most of the family, not a good thing in a tiny caravan with 5 people! The smell of 'boke' is not easy to get rid of let me tell you! And of course on the way back the 'main' road through Kilkeel was closed off because of a festival. As is typical in N Ireland there was a diversion sign and then no further instructions where to go after the first turn! So we got lost up and down tiny streets and had to do a U turn with a caravan in tow. Let's just say there were a few lively discussions in the car!
The final big event of the eventful week was Cara starting school. Yes my baby Cara, the inspiration behind Sign2Music, headed of to P1 on Tues 30 Sept. She looked so grown up in her uniform and seems to have matured overnight. She was great with no tears in sight, but I can't say I was. It was the strangest empty feeling leaving her there and heading home without her. I have done the P1 first day thing before with Eoghan and Aine but I suppose then I was pretty sure it wouldn't be the last time. This time was different. It feels like the end of an era. I need to pull myself together and see it as the start of a new exciting era but can't help feeling sad the preschool years are gone!
I did have an interesting signing experience collecting her from school on her first day. All the parents were waiting outside and the children were queueing up in the hall to leave. Cara looked through the window and waved. I thought she had forgotten to lift her coat and signed ' Where's your coat'. She lifted her arm in the air, proudly showing me that she had indeed remembered her coat and was actually holding it! You see, signing works, even for P1s!
So now I am the Owner of a business focused largely on preschool children but no longer have a preschooler of my own! Every sentence will have to start with 'I remember when...'! However, I am confident that I have given Cara a headstart by signing with her during her preschool years. She is heading off into the world of primary school with so many skills that have been enhanced by signing. She can read, write, add, subtract and tell the time. She is a confident and caring child with great communication skills. I know she will continue to use signs to help her communication, literacy and mathematical skills in the early years of school. The world is her oyster!
Deirdre :)
There was no time to rest on our laurels as we headed off on a family camping trip for a couple of days to Cranfield, the most southerly part of Northern Ireland. My husband has drawn parallels with our family holidays and those of the famous Griswalds. If I told you some of our Griswaldy experiences you would fully understand! A blog for another day! We had a lovely break, except for going to the wrong campsite first, the stinking weather and a huge bout of sickness for most of the family, not a good thing in a tiny caravan with 5 people! The smell of 'boke' is not easy to get rid of let me tell you! And of course on the way back the 'main' road through Kilkeel was closed off because of a festival. As is typical in N Ireland there was a diversion sign and then no further instructions where to go after the first turn! So we got lost up and down tiny streets and had to do a U turn with a caravan in tow. Let's just say there were a few lively discussions in the car!
The final big event of the eventful week was Cara starting school. Yes my baby Cara, the inspiration behind Sign2Music, headed of to P1 on Tues 30 Sept. She looked so grown up in her uniform and seems to have matured overnight. She was great with no tears in sight, but I can't say I was. It was the strangest empty feeling leaving her there and heading home without her. I have done the P1 first day thing before with Eoghan and Aine but I suppose then I was pretty sure it wouldn't be the last time. This time was different. It feels like the end of an era. I need to pull myself together and see it as the start of a new exciting era but can't help feeling sad the preschool years are gone!
FROM THIS TO THIS
I did have an interesting signing experience collecting her from school on her first day. All the parents were waiting outside and the children were queueing up in the hall to leave. Cara looked through the window and waved. I thought she had forgotten to lift her coat and signed ' Where's your coat'. She lifted her arm in the air, proudly showing me that she had indeed remembered her coat and was actually holding it! You see, signing works, even for P1s!
So now I am the Owner of a business focused largely on preschool children but no longer have a preschooler of my own! Every sentence will have to start with 'I remember when...'! However, I am confident that I have given Cara a headstart by signing with her during her preschool years. She is heading off into the world of primary school with so many skills that have been enhanced by signing. She can read, write, add, subtract and tell the time. She is a confident and caring child with great communication skills. I know she will continue to use signs to help her communication, literacy and mathematical skills in the early years of school. The world is her oyster!
Deirdre :)
Friday, 26 August 2011
How I have used Social Media to Develop Sign2Music
I am delighted to have had my blog post on 'How I have used Social Media to Develop Sign2Music featured on Bill McCartney's excellent website: http://www.net4wiseowls.co.uk/
Below is a more detailed version of this blog!
Below is a more detailed version of this blog!
How I have used Social Media to Grow Sign2Music?
When I first set up Sign2Music 4 years ago I had never heard of social media. In fact I had just purchased a computer! I started off by developing a very basic website with the main purpose of directing traffic to my e-mail address, which of course was a yahoo address set up for that purpose!
I first dabbled in social media when one of my new teachers mentioned Facebook and suggested it might be something that could be useful for Sign2Music. I wasn’t convinced, but when she asked if she could go ahead and set up a page I thought it would do no harm. Little did I know she was introducing me to a whole new world that would become such an integral part of my business.
My aim in setting up Sign2Music was two fold. As well as running classes and developing programmes my aspiration was to raise public awareness of the benefits of the benefits of signing with babies and toddlers throughout Northern Ireland
In the past few years Sign2Music has grown from strength to strength, with 6 teachers now operating throughout Northern Ireland
Our Facebook page would be our most active social media platform. There are many businesses whose primary aim to get as many likes as possible. I have fallen into that trap myself. Then on reflection I realised that it is more important for me to have ‘likers’ who are genuinely interested in Sign2Music, enjoy our posts and communicate with us. Our 632 ‘likers’ are quality, rather than simply numbers, making our page attractive as it has so much interaction and information to share. Most ‘likers’ are parents who have come to our classes, parents who are interested in signing, friends of teachers and other businesses. I am pleased that our posts generate so much discussion. I also love the fact that parents will share their experiences on our wall and use Facebook to ask questions.
I am relatively new to Twitter. Until a couple of months ago I simply duplicated any Facebook posts on Twitter and didn’t use it directly. Then I received some valuable advice from a friend, Laura Berg who runs a successful baby signing business, My Smart Hands, in Canada UK wide and from N Ireland that I never would have been able to have contact with had I not been using Twitter. These contacts have opened up so many new opportunities for me and for Sign2Music.
I would still see myself as relatively new and inexperienced in the world of social media but I have no doubt that it has benefited Sign2Music enormously. I have 148 LinkedIn connections and recently received 9 fantastic recommendations from colleagues. We received the endorsement of our service users when they nominated us in 2 categories in the What’s on 4 Little Ones Junior Awards 2011, having been made aware of the Awards via social media. Social media helped us gain support for our nominations, with many local businesses sharing with their followers and the Down News online newspaper running 2 great features. The nomination led to many features in local newspapers, including the Irish News which is one of the biggest newspapers in Northern Ireland UK Northern Ireland
Writing this has made me reflect on the huge transformation I have made in the past couple of years from someone who didn’t own a computer into someone for whom Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, etc are very important and an integral part of my daily activities. What I have realised though is that social media is by no means a free or easy option. While it doesn’t cost money it is costly in terms of a more valuable commodity – time! To develop Sign2Music’s social media strategy to its current level hasn’t been easy for a non-computer savvy person like me. I have spent an inordinate amount of time, and many many late nights and early mornings, in front of my computer, getting to grips with how it all works. A lot of this time has been productive. However, if I am honest some of it hasn’t been. It is so easy to get distracted. Farmville on Facebook was almost in danger of destroying my social media strategy for a while, as I kept getting sidetracked when my crops needed harvested!
Bill McCartney, from Net4Wise Owls, facilitated an excellent workshop for the Sign2Music teachers at our annual Sign2Music Conference recently. It did make me realise I should have done this much earlier, rather than jumping into social media without a clue and spending so much time stumbling around trying to find my way!
I am certainly not a social media expert but have been able to use social media to grow my business and hope to continue to do so. I have made many many mistakes along the way! If I was to give advice to anyone starting a business who wants to dip their toe into social media I would say:
1. Put the time into developing your strategy before jumping in. If you can get the advice of an expert such as Bill it is worth doing so.
2. Do not think this is a panacea and will be the making of your business. It can help enormously but requires a significant amount of time and effort to make it work.
3. If you work within a team have a shared strategy and approach.
4. Do not spread yourself too thinly between various social media platforms. Concentrate most on the one that works best for your business.
5. Support other businesses, who in turn will support you.
6. Be genuine with your business connections. It is easy to spot someone who is trying to get something out of you for nothing!
7. Spend the time making your page or updates worth liking or following you for.
And Finally 8. Do not go near Farmville!!
If you require further information contact deirdre@sign2music.co.uk 07874742704
or see:
Good luck!! Deirdre J
Magazine Article
Was delighted to receive a very special 'tweet' and e-mail yesterday morning from Mums Baby Magazine saying 'your article's up'!
http://mumsbabymagazine.com/archives/9094
Had been waiting on that message for a long time. Great article in a super magazine! Let me know what you think.
Deirdre :)
http://mumsbabymagazine.com/archives/9094
Had been waiting on that message for a long time. Great article in a super magazine! Let me know what you think.
Deirdre :)
Monday, 15 August 2011
10 things You Didn't Know About Me!
Just saw a blog from my friend and baby body language expert, Vivien Sabel entitled 10 things you didn't know about me. She had been tagged and encouraged to participate by others who had done the same. I decided to be brave and join in too so here goes!
I know my life is such an open book that many of you will know most of this but you never know!
1. Family: I was born in North Belfast and moved to West Belfast when I was 6 years old. I am the oldest of a family of 3 with 2 younger brothers. I have 3 children, twins (Eoghan and Aine) aged 15 and Cara aged 4. I also have 2 lovely nephews, Daire and Fionn.
2. Parents: My parents are still quite young (both are 63 years old). They both developed disabilities at a very young age. My mother has fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis. My dad was in a serious motorcycle accident over 30 years ago and was seriously injured. The brachial plexus injury he sustained has resulted in chronic pain and disability. He has recently been diagnosed with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).
3. School: I attended an all girls convent grammar school, St Dominics in Belfast and achieved 12 O Levels and 3 A Levels. It was an excellent school and I have many many happy memories. However, my experience was that how pupils were valued by some teachers was based, not on ability, but on parental social status. This has influenced my values and beliefs to this day.
4. Further Education: I went to Queens University Belfast and gained a Degree in Pychology and a research based Masters Degree in Medical Science. I completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work several and later did my Post Qualifying Award in Social Work. I have completed Family Therapy Foundation and Intermediate level training.
5. First Job: I worked part time in the audio visual department in Boots in Belfast for 4 years during my university years. On my first day I didn't realise you had to put albums into their sleeves and sold everyone album sleeves only! Needless to say I got a bit of a ticking off when they all returned them the next day!
6. My Fears: I am not as confident as I may appear although have conquered the crippling shyness I experienced in certain circumstances when I was younger. When I was sent to the canteen for my first tea break on my first day in Boots I was too embarrassed to walk in among strangers, so sat in the toilet for half an hour! I am also seriously claustraphobic and will avoid concerts, underground trains and lifts at all costs.
7. Sign Language: My interest in Sign Language started about 20 years ago when I started working as a volunteer for Sense NI. This involved helping out on holidays and saturday clubs for deaf blind children. I stayed with Sense for a number of years and completed BSL Stage 1 and later Stage 2.
8. My Other Job: As well as being the founder and owner of Sign2Music I also work job share as a Manager in a government Agency working within the Youth Justice field.
9. Failure: I have never failed an exam in my life but failed my driving test 7 times!
10. Claim to Fame: My recent appearance on the SevenThirty Show was not my first appearance on TV! I was on Songs Of Praise when I was 12 with my school choir, singing 'O Come All Ye Faithful', looking gorgeous with my ringlets! I also featured on a BBC Newsline trailer with Donna Traynor and the rest of my BSL class. We all stood together and signed 'Your BBC, Your World'. Cringe!
I know my life is such an open book that many of you will know most of this but you never know!
1. Family: I was born in North Belfast and moved to West Belfast when I was 6 years old. I am the oldest of a family of 3 with 2 younger brothers. I have 3 children, twins (Eoghan and Aine) aged 15 and Cara aged 4. I also have 2 lovely nephews, Daire and Fionn.
2. Parents: My parents are still quite young (both are 63 years old). They both developed disabilities at a very young age. My mother has fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis. My dad was in a serious motorcycle accident over 30 years ago and was seriously injured. The brachial plexus injury he sustained has resulted in chronic pain and disability. He has recently been diagnosed with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).
3. School: I attended an all girls convent grammar school, St Dominics in Belfast and achieved 12 O Levels and 3 A Levels. It was an excellent school and I have many many happy memories. However, my experience was that how pupils were valued by some teachers was based, not on ability, but on parental social status. This has influenced my values and beliefs to this day.
4. Further Education: I went to Queens University Belfast and gained a Degree in Pychology and a research based Masters Degree in Medical Science. I completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work several and later did my Post Qualifying Award in Social Work. I have completed Family Therapy Foundation and Intermediate level training.
5. First Job: I worked part time in the audio visual department in Boots in Belfast for 4 years during my university years. On my first day I didn't realise you had to put albums into their sleeves and sold everyone album sleeves only! Needless to say I got a bit of a ticking off when they all returned them the next day!
6. My Fears: I am not as confident as I may appear although have conquered the crippling shyness I experienced in certain circumstances when I was younger. When I was sent to the canteen for my first tea break on my first day in Boots I was too embarrassed to walk in among strangers, so sat in the toilet for half an hour! I am also seriously claustraphobic and will avoid concerts, underground trains and lifts at all costs.
7. Sign Language: My interest in Sign Language started about 20 years ago when I started working as a volunteer for Sense NI. This involved helping out on holidays and saturday clubs for deaf blind children. I stayed with Sense for a number of years and completed BSL Stage 1 and later Stage 2.
8. My Other Job: As well as being the founder and owner of Sign2Music I also work job share as a Manager in a government Agency working within the Youth Justice field.
9. Failure: I have never failed an exam in my life but failed my driving test 7 times!
10. Claim to Fame: My recent appearance on the SevenThirty Show was not my first appearance on TV! I was on Songs Of Praise when I was 12 with my school choir, singing 'O Come All Ye Faithful', looking gorgeous with my ringlets! I also featured on a BBC Newsline trailer with Donna Traynor and the rest of my BSL class. We all stood together and signed 'Your BBC, Your World'. Cringe!
Sandy Signs on You Tube
Some new videos added to Sign2Music You Tube Channel:
Cara's Bike
Fun in the Sun
Hope you enjoy them! We are doing these weekly videos as part of Sandy's Sign of the Week series. Feel free to make suggestions for future videos!
Deirdre :)
Cara's Bike
Fun in the Sun
Hope you enjoy them! We are doing these weekly videos as part of Sandy's Sign of the Week series. Feel free to make suggestions for future videos!
Deirdre :)
Sunday, 7 August 2011
Baby Communication on the Radio
Just listened to this great interview on blogtalk radio by Dr Rosina McAlpine interviewing Vivien Sabel about her groundbreaking research into infant communication. They discussed so many interesting topics including the benefits of signing with babies and children. I am hugely fortunate to be able to call Vivien a lovely friend and a great inspiration. Some of the Sign2Music parents are currently involved in her groundbreaking research in preparation for the publication of her book. I can't wait to read it!
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