Design

Enhancing Instruction and Empowering Educators with AI Tools and Technology

By info@ciddl.org | December 14, 2022
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A robot hand and a human hand holding puzzle pieces together.
The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education is rapidly gaining momentum and has the potential to revolutionize the way teachers and educational professionals guide student learning. While the critical presence of teachers is undoubtedly irreplaceable, AI is set to bring about significant changes to the roles and responsibilities of educators, as well as to educational best practices. From providing personalized learning experiences to automating administrative tasks and grading, AI has the potential to greatly assist educators in their efforts to educate the next generation.

Staying Relevant: Using Social Media to Address Current Issues in Teacher Preparation

By Ashley Grays | November 22, 2022
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Four people sitting around a table looking at a laptop computer.
Social media has made access to the voices of differently able individuals readily available, and they are constantly discussing perspectives and events that affect their lives. Open discussions about current issues may help pre-service teachers gain confidence in having difficult conversations about and with the students they serve.

Google Workspace for Data Collection

By Jenee Vickers Johnson | September 22, 2022
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Image with a bar graph on a clip board.
Data-based decision making (DBDM) is the process by which professionals collect, graph, and analyze observational data to inform instructional decisions. With some modifications, Google Workspace may be a practical alternative to support DBDM for special education professionals.

Hashtags, Social Media, and UDL in Teacher Preparation

By Samantha Goldman | September 14, 2022
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Person on their phone getting notification with their computer in the background.
Student choice is an important aspect of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which is often hard to provide when you are trying to find resources that relate to your course goals. If you want all your students to receive the same background information, how can you give choice?

Using the Interactive Jagged Profile Tool to Understand Learner Variability

By Michelle Patterson | September 13, 2022
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The Jagged Profile Visualizing Learner Variability. LearningKey: Unlocking Learner Potential
Teacher educators can guide preservice teachers through the connection between learner variability and instructional design decisions. “Look at how different your profiles appear from one another- what could I do as your professor with this in mind?”

Using CIDDL’s Resources in Your Personnel Preparation Courses

By Samantha Goldman | September 1, 2022
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A dog wearing glasses sits and works at a tablet.
Within CIDDL, there are many resources that may help you provide background knowledge to your students in courses studying Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Assistive Technology (AT), Educational Technology, and overall integration of technology into classrooms.

Learning About Educational Technology Through Student Voice in Personnel Preparation

By James Basham | August 30, 2022
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Two students work together on a desktop computer and tablet.
Bringing student voice into the professional preparation classroom starts with simply offering the opportunity to share. Provides a means to gather thoughts from your students about what they have experienced in their lives growing up with technology, their lives as learners, and even their early lives as pre-service professionals.

Sustainable Mixed Presence Instruction is Possible

By info@ciddl.org | August 25, 2022
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A rendering of a classroom with students participating in various activities. A teacher presents at a whiteboard while three students look on from a nearby table. The table has another student joining via video conferencing from a tablet. Two other students use a TV to watch a video and take notes on a laptop. The classroom is filled with alternative seating and various activities.
Whether or not your class is scheduled to be in person, we can expect the need for students to be away. These class settings, with on-site and online students learning together synchronously, are called “mixed presence” settings.

Counting Down from Five: Answers and Questions for Starting Special Education Teachers

By Samantha Goldman | August 23, 2022
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Three women sit at a table during a professional meeting. One works on a laptop during the discussion.
In our latest webinar, Dr. Tara Courchaine facilitates a conversation with three state and district leaders regarding both what special educators should know about technology as it relates to their future classrooms, and what questions they should ask their school sites to ensure they are a good match.

I’ll Cross that Virtual Bridge When I Come to It: Orientation and Mobility Training in Virtual Environments

By Nick Hoekstra | August 23, 2022
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A woman looks through Virtual Reality goggles to see various images and videos spread out before her.
One technology that has shown potential for creating safe spaces for teaching/practicing O&M skills is virtual reality (VR). According to Thevin and colleagues (2020), VR systems create immersive, interactive environments that provide students the opportunity for trial and error . Besides visual feedback, VR systems can provide both haptic and auditory information for the benefit of individuals who are blind or low vision.

We, as a national center, aim to develop, research, and use the design that promotes the positive impact of educational technology in special education, early intervention, and related services. Check out this post to read more about Design within the CIDDL framework.