Summer is here. It’s a time students (both K-12 and college), teachers, and teacher-educators relax, rewind, and re-energize. And, mixed in with that re-ing is excitement for the future. Whether you dream of the back-to-school sales with aisles filled with the prettiest pens and folders or the first day of classes when everything is shiny and new, at least part of summer is spent in anticipation for the coming year. In this CIDDList, we will share some must-have items to take with you on vacation to allow you to do the re-ing and the prepping!
Last year, CIDDL hosted a webinar with Stefanie McKoy and Krystle Merry, both doctoral students at the University of Arkansas focusing on the concept of netnography, using social media to explore cultural experiences, such as the career of a teacher. During the webinar, (which you should check out, if you haven’t), McKoy and Merry discussed ways in which teacher preparation faculty can leverage instagram, a resource many pre-service teachers are already using for bite-sized PD, to teach critical skills of lesson planning.
CIDDL, and, let’s face it, the world as a whole, has been fascinated with the launch of AI and how it is and will impact our lives. We have talked a lot about the impact of ChatGPT, how it can be used to support literacy, math, and even solve word problems. In a recent CIZZL, our chef Tiffanie Zaugg used it to generate her recipe. But, did you know that there are literally thousands of AIs that have been developed with specific roles and areas of expertise?
It’s hard to believe that the spring semester is almost over. Whether you are teaching classes this summer, taking an exotic vacation (check out our must-haves for packing), or stay-cationing from your couch, summer is this elusive time where you tell yourself you are going to do all the things that you didn’t during the academic year. One of those, for me at least, is catching up on the trending topics in education.
CIDDL is the Center for Innovation, Design, and Digital Learning and our mission is to improve faculty’s capacity to use educational technology in personnel preparation programs. Part of our role is to teach about new and emerging technologies as they relate to students with disabilities, teachers and related service providers, higher education faculty, and other leaders in education. We do this through blog posts (like this one), webinars, research and practice briefs, and CIZZLEs.
In a previous post, we discussed the importance of play for children with disabilities and how technology can facilitate play. Teachers employed technology in the classroom to encourage social interactions between students with and without disabilities. Students, when given opportunities, took existing technology and used it in innovative ways. Finally, parents spoke about how technology provided alternative forms of communication or even allowed them to watch how their children played.
Making reading content accessible to all learners in the classroom is critical. But how can educators provide access to grade-level content for learners needing reading and comprehension support? ChatGPT, Rewordify, and Textcompactor can be used to support tiered reading in the classroom.
With the launch of ChatGPT, talks of how AI will change the classroom are making headlines across the nation. But, AI has been embedded in tools we use to support students with the reading and writing process for a long time. What’s different now? The fact that the AI can generate an entire essay, albeit many teachers would only grade it as B or C work, at best.
At the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) 2023 Annual Convention, Dr. Larry Wexler, the Director of Research to Practice of the Office of Special Education shared an overview of each of the OSEP funded centers. CIDDL was one of the 30 centers he highlighted and we wanted to share the list with you!
One of the possible silver linings of the pandemic has been the proliferation of available mobile devices (e.g., iPad, Chromebooks, Smartphones) across our preK-12 learning environments. Where once schools were considering whether to purchase mobile learning carts or add a computer lab, technology investments today find an overwhelming majority of preK-12 learners (some estimates suggest over 85%) with access to their own mobile learning device. With increased investments, teachers and learners are increasingly relying on the device as a foundational element of instruction and subsequent learning.