Upcoming CIDDL Webinar
Accessibility in Conferencing: Considerations for Higher Education
Monday, October 16th at 2pm CT
As higher education faculty preparing pre-service teachers and related service providers, it is our responsibility to model best practices and ensure access to resources for all. This webinar will focus on creating accessible content, materials, and presentations for conferences. Key takeaways include: (1) Understanding accessibility needs, (2) accessible presentation materials, (3) inclusive presentation techniques, (4) poster accessibility, and (5) technology and tools.

Past CIDDL Webinars



In the November 30 CIDDL Webinar, How to select Technology and Design Instruction: Knowledge, Skills and Abilities that Generalize Across Tools and Settings, Dr. Tara Courchaine interviewed Dr. Robert Wall Emerson, Dr. Sarahelizabeth Baguhn, and Dr. Nicholas Giudice regarding their processes for choosing technology to introduce in orientation and mobility (O&M) programs. The expert panel then went on to discuss how designers, policy makers, and end-users with disabilities can work together to ensure future technology is more inclusive from the start.



In our latest webinar “Ctrl+Esc: What’s the Technology Start Menu for Special Educators”, 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. Our panel includes Jacqui Kelleher, Maggie Pickett, and Annie Lamberto.
CIDDL invited Dr. Stephanie Craig and Ann Kaufman to discuss using UDL in Teacher Preparation Programs. Facilitated by Dr. Tara Courchaine, Chief Research & Development Officer at CAST, these two innovators from Marietta College share how they prepare teachers to implement Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and weave UDL into their curriculum and design their program to reflect the principles of UDL.
CIDDL invited Stefanie McKoy and Krystle Merry, doctoral scholars at the University of Arkansas to discuss the application of netnography in online culture research. Netnography is a type of qualitative research that explores cultural experiences using social media, virtual and augmented reality, and digital communication. Netnography gives researchers a method that investigates how culture and technology meet. Our panelists explored this topic through the researcher and teacher preparation lenses.
To serve as a culminating event of the CIDDL/CEEDAR Affinity Group, CIDDL hosted this webinar to reflect on topics discussed in the series of meetings, with an emphasis on exploring more strategies that better serve students with disabilities in online contexts with regard to their executive functioning, assessment, and engagement. The conversation was facilitated by Dr. Sean Smith, Samantha Goldman, Rachel Silva, and Keane Alavi.
CIDDL invited Dr. Sarah Nagro and Dr. Christan G. Coogle to discuss using practice-based learning to enhance teacher performance. Facilitated by Dr. Tara Courchaine, the panel shared research and practices around the use of technology, such as bug-in-ear, video analysis, and video-based reflection, in teacher preparation. Watch the recording for the insightful discussion.



Facilitated by Dr. Matthew Marino, Dr. Jessica Hunt and Dr. Michelle Taub discuss how game-based technologies can support assessment, specifically in math and science classrooms.



Moderated by Dr. James Basham, this webinar invited Cheryl Lemke and Dr. Jody Britten from Metiri Group to discuss their Range of Use for Educational Technologies and its implications for teacher preparation.



Moderated by Dr. Kathleen Zimmerman, this session highlighted the UDL implementation in early childhood contexts and implications for early childhood special education personnel preparation programs.



Moderated by Dr. Sean Smith, this session discussed practice, research, and policy in relation to the UDL framework and personnel preparation.



Learn about the new Center for Innovation, Design, and Digital Learning!
Past CIDDL Partnership Events
At our last and final meeting of the CIDDL/CEEDAR Affinity Group, we discussed the importance of considering the family as part of the educational team. Through a facilitated discussion with presenters Drs. Maya Israel and Sean Smith, a breakout session for small-group discussions, and a Q&A session with a parent and advocate, Jill Reffett, Affinity group attendees explored various ways to build collaboration with families to support student learning in online/hybrid environments.
In this CIDDL/CEEDAR Affinity group meeting, Barbara Serianni, an associate professor at Georgia Southern University, and Carolyn Rethwisch, a cooperating teacher from Savannah Chatham eLearning Academy discussed the issues impacting our ability to prepare teachers to teach in the online and hybrid environment. They highlighted some of the issues they have encountered in their own practices. Marti Elford joined the conversation to share how she supported teacher candidates in the online and hybrid classrooms.



In this CIDDL/CEEDAR Affinity Group – Preparing Teacher Candidates for Online/ Hybrid Instruction meeting, facilitators Dr. Sean Smith and Dr. Maya Israel asked participants to discuss instructional techniques for engagement, assessment, and executive functioning in small breakout groups. All participants were invited to share out ways and tools they have used to model these areas in their classes.



In this CIDDL/CEEDAR Affinity group on Preparing Teacher Candidates for Online/ Hybrid Instruction, Lauren Elkins, a high school math and physics teacher, discussed a day in the life and what it means to prepare, plan, and teach all students in the online environment. Effective planning for online teaching requires teachers to plan and design differently than a face-to-face (F2F) teacher.



In this CIDDL/CEEDAR Affinity Group –Teaching Methods and Curriculum Part 1 meeting, facilitators Dr. Sean Smith and Dr. Maya Israel used Pear Deck as a way for participants to share how they were feeling. Each member logged onto Pear Deck from their own device and moved the icon to the cat that best matched their feelings. This blog introduces Pear Deck as a useful tool that can be used to create interactive instruction in teacher preparation programs.



Facilitated by Dr. Sean J. Smith, this Affinity Group invited researchers the University of Mary Washington to share their study investigating the effectiveness of instruction, Individual Education Plan (IEP) compliance, and providing Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) during COVID-19 school closures.



Facilitated by Dr. Sean J. Smith, this Affinity Group aims to build the capacity of higher education faculty to support the development of PK-12 educators in delivering effective instruction in online and hybrid learning environments. Participants in this first session discussed many of the characteristics central to online learning.