Community Office Hours: AI at CEC 2025
Author: Teddy Kim; info@ciddl.org
On February 12th, 2025, CIDDL hosted Community Office Hours, which offered an in-depth exploration of AI’s role in education and a comprehensive preview of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) 2025. The session featured expert insights from Dr. Lisa Dieker and Laurie VanderPloeg, who shared practical strategies for integrating AI into teaching and highlighted key events at the upcoming CEC convention.
CIDDL Conversation at CEC 2025
Dr. Lisa Dieker, a University of Kansas faculty member, shared her hands-on approach to using AI to support teachers and students. She prioritizes free tools to ensure accessibility for educators. Dieker emphasized the power of AI-generated images, sharing how such tools could have transformed learning for students with disabilities. She urged teachers to explore tools like Gemini, ChatGPT, Copilot, and Perplexity to create engaging visuals and differentiated materials tailored to diverse learners.
A key theme in her presentation was the importance of prompt engineering. She illustrated this through a classroom scenario. AI helped teachers create personalized learning resources: an image to clarify the plot, simplified text for struggling readers, a high-Lexile summary for advanced learners, and a translation for an English language learner—all generated within seconds.
She also recommended essential tools for educators: Khanmigo, known for its free features for making classroom resources, and MagicSchool AI, which helps schools with slide generation, planning, and differentiation.
CEC 2025 Key Events and Learning Opportunities
Laurie VanderPloeg presented highlights for CEC 2025, emphasizing AI’s prominence after the success of 2024’s AI sessions in San Antonio. She shared key events that attendees should prioritize:
Wednesday Workshop (March 12th): A three-hour, hands-on session by the CIDDL focused on integrating AI into curriculum, teaching, and assessment. Participants will gain practical experience with AI tools to support students with disabilities.
AI Keynote Panel: A major event featuring Dr. James Basham, Dr. Lisa Dieker, and Dr. Trey Vasquez, offering a deep dive into the evolution of AI in special education—from past developments to future trends.
Technology Playground: An interactive space in the vendor hall where attendees can experience cutting-edge tools firsthand, participate in 'Ask the Expert' sessions, and engage with assistive technology providers.
Q&A Session: Practical Guidance for Attendees and Educators
- Advice for First-time attendance at CEC
Laurie recommended that first-time CEC attendees browse the First-Time Attendees webpage, join the Webinar on February 25th, and participate in the dedicated networking reception during the conference to ease their experience and expand their professional connections. An email will be out to advertise this information. - Advice for better prompt
Lisa offered prompt engineering tips for beginners. She advised educators to frame prompts as SMART goals and to experiment with AI-generated suggestions to improve output. She reminded participants always to protect their privacy (e.g., name, SSN) when using AI tools. - More Resources?
Conclusion
The 2025 CIDDL Community Office Hours delivered rich insights, practical resources, and expert guidance, building excitement for CEC 2025. Educators are encouraged to explore these AI tools as the event approaches and prepare to engage deeply with the conference’s offerings. This ensures they maximize this opportunity to advance their practice and support diverse learners effectively.
Keep the Conversation Going!
Share your experiences and insights in our CIDDL community!