UW-Whitewater hosts special education summer institute
July 15, 2013
Using the latest technology can provide unique and interesting ways of teaching students with special needs. That's the focus of the Summer 2013 Institute Series at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Keynote speaker Rebecca Hines (pictured right) will present "Using Technology in Research-Supported Instruction." Hines, an associate professor in the Department of Child, Family, and Community Sciences at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, is an expert on using instructional technology to support special education. Her extensive research is reflected in more than $1 million in research and professional development grants, over 100 presentations, and more than 25 books and other publications, including a regular instructional technology column for CEC Today.
Amy Griffith, a professor of special education at UW-Whitewater and coordinator of the event, is excited for this year's institute.
"The purpose is to provide affordable, professional development to educators in the region," she said. "Rebecca Hines provides fabulous opportunities to learn how to use technology in the field of education."
Topics for discussion include identifying types of technology benefiting instruction, examining research supporting the use of technology for instruction, trying out a variety of apps on tablets, examining appropriate technology for different developmental levels and establishing a safe learning environment.
The Summer Institute will be held Aug. 7-8 in the James R. Connor University Center. The three-part professional development program is for teachers, behavioral specialists, administrators and other professionals and community agencies who want to learn about using technology to support special education.
Cost for attending is $250 for non-credit participants. Course credit for graduates and undergraduates is available for additional fees and includes sessions held before and after the institute.
The program is offered by the Department of Special Education and the School of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education.