Course Dates | July 13-August 21, 2020
-Meeting Times: Tuesdays @ 6:30pm (Eastern Time)
-Audience: K-12 Educators
-Special Education/MLL-ELL Teachers encouraged to register
-Limited cohort size
Course Overview
This course is designed to empower educators to plan and design for the new normal. Efforts to educate ALL learners (with emphasis on specific struggling learner populations) in the fall of 2020 will not mimic our fall of 2019 efforts. Instead, we need to design and plan for a more personalized learning experience that will include face-to-face, online and the various uses of digital tools to support the fluid learning experience social distancing and similar COVID 19 elements will demand. By the end of this course participants will have explored effective practices in blended learning, designed lessons in preparation for various learning models, and developed similar resources in preparation for re-opening schools this fall.
SEAN SMITH, Course Instructor
Sean J. Smith, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Kansas. He is also the Past-President of the technology division for the Council for Exceptional Children, Innovations in Special Education Technology (ISET), and member of the Board for the National Down syndrome Congress. Dr. Smith’s research interest focus on innovations and technology solutions to support struggling learners and those with disabilities, particularly interventions aligned with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Framework. Working in the area of blended and online learning, Dr. Smith served as a Co-Principal Investigator (PI) for the National Center on Online Learning and Students with Disabilities examining the design and delivery of online learning, the roles of educators and the adult family member, and ways to foster effective instruction to further personalize digital learning experiences.
At present, Dr. Smith is the Principal Investigator on a federally funded project exploring the impact of virtual reality on struggling learners in the area of social emotional development. Sean has authored over 100 books and articles, given hundreds of scholarly presentations both nationally and internationally, and serves on various boards for journals, organizations, and parent groups focused on enhancing the lives of individuals with disabilities. Most important, Sean is the father of four children, one having Down syndrome. It is through this work as a Father that Sean has sought to apply his knowledge of effective practices with parents, family members, and educators as we look to enhance the lives of our children.
