Inclusive Learning Technologies Conference 2010
As promised, the Inclusive Learning Technologies® Conference returns in 2010!
At the Inclusive Learning Technologies® Conference in 2008 we had almost 600 delegates join us at the Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa for four intensive days of motivating and inspirational workshops and presentations. The Inclusive Learning Technologies® Conference 2010 is already shaping up to be bigger and better, so be sure to register your details for regular updates.
What is the Inclusive Learning Technologies® Conference 2010 about?
Hosted by Spectronics, the conference focuses specifically on “inclusive learning technologies” – technologies designed to advance independent achievement for people with disabilities and/or students with learning difficulties. It includes sessions looking at these technologies in the following three interest streams.
- Struggling Students*
- People with Complex Communication Needs
- People with Disabilities
*What do we mean by “struggling students”? Here we are talking about students who are in Regular Ed settings but are struggling to keep up with the reading, writing or organisational tasks required of them. These students may be struggling because of learning difficulties. Alternatively, they could be one of the growing number of ESL (English as a Second Language) students in our schools and post-secondary institutions.
Keynote Speaker: Caroline Musselwhite
| Dr Caroline Musselwhite PhD, CCC/SLP, is a Speech Language Pathologist and an Assistive Technology Specialist with more than 25 years experience working with children and adolescents with severe disabilities. She has lectured at universities, authored books and software programs, and is a founding member of the Board of Directors for the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC). She is a truly dynamic and inspirational presenter whose enthusiasm for her work is catching! To quote Jane Farrall (Spectronics’ AAC Support Services Manager) after her attendance at one of Caroline’s workshops at a recent ISAAC Conference, “I think Caroline could read the phone book and still inspire me!” Caroline was last in Australia for the Spectronics and ZYGO Australia Assistive Technology Summits held way back in 2000. Many people have asked us to bring her back – so ten years later – Caroline will be back with us and ready to share her wealth of knowledge and her motivational presentation style! |  |
Keynote Speaker: Gretchen Hanser
| Dr Gretchen Hanser PhD, OTR, is an expert in assistive and instructional technologies, especially for students with the most significant disabilities. As a school-based occupational therapist and assistive technology specialist, Dr Hanser developed innovative solutions for the most difficult to support students. She recently completed her dissertation (University of New Hampshire) investigating the effectiveness of integrated word study and communication instruction for school-aged children who use AAC. |  |
Keynote Speaker: E.A. Draffan
| One of the best known and certainly the most energetic campaigner for students with print impairments in the UK, E.A. works tirelessly to improve access to assistive technology in colleges and universities. After training as a Speech and Language Therapist, she worked with people who have communication difficulties whilst specialising in assistive technology.
In addition to working with print impaired students in Further and Higher Education, she has also set up an Assistive Technology Centre. Today she provides staff development focusing on the area of “Dyslexia” and Assistive Technology, maintains an online database of assistive technologies and is currently a member of the Learning Societies Lab research team at the University of Southampton in the UK. E.A. often speaks on assistive technology issues at workshops and conferences and enjoys trying to support colleagues across the world in delivery of new and better solutions for struggling students. |  |
Keynote Speaker: Chris Abbott
| Chris Abbott is Reader in e-Inclusion in the Department of Education and Professional Studies at King’s College London. He is the Director of the MA e-Inclusion (Learning, Disability & Technology). Before joining KCL, he taught in special and mainstream schools for sixteen years and was an Advisory Teacher for ICT and SEN and later the Director of the Inner London Educational Computing Centre. Since joining KCL in 1994, he has taught, researched and written on many aspects of the use of digital technologies by people with learning difficulties and other disabilities. He is the Programme Director for the MA in e-Inclusion and his current PhD students are investigating a range of assistive technologies used within education.
His major publications include E-inclusion: Learning Difficulties and Digital Technologies (Futurelab 2007); Symbols, Literacy and Social Justice (Widgit 2006), Special Educational Needs and the Internet: Issues for Inclusive Education (RoutledgeFalmer 2002) and ICT: Changing Education (RoutledgeFalmer 2000). He has had papers published in a wide range of Journals, including the British Journal of Special Education, the Journal of Education Policy, International Journal of Research and Method in Education and Technology, Pedagogy and Education. He is a member of the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning and Digital Culture and Education. He is the Editor of the Journal of Assistive Technologies. He has given invited presentations on aspects of e-Inclusion in the UK, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Malta, Germany, the Czech Republic, India and Taiwan. He has worked on major funded projects in South Africa, Uzbekistan and the Czech Republic. He has assessed and supervised projects for a wide range of funding bodies including the UK and Irish Research Councils, NESTA, the Big Lottery Fund and the Nuffield Foundation. |  |
Featured Presenter: Ian Bean
| Ian Bean is the Consultancy and Training Manager at Inclusive Technology in the UK where he leads a team of teachers and therapists who provide consultancy and training to schools in the use of assistive technology to support the learning, communication and leisure needs of pupils with learning difficulties.
In Australia, Ian is perhaps better known for his work at Priory Woods School where he taught learners of all ages with a wide range of severe, profound and complex learning difficulties. Ian’s work at Priory Woods is internationally recognised as a model of best practice in the use of ICT for children with severe and complex needs including those on the Autistic Spectrum. Ian wrote and maintains the popular Priory Woods web site which is visited by many thousands of people each day eager to use the free switch and touch screen programs he wrote for the site. So popular in fact, that there have now been 3.5 million downloads of the activities! See http://www.priorywoods.middlesbrough.sch.uk/resources/restop.htm Ian has an in-depth knowledge of assistive technology and has developed and shares detailed assessment techniques and novel teaching strategies to exploit the full potential of this technology. He is passionate in his belief that technology has the potential to enable and empower ALL learners providing them with rich, meaningful and personalised learning experiences. He is a former Becta ICT in Practice Award winner for Inclusion, an award winning website designer and a popular speaker at conferences around the world. Feedback from recent presentation by Ian in the UK ‘Inspirational’ and ‘amazing’ are just two of the comments that have been made to me following your presentation. Two of the schools that I visit have already made plans for the things that they are keen to implement since hearing you (and it’s only Thursday morning)! Our members have varying levels of expertise and experience yet everyone found new ideas and were enabled to reflect on their practice. |  |
When?
25th to 28th May 2010
How much does it cost?
Prices are listed in Australian dollars:- Three-day Registration Fee … $595
- Pre-Conference Workshops … $220
- Conference Dinner … $90 per person
- Complete four-day package … $795 (Save $110!)
(Includes one Pre-Conference Workshop, Full three-day Conference Registration AND Conference Dinner)
Where?
Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa
158 Ferny Avenue
Surfers Paradise
Queensland 4217
AUSTRALIA
