Have you ever considerd taking an online professional development course? The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) both offer great opportunities to learn and grow your practice from the convenience of your own computer.

Right now, the CEC is offering online courses for continuing education in Accommodations and Alternate Assessment, Adapting Reading and Math Materials for the Inclusive Classroom, and a variety of other practice-oriented topics. For more details, please visit their website: http://www.cec.sped.org/Content/NavigationMenu/ ProfessionalDevelopment/ProfessionalTraining/OnlineCourses/default.htm

NCTM also offers 90-minute E-workshops covering topics such as Implementing the Algebra Standard and Geometric Thinking at http://www.nctm.org/eworkshops/

The University of Illinois at Chicago's College of Education will be holding an Open House for anyone interested in pursuing a Master's Degree in Education on Tuesday, January 30, 2007, from 5-7pm. The Open House will be held at 1040 W. Harrison St., room 3233.

Interested students are encouraged to attend to find out more about the College's Master's Degree program, especially the Master's in Special Education.

For more information, please visit the College of Education home page at http://www.uic.edu/educ

There are a variety of special education conferences and workshops coming up in the next few months. These conferences are a great way to network with other professionals and learn more about the latest developments in educational research and practice.

Here are just a few of the opportunities available in February and March:

• Technology, Reading and Learning Diversity
  February 1-3, 2007, San Francisco, CA
  http://www.trld.com/
  
  
• 2007 National Reading Recovery & K-6 Classroom Literacy Conference
  February 3 - 6, 2007, Columbus, Ohio
  http://www.readingrecovery.org/
  
  
• CCBD International Forum on Educating Troubled Children/Youth: Innovative Approaches, Alternative Settings, and Multidisciplinary Collaboration Resulting in Positive Outcomes
  February 9-10, 2007, Las Vegas, NV
  www.unt.edu/behavioraldisorders/ccbdforum.
  
  
• Addressing Challenging Behavior: National Training Institute on Effective Practice
  March 14-17, 2007, Clearwater Beach, FL
  www.addressingchallengingbehavior.org
  
  
• Illinois Reading Conference
  March 15-17, 2007, Springfield, Illinois
  http://www.illinoisreadingcouncil.org/
  
  
• NCTM annual conference
  March 21 - 24, 2007, Atlanta, Georgia
  http://www.nctm.org/