Learn: Explore how to achieve a healthier balance between technology and traditional skills in your classroom. This session addresses concerns about excessive screen time and the impact on essential soft skills, drawing from discussions held within my school district.
Engage: We will cover diverse topics, including virtual reality, traditional geography skills, handwriting versus speech-to-text, library resources, and the importance of face-to-face communication. Attendees will have opportunities for Q&A throughout the presentation to foster engagement.
Apply: Participants will receive a T-chart to assess their current balance between technology and traditional skills, along with actionable strategies for reinforcing soft skills in their classrooms. Leave with practical ideas to enhance your curriculum and promote student success in both realms.
Learn: Discover how Merlyn, a voice-enabled AI assistant, revolutionizes classroom management and instruction by integrating seamlessly into daily teaching tasks. Learn how Merlyn supports real-time curiosity, engagement, and classroom focus, while maintaining strict K-12 privacy standards.
Engage: Experience how Merlyn functions in a classroom setting through live demonstrations and real-world examples. Explore interactive discussions on how Merlyn can address classroom challenges like managing devices, setting timers, and fostering engagement.
Apply: Walk away with actionable insights to implement Merlyn in your classroom. Gain practical strategies to enhance focus, improve classroom behavior, and create more opportunities for impactful teaching moments with this innovative tool.
Learn: Discover Cisco’s Global Problem Solvers (GPS) program as a powerful framework for Genius Hour, guiding students to tackle real-world issues. Learn how GPS cultivates critical thinking and digital storytelling to address local, national and global challenges.
Engage: Through live polls, collaborative brainstorming and Q&A, actively explore digital storytelling techniques and educational tools to enrich student-led projects. Small group discussions will foster idea-sharing and practical insights.
Apply: Gain ready to implement Genius Hour projects with Cisco's GPS resources, using digital storytelling to empower students to address contemporary challenges with creativity and precision.
Learn: Discover the transformative potential of Generative AI in K-12 education through a no-cost, 90-minute virtual readiness session tailored for educators and administrators. Gain insight into the opportunities and challenges AI brings to learning environments.
Engage: Collaborate with seasoned consultants from Advanced Learning Partnerships (ALP) and CDW in exploring practical strategies for AI implementation. Participate in guided discussions and real-world scenario planning to understand how AI can shape your district’s educational practices.
Apply: Leave equipped with actionable insights and a strategic framework to define and scale AI-infused learning environments in your district. Start your AI journey with confidence and clarity.
Learn: Gain a comprehensive understanding of Dabrowski's Overexcitabilities Theory and its relevance to the characteristics of exceptional learners. Delve into each overexcitability, connecting theoretical concepts to real-life experiences.
Engage: Actively discuss overexcitabilities and identify your own, experiencing "OE Breaks" to understand the energy release associated with each type. This session emphasizes experiential learning over passive listening.
Apply: Move beyond theory to practical insights on creating conducive learning environments that support emotional well-being and concentration. Gain strategies for fostering self-awareness and emotional regulation in gifted students, including routines, activities and tools to manage overstimulation and enhance learning experiences for those with overexcitabilities.
Carly Mansfield is a dedicated Gifted Specialist at the Kirkwood School District, bringing over 20 years of teaching experience to her role. She has taught elementary education, middle school social studies, served as a building STEM coordinator, and now focuses on gifted education... Read More →
Learn: Discover how to use a lesson internalization protocol to enhance collaborative planning and instruction in critical content areas. This session targets districts using scripted lessons or those focused on developing teacher-created lessons, providing strategies applicable even in non-mandatory lesson planning environments.
Engage: Analyze video clips from lesson internalization meetings and examine protocols from various districts. Engage in discussions with peers and small groups to share insights and key takeaways throughout the session.
Apply: Gain hands-on experience with a planning template to guide portions of a lesson internalization protocol and how to implement these strategies in your school fostering best practices and instructional alignment.
Learn: Delve into the practice of Instructional Rounding as implemented in the Mehlville and Affton school districts, and discover its positive impacts in special education. Discover how Instructional Rounding can foster a culture of continuous learning, strengthen educator capacity and promote a community of personalized professional growth.
Engage: Participate in hands-on activities, partner and group discussions, and interactive Q&A session. Through these collaborative experiences, gain deeper insight into how Instructional Rounding supports educator and student development.
Apply: Reflect on the impacts of Instructional Rounding and begin planning how to incorporate this practice in your own setting. Gain actionable ideas for implementing Instructional Rounding to cultivate a supportive and growth-oriented culture within your educational community.
Learn: Explore the findings of our nationwide survey involving 119 high school English teachers regarding their attitudes toward ChatGPT integration in instructional practices. Gain insights into ethical concerns, common usage patterns and current perceptions of ChatGPT in the classroom.
Engage: Learn how English teachers are utilizing ChatGPT for personal planning and classroom instruction as you are guided through the process of creating a ChatGPT account. Learn how to differentiate lesson plans for various learning levels, develop new lesson plans and streamline administrative tasks. Depending on compurter availability, work independently or interact with demonstrations.
Apply: Get hands-on experience with ChatGPT as you explore its capabilities using your own classroom materials. Gain practical strategies for integrating ChatGPT into your teaching, along with take-home materials such as printouts and access to our presentation to support future application.
Dr. Simmons is a dedicated high school English teacher in Southern Illinois and an adjunct instructor at a community college. She received a Bachelor of Science in Social Work (2012) and a Master of Arts in Education (2018). Holding a Doctor of Arts in English Pedagogy with a focus... Read More →
Dr. Cara Bertelmann holds a Bachelor's in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2015), a Master's in Secondary Education from Grand Canyon University (2018), and a Doctor of Arts in English Pedagogy with a specialization in English Language from... Read More →
Monday February 24, 2025 12:10pm - 1:00pm CST
Salon 3Marriott St. Louis Airport
Learn: Gain a comprehensive understanding of Dabrowski's Overexcitabilities Theory and its relevance to the characteristics of exceptional learners. Delve into each overexcitability, connecting theoretical concepts to real-life experiences.
Engage: Actively discuss overexcitabilities and identify your own, experiencing "OE Breaks" to understand the energy release associated with each type. This session emphasizes experiential learning over passive listening.
Apply: Move beyond theory to practical insights on creating conducive learning environments that support emotional well-being and concentration. Gain strategies for fostering self-awareness and emotional regulation in gifted students, including routines, activities and tools to manage overstimulation and enhance learning experiences for those with overexcitabilities.
Carly Mansfield is a dedicated Gifted Specialist at the Kirkwood School District, bringing over 20 years of teaching experience to her role. She has taught elementary education, middle school social studies, served as a building STEM coordinator, and now focuses on gifted education... Read More →
Learn: Explore how to achieve a healthier balance between technology and traditional skills in your classroom. This session addresses concerns about excessive screen time and the impact on essential soft skills, drawing from discussions held within my school district.
Engage: We will cover diverse topics, including virtual reality, traditional geography skills, handwriting versus speech-to-text, library resources, and the importance of face-to-face communication. Attendees will have opportunities for Q&A throughout the presentation to foster engagement.
Apply: Participants will receive a T-chart to assess their current balance between technology and traditional skills, along with actionable strategies for reinforcing soft skills in their classrooms. Leave with practical ideas to enhance your curriculum and promote student success in both realms.
