PAPER: Unlocking the Classroom Benefits of 24/7 Academic Support

Kristina Meyer and Blaine Overby, Senior Customer Success Managers, PAPER

This session is specifically for grades 3-12. During this engaging and interactive session, you will learn how to utilize the FREE, 24/7 access to Paper's subject-matter experts, allowing you to differentiate instruction and instantly meet the needs of all students. You will experience Paper from the student and teacher perspective, explore ready to use classroom resources to bring Paper to your classroom and assist with preparing students for the upcoming school year. Additionally, we will take time to create your own Paper Action Plan. 

3-12 | Current Users of Paper | ELA, Math, ELL, SpEd | Create structured routines & practices

JCC Theater

Woo-hah, I Got You All in Check

Shantel Lott, Lead Learning Guide, friEdTech

Bust out these ways to check for understanding in your classroom! What do students already know? Have they learned the target or not? In this session, we will learn strategies like Quick Notebook Checks, Self-Checking, and Mini-Checks and use quick built in assessment tools. You’ll be asking your students to “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See” because they got it! 

All Levels | All Audiences | All Subjects | Transform Feedback

BALLROOM A

Creative Corner: Intro to Adobe Express

Lori Roberts, Lead Learning Guide, friEdTech

In this hands-on session you will experience how Adobe Express can be used to drive teaching and learning. Adobe Express is an intuitive yet powerful tool that works on any device. You will learn how to enable your students to create graphics like posters, infographics and more as demonstrations of learning.

All Levels | All Audiences | All Subjects | Promote Student Engagement

BALLROOM B

Accessibility Chromed Out: Exploring Accessibility Features in Google Chrome

Tara Brister, Digital Learning Coach, MDE 

Explore the excellent accessibility features built-in Google Chrome. Find ways to enhance the learning experiences of students by teaching them to be independent learners on a tool they probably already use! Dig deeper into the Webstore which holds a host of additional extensions designed to meet the individual needs of our students. 

All Levels | All Audiences | All Subjects | Address the Needs of all Learners

ROOM 211

Unleash the Power of Inquiry in Social Studies with News-O-Matic

Melissa Quinn, Education Specialist, News-O-Matic

Discover how News-O-Matic supports inquiry-based learning in social studies to foster students’ critical thinking skills, ignite curiosity, and increase engagement. Learn how News-O-Matic’s authentic and relevant articles empower students to take ownership of their learning and promote deeper understanding with research-based practices. 

PreK-8 | All Audiences | ELA, Social Studies | Promote Student Engagement

ROOM 213

What's New for Google for Education?

Samantha Reeder, Program Manager, Google

Students and educators use Google Workspace for Education every day to plan lessons, get their homework done, collaborate on presentations and more. Google for Education has some exciting developments that continue to make it a centralized place for teaching and learning. We will be sharing updates to Google Classroom, Docs, Slides and Meet that make these tools even more helpful to education communities around the world. 

All Levels | All Audiences | All Subjects | Promote Student Engagement

ROOM 212

PodCLASSting: Podcasting in the Classroom

Jake Miller, Keynote, Jake Miller Tech

Want to assess your learners’ comprehension? You may need more than a multiple-choice question: you may need to HEAR them. Want to amplify your students’ voices and develop important real-world skills? Give them a microphone!

Want to learn about podcasting? Attend a session led by someone who has released nearly a hundred episodes and been a guest on many other podcasts.

You’ll leave this session with ideas about how to record, edit, and share podcasts, as well as how they can be used in the classroom.

All Levels | All Audiences | All Subjects | Promote Student Engagement

JCC Theater

What's Up Doc: Beyond Basics

Amy Storer, Lead Learning Guide, friEdTech

So you think you've conquered the basics of Google Docs, eh? Take your Docs game to the next level with built-in tools like Table of Contents, custom formatting and hyperlinks and don't spend another day wondering what you're missing!

All Levels | All Audiences | All Subjects | Address the needs of all learners

BALLROOM A

iPad Treasure: Unlock Hidden Secrets

Lori Roberts, Lead Learning Guide, friEdTech

Whether you are a power user or a beginner, this session will help you uncover the hidden gems that make your iPad experience even more rewarding. We’ll map out a course to find and customize settings, shortcuts, and features to unlock the full potential of iPad in the classroom for better teaching and learning. 

All Levels | All Audiences | All Subjects | Promote Student Engagement

BALLROOM B

Making Math Visual with Mathigon

Lindsey Dickerson, Digital Learning Coach, MDE

Explore the excellent accessibility features built-in Google Chrome. Find ways to enhance the learning experiences of students by teaching them to be independent learners on a tool they probably already use! Dig deeper into the Webstore which holds a host of additional extensions designed to meet the individual needs of our students. 

PreK-5 | All Audiences | Math | Technology is Aligned to Lesson Targets

ROOM 211

Unleash the Power of Inquiry in Social Studies with News-O-Matic

Melissa Quinn, Education Specialist, News-O-Matic

Discover how News-O-Matic supports inquiry-based learning in social studies to foster students’ critical thinking skills, ignite curiosity, and increase engagement. Learn how News-O-Matic’s authentic and relevant articles empower students to take ownership of their learning and promote deeper understanding with research-based practices. 

PreK-8 | All Audiences | ELA, Social Studies | Promote Student Engagement

ROOM 213

What's New for Google for Education?

Samantha Reeder, Program Manager, Google

Students and educators use Google Workspace for Education every day to plan lessons, get their homework done, collaborate on presentations and more. Google for Education has some exciting developments that continue to make it a centralized place for teaching and learning. We will be sharing updates to Google Classroom, Docs, Slides and Meet that make these tools even more helpful to education communities around the world. 

All Levels | All Audiences | All Subjects | Promote Student Engagement

ROOM 212

#StopMotion Slides

Jake Miller, Jake Miller Tech

Want your students to create animations to show their understanding of content? Want them to have nearly unlimited creative freedom in those animations? Creating Stop Motion Animations in Google Slides is what you (and your students!) need! Come learn tips, tricks, hacks, and keyboard shortcuts while creating one of your own! 

All Levels | All Audiences | All Subjects | Promote Student Engagement

JCC Theater

Savvy with Google Sheets

Shantel Lott, Lead Learning Guide, friEdTech

Let’s get Savvy With Google Sheets! In this session, we'll cover basic to intermediate skills for using the spreadsheet tool. We'll cover creating a spreadsheet, data entry, formatting, basic formulas, and functions. We'll also dive into more advanced features like conditional formatting, and data validation to help you analyze and visualize your data. You'll get hands-on practice and real-world examples to become proficient in using Google Sheets.

All Levels | All Audiences | All Subjects | Address the Needs of All Learners

BALLROOM A

Microsoft Accessibility Rules

Amy Storer, Lead Learning Guide, friEdTech

Providing student learning accommodations is vital to their ability to comprehend and interact with the learning material. Using some truly amazing Edge tools and extensions, teachers can learn to provide these accommodations 

All Levels | All Audiences | All Subjects | Address the Needs of All Learners

BALLROOM B

Discovery Education:  Your Daily Learning Platform

Nakeitha Thomas, Statewide and Strategic Partnership Manager, Mississippi,  Discovery Education

We recognize your need to focus on equitable instruction for all your students. Join us for a 55-minute session to learn how Discovery Education’s K-12 learning platform provides teachers with authentic, real-world content, useful teaching tools, and professional learning strategies for the classroom. Educators will be equipped to engage students, address current and relevant science topics, and take advantage of ready-to-use lesson activities that address all students’ learning needs. Our quiz feature gives teachers ways to promote active learning every day and track student progress in real-time. 

All Levels | All Audiences | All Subjects | Promote Student Engagement

ROOM 211

Imagine Math & Math Facts: Making a Difference in Mississippi

Jordan German, Customer Success Manager, Mississippi, Imagine Learning

You will be provided a quick overview of Imagine Math and Math Facts to frame your understanding of the program. Then we will dive into the resources within the programs that allow you to differentiate for all your students and build their mathematical capacity to their next level. We will show you how to use the tools in the program to motivate students and make math matter! 

All Levels | All Audiences | Math, SpEd, Intervention | Address the Needs of All Learners

ROOM 213

Google Workspace Admin Best Practices

(This session is relevant to Technology Directors or similar.)

Fred Aldrich, Google Workspace for Education Technical Consultant, Amplified IT

As a newer Google Admin, it can be challenging to know where to start with configuring your console. Have you ever thought “What does this button do”? Join us to learn and discuss some of the fundamental settings and essential configurations while also diving into deeper dive topics based on the best practices we’ve gathered from over ten years of experience. Through short learning modules followed by discussions, attendees will explore the principles of managing the Google Admin environment. This session is for Google Administrators, beginners to advanced users. 

TECH ADMINS 

ROOM 212

Choice Boards in the Classroom

Jake Miller, Jake Miller Tech

We know from Dan Pink’s work that humans are motivated by autonomy, mastery, and purpose.  Choice boards are a great way to build 1 of those 3 things into your content: autonomy. And, if done right, you can hit all 3.  In this session, I’ll share examples of choice boards, ways to set them up, and different types of activities that can be included. The best part, though, is the discussion amongst attendees about the pros and cons of the variety of choice boards that are shared. 

All Levels | All Audiences | All Subjects | Promote Student Voice and Choice

JCC Theater

Google Calendar & Tasks

Lori Roberts, Lead Learning Guide, friEdTech

Learn about two of Google's most useful productivity tools: Google Calendar and Google Tasks. Explore how to use these tools to create a seamless workflow and ensure that you never miss a deadline or task again. By the end, you will be equipped with the knowledge to use Google Calendar and Google Tasks as your own little assistants to help you stay organized and on top of your schedule & to-do list. 

All Levels | All Audiences | All Subjects | Create Structured Routines and Practices

BALLROOM A

STEAM-Y Coding for All

Amy Storer, Lead Learning Guide, friEdTech

Are you new to STEAM and ready to learn how to engage and introduce students to coding? Let friEdTech share this whole new world with you. We will explore wonderous places to start your journey and the best part is, IT'S fun AND FREE! Students will baby step their way into becoming coding masters as teachers facilitate these engaging coding courses. This introduction to coding is for all grade levels and subjects, helps build the foundation for coding for many STEAM professions and could possibly ignite the spark in the next Engineer, Web Developer, or Programmer. 

All Levels | All Audiences | All Subjects | Promote Student Engagement

BALLROOM B

Discovery Education:  Your Daily Learning Platform

Nakeitha Thomas, Statewide and Strategic Partnership Manager, Mississippi,  Discovery Education

We recognize your need to focus on equitable instruction for all your students. Join us for a 55-minute session to learn how Discovery Education’s K-12 learning platform provides teachers with authentic, real-world content, useful teaching tools, and professional learning strategies for the classroom. Educators will be equipped to engage students, address current and relevant science topics, and take advantage of ready-to-use lesson activities that address all students’ learning needs. Our quiz feature gives teachers ways to promote active learning every day and track student progress in real-time. 

All Levels | All Audiences | All Subjects| Promote Student Engagement

ROOM 211

Imagine Math & Math Facts: Making a Difference in Mississippi

Jordan German, Customer Success Manager, Mississippi, Imagine Learning

You will be provided a quick overview of Imagine Math and Math Facts to frame your understanding of the program. Then we will dive into the resources within the programs that allow you to differentiate for all your students and build their mathematical capacity to their next level. We will show you how to use the tools in the program to motivate students and make math matter! 

All Levels | All Audiences | Math, SpEd, Intervention | Address the Needs of All Learners

ROOM 213

Chromebook Best Practices

(This session is relevant to Technology Directors or similar.)

Fred Aldrich, Google Workspace for Education Technical Consultant, Amplified IT

Google Chrome is more than a browser, it is the primary medium by which our teachers and students engage and learn with one another. Understanding and managing Chrome is one of the most significant aspects to master within the Admin Console. By understanding all there is to know involving Chrome you will be able to:

• Efficiently distribute grade/subject related content to students and teachers

• Support individualized learning outcomes

• Ensure students are protected via security-centric Chrome policies

• Make the day-to-day of your users easier by removing obstacles and ensuring browser standards

This session is for Google Administrators, beginners to advanced users.    

TECH ADMINS 

ROOM 212

PAPER: Unlocking the Classroom Benefits of 24/7 Academic Support

Kristina Meyer and Blaine Overby, Senior Customer Success Managers, PAPER

This session is specifically for grades 3-12. During this engaging and interactive session, you will learn how to utilize the FREE, 24/7 access to Paper's subject-matter experts, allowing you to differentiate instruction and instantly meet the needs of all students. You will experience Paper from the student and teacher perspective, explore ready to use classroom resources to bring Paper to your classroom and assist with preparing students for the upcoming school year. Additionally, we will take time to create your own Paper Action Plan. 

3-12 | Current Users of Paper | ELA, Math, ELL, SpEd | Create Structured Routines & Practices

JCC Theater

Happy Little Slides

Lori Roberts, Lead Learning Guide, friEdTech

Bob Ross said “I can't think of anything more rewarding than being able to express yourself to others through ‘Google Slides’ -ok maybe he said through painting. Time to minimize design time with editing slide theme. Create decks to match your school colors, or specific topics. Learn to set colors, title font, subheading font, and more before ever adding content. Then go ahead and add these slide templates to your gallery so you can reuse them or share with others. Make happy little slides. 

All Levels | All Audiences | All Subjects | Promote Student Engagement

BALLROOM A

Microsoft & Google: Two of a Kind

Amy Storer and Shantel Lott, Lead Learning Guides, friEdTech

Burger King & McDonald’s. Apple & Android. Google & Microsoft. Are they really that different from each other? Oftentimes, it just comes down to personal preference or your needs at the time. Double down in this session and explore a variety of tools and activities that can be completed with Google, Microsoft, or BOTH! See how these tools offer up the winning hand with an emphasis on student achievement, accountability, and instructional efficiency: two of a kind. 

All Levels | All Audiences | All Subjects | Address the Needs of All Learners

BALLROOM B

Q is for Quizizz: Quick Quality Quizzes

Heather Ascherl and Tan McKinney, Digital Learning Coaches, MDE

Do you feel strapped for time when trying to assess student learning in your classroom plus make sure your lessons are interactive and engaging? Let’s explore how Quizizz can embed on the spot formative assessments into your daily instruction to gather data for next steps.   

All Levels | All Audiences | All Subjects | Utilize Digital Assessments

ROOM 211

Does it Fit? Digital Evaluation Rubric 

Rufus Hill, State Math Coach Director, and Kanequa Willis, State Math Coaching Coordinator, MDE

This session's purpose is to provide educators with a resource to evaluate the appropriateness of academic digital resources. After this session, educators and support staff should be able to determine if a digital resource meets the criterion of the rubric. This in turn identifies digital resources that support teaching MCCRS. 

All Levels | All Audiences | Math | Technology is Aligned to Lesson Targets

ROOM 213

Mississippi Common Tech Issues

(This session is relevant to Technology Directors or similar.)

Fred Aldrich, Google Workspace for Education Technical Consultant, Amplified IT

While working with almost 100 different districts in Mississippi, we found some common misconfigurations in their Google Admin Consoles.  Learn what those are and see if you have those same misconfigurations in your Google environment.  Sometimes, the Google Workspace for Education default settings do not offer the most secure and safe environment for your data and your students. You don't know what you don't know until you know it.  Join us today to be in the know.  This session is for Google Administrators, beginners to advanced users. 

TECH ADMINS 

ROOM 212