Presentations

AI brings academic integrity in the online classroom into question. Leveraging AI effectively depends on how we interact with it. Explore the art and science of prompt engineering, highlighting innovative strategies for using AI as a collaboration partner rather than a tool for replication. Maximize AI's potential in the online classroom where the teacher cannot be physically present all the time with practical, actionable strategies that enable AI to assist as a partner for brainstorming, studying, and research. AI can support teachers and students, enhancing online learning experiences and promoting critical and creative thinking. 

Media literacy is increasingly essential, especially with AI's growing role in education. This session will prepare educators to teach media literacy in the AI age, offering insights into AI's current state and its educational implications. Participants will explore U.S. media literacy policies, laws, and regulations, focusing on their educational impact. The session will provide practical strategies to help students critically evaluate information and identify credible sources. Additionally, attendees will learn to apply media literacy skills to AI technologies like ChatGPT and deep fakes, equipping them to tackle these emerging challenges in the classroom.

Are you ready for a practical guide for schools looking to adopt AI technologies, covering the entire process from initial concept and planning to full-scale implementation? We will address key concerns from the top down, starting at the district level to explore policy considerations and cybersecurity. Narrowing down to the building level, we’ll address issues such as academic integrity in a post-plagiarism landscape. Finally, we’ll discuss classroom usage, focusing on accessibility and higher-order thinking. Attendees will gain actionable insights and strategies to navigate challenges and successfully integrate AI into their educational environments.

Whether you’re a teacher, administrator, support staff, it’s pretty safe to say that you’ve seen priorities change so fast that sometimes you might feel like your head is on a swivel. A quick glance at the headlines tells us that students need more support for soft skills and social emotional learning to be successful. Wait, don’t scroll any further on that media site or you’ll be told that students need more rigid academics and standards because our NAEP scores have fallen so far behind. It’s enough to make us want to panic! This session will focus on strategies that help us pivot, not panic when it seems like the sky is falling. Learn to manage change with a calm that helps center you and your building or students. These strategies will help you be a better teacher, administrator, or support to the stakeholders who depend on you. And just to make sure we don’t take ourselves too seriously, we’ll also teach a basic jazz step - the pivot!

You’ve likely seen the image of a classroom full of teachers looking bored with a caption that reads “When I die, I hope it’s during professional development because the transition to death would be so smooth.” You’ve probably even attended that PD! Well spoiler alert, PD doesn’t have to suck! This contributed talk will quickly highlight ten must-have considerations for building professional development that actually engages teachers. The bulk of this talk will focus on actual examples of PD that doesn’t suck. These are examples that you can take back to your workplace and use immediately. Ever participated in a professional development game show?? What about popcorn PD? You’ll learn about these fun options to learn new strategies and master new content. All of the strategies in this session apply to a variety of essential topics (e.g. digital learning, special populations, SEL, DEI, teaching strategies, engaging online learners) in education. When you leave this session, you’ll say to yourself “Wow, that didn’t suck!”

 Media plays a role in nearly every part of our work and personal lives.  Teaching students how to think critically about the media they consume and produce is more important now than ever before.  How do students filter through the noise?  Identify bias? Evaluate intention?  Create with purpose?  This session will teach students to seek out reliable and useful sources, identify bias, and explore media in a way that will support their growth and ability to critically analyze information. This presentation was given at the 2023 Ohio CoSN/ISTE conference in November. 

As the methods of education are continuously evolving, teachers need tried and true methods that can be easily adapted to match the needs of the students and the educational environment.  Learn about digital tools and strategies for collaboration to engage students and increase participation and learning that can be adjusted to work in face-to-face, blended, and virtual settings using synchronous and asynchronous formats.  In this session, participants will engage with strategies and lesson frames designed to teach the objectives while encouraging and developing collaboration skills.  Ideas for adaptation will be discussed with each strategy. Participants will leave the session equipped with templates and tools and inspired to try new collaborative approaches with their students.  This presentation was given at the both the 2021 and 2022 Ohio Educational Technology Conference and the 2022 Ohio CosN/ISTE Conference.