Session

Session Description

Creating Classroom Camaraderie

(K-12)

Rebecca Belt, ADAPT

According to a 2017 APA Stress Survey, reported on by Harvard, 83% of teens identified school as a major stressor. One important ​aspect of school related stress is peer relationships. In our increasingly online world, it is not uncommon to encounter many students ​within any given school year who lack basic social skills, including appropriately interacting with peers. Some studies point to the ​growing influence of social media and AI- where people can take on different personas and even combative personality styles without ​real world consequences- to the decreasing level of social niceties and the increase of adolescent feelings of isolation and seclusion. ​While these may seem like 'home' problems, they are issues that are negatively affecting classroom and campus culture as well as ​academic performance. To combat the growing feelings of tension and isolationism within our students, it is important to promote a ​sense of belonging and connectedness between students and students and teachers and students. In this session, we will discuss ​ways to create and maintain classroom camaraderie. 

Level Up! Gamification in Education: ​How to Make ANY Task, Assignment, ​or Unit into a GAME!

(2-5)

Brittany Baldwin, ME

To gamify is to parallel the successes of the multibillion dollar industry of video games into the classroom. Gamification in education ​means to incentivize, reward, and provide instant feedback to students. These key components will increase student engagement, ​performance, and effort. Teachers will be provided with the research behind gamification, practical ideas to create and share, and ​templates ready for immediate use!

Robotics is for Everyone

(K-12)

Tiffany Ermenc, ICJH

Jeremiah Ermenc, ICJH

The goal of this session is to provide strategies, materials, and resources to enable any teacher in any content with any knowledge ​level to use robotics to engage students in learning. Teachers will be provided with shareable links and resources. The primary focus ​will be on VEX and Ozobot robots, which are already on many district campuses.

This Student is 504,

Now What?

(K-12)

Kristin Harris, FSP

This session will give you the how to’s and what to do’s when servicing 504 students in your classroom. We will give you ideas for ​implementation, execution, and documentation. We will also discuss your rights and responsibilities, expectations, and best practices ​as an Educator with 504 students in your classroom. You will walk away with a wealth of knowledge and valuable information that you ​can begin implementing the same day.

Spark Joy in Your Digital Space: The ​Marie Kondo Method for Google

Drive Organization

(K-12)

Katie Leon, NRJH

Chris Sheldon, ICHS

Experience the magic of tidying up your digital life with our Marie Kondo-inspired training session tailored for Google Drive. Just as ​Marie Kondo revolutionized home organization, we'll apply her principles to declutter and streamline your digital workspace. Say ​farewell to digital chaos and hello to a Google Drive that sparks joy and efficiency.

Sailing Through Vocabulary: A Nautical ​Make & Take Focused on Refining ​Academic Language

(6-12)

Chris Sheldon, ICHS

Katie Leon, NRJH

Ahoy, mateys! Prepare to embark on a pun-filled adventure at our conference Make & Take session, where we'll be sailing through ​vocabulary using Quizizz and Genially—all with a nautical twist! Dive in with a traditional vocabulary activity that sets the tone for our ​seafaring journey. Explore specific skills and tools as we navigate interactive challenges and create dynamic content. By the end, you'll ​be equipped to navigate the waves of vocabulary instruction with ease, inspired by the salty sea breeze and ready to chart new ​educational horizons. Join us for a voyage you won't soon forget!

Supporting Diverse Learners in All ​Setting Through Alternative ​Resources

(K-12)

Jamie Neugebauer, FSP

Explore practical solutions that assist educators in developing customized learning materials for diverse learners, with less stress. ​Discover an assortment of tools that can enrich the learning journey for our neurodiverse learners, guaranteeing an engaging and ​inclusive experience. These tools ensure a captivating and manageable learning experience, whether it's through concise summaries, ​compelling visuals, or supplementary reading materials.

Student Personalized Learning ​Strategies: Planning, Implementation, ​Data Evaluation

(K-12)

Christina Edwards, MHS

Kylie Sticca, MHS

Personalized Learning allows students to drive the process of goal achievement within the classroom setting. Through understanding ​the various processes and techniques to create P.L. methods within the classrooms--educators empower students to fully understand ​their educational goals, the steps needed to achieve them, the activities to drive them forward, and the transition to student ownership ​of learning. Classroom instruction, application of content, data gathering, and small group intervention become more effective, ​efficient, and responsive.

Building a Classroom Community ​using Interactive Read Alouds Make & ​Take

(PK-5)

Amanda Jaramillo, SLE

Ashley Larche, SLE

Are you excited to start building your classroom community from day 1? Are you looking for some new ideas and engaging activities to ​help your students practice and learn behavior expectations and routines? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this session ​is for you! You will be shown several examples of engaging and interactive read alouds to use with your students as you get to know ​each other. You will also be given ready to use make and take activities that go along with these read alouds to help your students ​practice problem solving, conflict resolution, and empathy.

Ways to Integrate 5E Lessons to ​Improve Students Learning ​Engagement

(9-12)

Dr. Safia Khatri, SCHS

A science lesson can be fun or boring. There could be two reasons for a boring class: either the lesson is too easy or too difficult. ​Gauging the lesson, where every student can get maximum benefits in the class, needs the teacher's expertise in lesson planning. ​Learning how to make a 5E lesson plan will help teachers to maximize their students’ learning and engagement. The 5E model is ​composed of 5 phases of instructions that are: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate. Each phase has its own importance. ​Engagement phase capture student’s interest and uncovers previous knowledge; during explore phase, students utilize hands on/ mind ​on activity to encourage investigation and inquiry; during explain phase, students discover the explanation and justification of explored ​activity; during extension phase, student extend their understanding of the concept in new situation; and students demonstrate that ​they have achieved the lesson objective during evaluate phase.

Exploring Science with Quizizz: ​Enhancing Literacy and Conceptual ​Understanding

(7-12)

Christopher Sheldon, ICHS

Join us for an illuminating session as we explore the fusion of Quizizz with science education to enrich literacy skills. In this ​presentation, we'll unveil how Quizizz's interactive platform revolutionizes the learning experience in science classrooms. Discover how ​Quizizz captivates students with gamified quizzes, enhancing reading comprehension and writing proficiency through engaging ​activities and immediate feedback. Through practical examples and implementation strategies, educators will learn how to seamlessly ​integrate Quizizz into their science curricula, fostering critical thinking and communication skills within a scientific context. Dive into ​the world where science meets literacy, and learn how Quizizz empowers students to become proficient communicators and critical ​thinkers, prepared to navigate the complexities of the scientific realm with confidence and skill.

The Magic of Whole Body Learning ​and Manipulatives

(PK-1)

Megan Johnson, BNE

Rachel Osborn, BNE

Teachers will be provided with various strategies to implement in their classroom that include students using whole body learning that ​helps support engagement. The presenters will model using multiple intelligences such as musical, linguistic and kinesthetic learning. ​Presenters will model using the districts Fountas and Pinnell Linking chart and Consonant Clusters linking chart. Presenters will also ​model how to keep students engaged while reading the word wall and various phonics activities that are in the district's curriculum. ​Teachers will also get the opportunity to explore various methods to help students be more engaged in word work during guided ​reading. This approach will align with the Science of Reading. Different tools, such as Elkonin boxes, letter and magnetic tiles, and ​other learning tools, will be used to help keep student engagement held high with differentiated word work.

Benefits of Conferencing in Building ​Literacy Agency

(K-12)

Dr. Mark Spilman, PE

This session will share how conferencing across all content areas emerges as a potent strategy for building literacy agency by ​facilitating personalized instruction, enhancing critical thinking, nurturing metacognition, and cultivating a positive learning ​environment.

Learning Detectives: Putting Students ​in Charge of Deductive Thinking Using ​“Concept Attainment”

(3-12)

Kelley Smith, AHS

Concept Attainment challenges students to understand and verbalize the characteristics of a concept through a questioning and ​revising of ideas. Rather than have the teacher explain a concept and its definition, students deduce the critical attributes of an ​otherwise abstract concept like detectives sorting through clues. This hands-on, engaging teaching practice helps students formulate ​understandings building upon what they already know. The beauty of this activity is that it can be adapted to any subject and at any ​grade level, and teachers can use it several times a year. The presentation will include examples from several subject areas.

Come Write With Me

(PK-12)

Charles Moore, ICHS

This session will provide participants the opportunity to explore their writing persona. We will look at mentors, practice short written ​responses that engage prior knowledge, experience excerpts from texts together, talking, thinking, sharing, and laughing together. ​Participants will emerge with the confidence to call themselves "writers" no matter the capacity with which they enter the session. ​Teaching strategies that work with any content will be explored as well as those specific to writing instruction. Additionally, tips and ​tools for increasing teacher clarity will be modeled and explained so that participants will be able to apply their strategies as ​effectively as possible during instruction.

Breakout Learning: Engaging ​Secondary Students with Escape ​Room Adventures

(8-12)

Karen Pate, MHS

Christen Crayton, MHS

An Escape Room-inspired model for secondary classrooms integrates immersive challenges with educational content to review, ​assess, and engage students. Students encounter puzzles, riddles, and tasks aligned with curriculum objectives. By solving these, they ​unlock clues, fostering critical thinking and collaboration. This approach promotes active learning, as students apply knowledge in a ​dynamic setting, enhancing retention and comprehension. Educators can tailor challenges to specific subjects and learning goals, ​making learning enjoyable and memorable. Additionally, the model accommodates varied learning styles, encouraging participation ​and boosting motivation. Ultimately, it transforms traditional review sessions into interactive adventures, fostering a deeper ​understanding of academic concepts.

How to Create an Inquiry Based ​Classroom

(3-8)

Adriana Sanchez, BSE

Join us for an invigorating workshop on merging inquiry-based learning with effective questioning techniques! Designed for educators ​eager to cultivate student curiosity and critical thinking, this session will delve into practical strategies for creating dynamic classroom ​environments. Through interactive activities, participants will explore the art of helping students craft open-ended questions that ​stimulate inquiry and deepen understanding. We'll delve into inquiry-based instruction, uncovering how it empowers students to drive ​their learning process while honing their problem-solving skills. By combining inquiry and questioning, educators can spark a sense of ​wonder and foster a culture of exploration in their classrooms. Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your teaching toolkit and inspire ​your students to ask the profound questions that lead to deeper learning. Join us and embark on a journey of inquiry and discovery!

Refreshing Recess

(K-5)

Lara Hiers, FSP

Refreshing Recess is a 6-week program developed by therapists to promoteparticipation and enjoyment in recess. The program uses a ​variety of methods to promote healthy play and social interaction, such as an orientation session, newsletters, talking points, posters ​and bookmarks. Attendees will receive handouts and links to free resources and materials, in order to create a positive school recess ​experience for all students (with and without disabilities). We will review current data regarding the importance of recess, provide tools ​and activity ideas to embed into recess time, problem solve common barriers to recess as experienced by teachers and school staff, ​and discuss how to improve recess implementation through the Refreshing Recess program/materials.

Ignite Interest in Learning with TWA ​Resources

(K-8)

Ronna Clawson, WDE

Sarah Denney, ME

Denise Correll, TWA

TWA offers free resources for Texas teachers to use in their classroom or schools. Learn about digital and in-person resources TWA ​offers, what comes in their conservation trunks, and how to implement them into your lesson plans. As a science based resource, the ​lessons cover grades K-8th. Come learn how to extend the science lesson into other areas of the curriculum.

What Are They Even Doing In There? ​How What We Do Applies to You! ​Global Strategies from the Elementary ​Music Room

(K-5)

Lauren Summa, MPE

Jen Mendez, BSE

Madi Kimball, WDE

Emma Bassett, NME

Have you ever wondered exactly what is going on when your students go to the music room? Come Sing, Say, Move and Play with us as ​we show you how what we do supports classroom learning and classroom management. Be prepared for an active, good time!

Improving Problem Behaviors through ​using AAC

(ASD, ECSE, FS)

Vicenta Yeager, PE

Emily Calhoun, PE

Through this session you will learn how you can better support children who have challenging behaviors. Most behaviors are related to ​communication needs. Functional Communication Training and AAC are effective ways of improving a child’s communication and ​reducing problem behaviors.The severity of behaviors can impact safety, learning, and quality of life. In this session we learn ​approaches for implementing AAC across subjects and advocating for its use in and out of school.

Digital Interactive Notebooks for the ​Win

(3-12)

Rebecca Jasinski, BBE

Let's get digital! Creating a digital notebook that you can use with your students to keep all the information in one spot to keep ​projects, topics, etc. organized. This notebook will help keep you out of the copy room and students love using them!

Fun and Effective

Screen Time

(K-6)

Anita Chen, LIW

In today's education, the screen has become an essential tool for students' learning. In this session, we will explore various online ​resources that are fun and effective for your classroom. We will discuss the usage of Flippity, Pixel Art in Education, Pear Deck, and ​Google Slides. These resources can be easily used in any subject area and tailored to your students' needs. Participants will have time ​during the session to explore these resources.

Creativity and Beyond

(2-8)

McKenzie Burkham, NME

Ever aim to reach new heights in education? In the words of Woody in Toy Story, “Reach for the sky!” Learning is an engaging and ​innovative opportunity for everyone involved, teachers and students included, and technology is a growing resource that helps ensure ​this success! Come dive into different technology resources like Flip, Gimkit, Padlet and more that can elevate lesson plans and our ​students' learning experience. Please bring laptops or other technology devices as the goal is for you to walk away with new resources ​that can easily be implemented within your classroom. Join as we aim for Creativity and Beyond!

Enhancing Student Learning with ​Classroom-based Physical Activity ​Approaches

(PK-12)

Derek Craig, UT Health

Kelley Sullivan, Wellness Coordinator

Join us for a dynamic session that equips you with innovative strategies to make learning fun, active, and effective! This interactive ​training will explain why and how classroom-based physical activity approaches (e.g., brain boosts, physically active lessons) can be ​used to enhance student learning and behavior. Attendees will learn about best-practices and participate in demonstrations for how to ​engage students in learning through movement.

Putting the Social in

Social Studies

(6-12)

Veronica Foreman, RMJH

Do you find it difficult to get your students to enjoy learning history or other social studies concepts? Well this is the session for you. ​We will explore how to use culturally relevant current events and social norms to guide structured conversations and historical writing . ​As well as connecting current economic, social, political, and environmental trends to the social studies T.E.K.S.

Get Organized with Google!

(PK-12)

Beauté See, AISD

Learn some great tips and tricks for getting organized (and staying organized) with Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Google Tasks, ​Google Keep, and more!

Mind Blown by

Blended Learning

(PK-12)

Kyle Perri, AISD

Let’s explore all aspects of Blended Learning! Through defining, discovering, and designing, session participants will get a chance to ​easily create simple Blended Learning opportunities that can be implemented on Day 1 of the school year.

Session

Session Resources

Creating Classroom Camaraderie

(K-12)

Rebecca Belt, ADAPT

Level Up! Gamification in Education: How to Make ANY ​Task, Assignment, or Unit into a GAME!

(2-5)

Brittany Baldwin, ME

Robotics is for Everyone

(K-12)

Tiffany Ermenc, ICJH

Jeremiah Ermenc, ICJH

This Student is 504, Now What?

(K-12)

Kristin Harris, FSP

Spark Joy in Your Digital Space: The Marie Kondo Method ​for Google Drive Organization

(K-12)

Katie Leon, NRJH

Chris Sheldon, ICHS

Sailing Through Vocabulary: A Nautical Make & Take ​Focused on Refining Academic Language

(6-12)

Chris Sheldon, ICHS

Katie Leon, NRJH

Supporting Diverse Learners in All Setting Through ​Alternative Resources

(K-12)

Jamie Neugebauer, FSP

Student Personalized Learning Strategies: Planning, ​Implementation, Data Evaluation

(K-12)

Christina Edwards, MHS

Kylie Sticca, MHS

Building a Classroom Community using Interactive Read ​Alouds Make & Take

(PK-5)

Amanda Jaramillo, SLE

Ashley Larche, SLE

Ways to Integrate 5E Lessons to Improve Students ​Learning Engagement

(9-12)

Dr. Safia Khatri, SCHS

Exploring Science with Quizizz: Enhancing Literacy and ​Conceptual Understanding

(7-12)

Christopher Sheldon, ICHS

The Magic of Whole Body Learning and Manipulatives

(PK-1)

Megan Johnson, BNE

Rachel Osborn, BNE

Benefits of Conferencing in Building Literacy Agency

(K-12)

Dr. Mark Spilman, PE

Learning Detectives: Putting Students in Charge of ​Deductive Thinking Using “Concept Attainment”

(3-12)

Kelley Smith, AHS

Come Write With Me

(PK-12)

Charles Moore, ICHS

Breakout Learning: Engaging Secondary Students with ​Escape Room Adventures

(8-12)

Karen Pate, MHS

Christen Crayton, MHS

How to Create an Inquiry Based Classroom

(3-8)

Adriana Sanchez, BSE

Refreshing Recess

(K-5)

Lara Hiers, FSP

Ignite Interest in Learning with TWA Resources

(K-8)

Ronna Clawson, WDE

Sarah Denny, ME

Denise Corell, TWA

What Are They Even Doing In There? How What We Do ​Applies to You! Global Strategies from the Elementary ​Music Room

(K-5)

Lauren Summa, MPE

Jen Mendez, BSE

Madi Kimball, WDE

Emma Bassett, NME

Improving Problem Behaviors through using AAC

(ASD, ECSE, FS)

Vicenta Yeager, PE

Emily Calhoun, PE

Digital Interactive Notebooks for the Win

(3-12)

Rebecca Jasinski, BBE

Fun and Effective Screen Time

(K-6)

Anita Chen, LIW

Creativity and Beyond

(2-8)

McKenzie Burkham, NME

Enhancing Student Learning with Classroom-based ​Physical Activity Approaches

(PK-12)

Derek Craig, UT Health

Kelley Sullivan, Wellness Coordinator

Putting the Social in

Social Studies

(6-12)

Veronica Foreman, RMJH

Get Organized with Google!

(PK-12)

Beauté See, AISD

Mind Blown by Blended Learning

(PK-12)

Kyle Perri, AISD