Session Descriptions

4 Ways to Prioritize Teacher Wellness in a Digital World
Jamie Nunez

With so many online tasks complete at the start of the year, how can you prioritize your overall well-being? Join Common Sense as we explore four ways teachers can use tech tools and digital citizenship to embrace their wellbeing online. 

Tips will include:
Establishing Healthy Tech Boundaries:
Incorporating Media Balance in Self-Care Practices
Fostering Healthy Connections Online
Promoting Online Creativity 

Our 20 minutes interactive session will promise to enhance your overall well-being and help you model healthy tech use for your students.

Community Driven Local News: Lookout Santa Cruz's Student Scholarship Contest & Educator Programs
Jamie Garfield

Lookout Santa Cruz is a two year old digital news publication with a mission to make Santa Cruz a better place for all who live here. In our current social, cultural and political climate, it is now more important than ever before for all citizens- especially students- to have easy access to reliable & trustworthy journalism about their local community. Our student programs engage students with local news and media literacy throughout the school year. In this session, learn about two strong high school engagement programs that Lookout is offering this Fall. The first is an Unsung Heroes Journalism Scholarship for high school students across the county, which invites students to write a profile of a local hometown hero who is making a positive difference in the community. The top 10 stories will be published on our site, and the top 3 will win a $500 scholarship each. The second program is free Lookout memberships for all high school students and teachers in the county. Information about this, our educator resources, class visit offerings and how to sign up will be shared in this session. 

Elevate Student Voices with KQED's Youth Media Challenge
Tamatha Hauskens

We'll discuss the new KQED Youth Media Challenge site which features three distinct projects to engage middle and high school students in meaningful media-making. Each project allows educators the freedom to choose their preferred media type, allowing for flexibility when integrating with existing curriculum in subject areas from ELA to STEM. 

Designing with Empathy
Misty Kluesner

Learn how students can use Adobe Express to connect with local community organizations and non-profits, applying real-world design skills and building their capacity for empathy.

Harnessing AI for Education: Uncovering Subject Interconnections, Streamlining Assessment, and Enhancing Feedback with ChatGPT
Paul Dietrich

Step into the future of education with this insightful session that brings to light the practical applications of AI, specifically ChatGPT, in the classroom. This session will demonstrate how ChatGPT can aid educators in linking subject areas, crafting rubrics and success criteria, assessing student work, and identifying trends in student writing. Experience firsthand how artificial intelligence can augment your pedagogical practices and support student learning outcomes.

AI and Curipod: The Quickstart Guide
Jens Aarre Seip

Come join me for an interactive introduction to AI & Curipod in your classroom. Learn how you can use AI to save time and increase student engagement.

Beautiful (and easy) Website Design with Canva
Kira Durant

In this Make & Take we'll dive into the art of creating impactful websites using Canva. This session is designed to equip teachers with the necessary knowledge and expertise to effortlessly design visually stunning online platforms that enhance student engagement and streamline educational content. With a focus on practical techniques and effective strategies, participants will gain valuable insights, explore advanced features, and receive personalized guidance while developing their own websites. Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your digital presence and walk away with a stunning websites that will leave your students and colleagues in awe.

Animations with AI
Bobbie Grennier

In this session, I will show you how to create AI-generated animated videos to be used as teaching aids for enhanced student engagement. These videos lean into our theme of using tech to foster meaningful relationships because they prompt student small-group discussions. Using an AI text-to-speech tool and audio-to-animation, we can create short animated teaching aids in a short amount of time. You will use AI-powered tools, including Canva and Adobe Character Animator. We will use WeVideo for editing. Come on, let's play with some AI together and make a fun video for you to use in your classroom! 🤖

Make & Take Magic with Wakelet
Alex Isaacs

In this engaging Make-and-Take session with Wakelet Certified Trainer, Alex Isaacs, attendees will learn how to harness the power of Wakelet to create dynamic and visually appealing curated collections that will make up their very own digital portfolio. Participants will have time to actively create Wakelet collections, utilize templates, resources and classroom examples. Whether you are an educator looking to empower your students with digital portfolios or an individual seeking to showcase your accomplishments, this session will equip you with the tools, knowledge, and skills to curate all of your resources in a personalized and easy way!

Getting Smart Started with EduProtocols
Jon Corippo

All too often, educators see the first few days of school as a time to "keep kids busy" with the syllabus, single use all about me activities, acrostic poems and worse. With EduProtocols, all that time becomes an ONBOARDING session that maximizes the whole rest of the academic year. Jon Corippo will be sharing 2 decade old, class tested concept and FREE templates that can make the beginning of the year the perfect start!

Streamline, Organize & Excel: Mastering Digital Efficiency for Educators
Krysta Bradley, Paul Dietrich & Stephanie Sumarna

In this interactive 90-minute make-and-take session, teachers will learn invaluable strategies to clean, organize, and optimize their digital lives in preparation for the upcoming school year. Explore expert tips and tricks for maximizing efficiency with Google Calendar, Gmail, and other essential tools, empowering educators to reclaim time and streamline their workflows in the digital realm.

Questions? 

Contact Stephanie Sumarna, EdTech & Innovation ToSA at ssumarna@santacruzcoe.org or (831) 466-5810.