Session Descriptions

What Do You Ask When an English Learner Joins Your Class? A Session for K-12 General Education Teachers

Andrea Bitner, English Learner Educator, K-12, Author & Speaker at Interboro School District

TK-2 3-5 6-8 9-12

This engaging presentation will share the powerful inspiring work of "Take Me Home" while delivering resources for educators to immediately accommodate instruction for EL students and communicate with EL families.  It will focus on the 10 essential questions to ask when receiving an EL student in the general education classroom, show how to connect EL students districtwide, and share a roadmap of how to collaborate with ELD teachers. You will leave inspired and equipped for the new school year! 

Teaching in Your Storytelling Era: What We Can Learn from Taylor Swift

Lindy Hockenbary, K-12 EdTech Advisor at LindyHoc

TK-2 3-5 6-8 9-12

What if your lessons landed like a chart-topping single? In this pop-culture-infused session, we’ll explore how Taylor Swift’s legendary songwriting can inspire powerful, narrative-driven classroom practices. Discover how to design lessons that captivate attention, spark emotion, and leave lasting impressions. We’ll unpack lyrics to spotlight storytelling techniques—like metaphor, tone, and symbolism—and connect them to research-based strategies that strengthen student engagement and belonging. And in the age of generative AI, you’ll learn how to create these meaningful experiences within real-world time constraints. Whether you’re a Level 1 or Level 13 Swiftie, you’ll leave with creative tools (and a few Easter eggs!) to “Swiftify” your classroom and transform everyday instruction into a memorable learning era.

Every Child Deserves a Team: Layering Meeting Structures to Support the Whole Child

Kurtis Hewson, Lead Learner and Co-Founder at Jigsaw Learning

TK-2 3-5 6-8 9-12

Does it feel like you're talking about the same students over and over?  Are you wanting to take your PLC's and MTSS efforts to the next level? Do your team meetings lack the clarity and purpose you're looking for as a leader?  In this session, Kurtis will articulate, with multiple school samples and resources, the value of layering collaborative structures and processes within a school and how the introduction of a very intentional collaborative team meeting can work to respond to the needs of students collaboratively, while increasing the instructional capacity of everyone involved. In essence, schools reduce the number of meetings about students...by adding one more! By intentionally layering and connecting our PLC and MTSS structures, we leverage and maximize the most powerful resource in any school for supporting the whole child - the teachers working within our building! Come learn what thousands of schools have learned about these purposeful collaborative structures and processes to ensure every student is supported by a team.

AI Speed Round: Tips & Tricks from Lesser-Known AI’s 

Morgan Taylor, Client Success Specialist at Proximity Learning

TK-2 3-5 6-8 9-12

This session will highlight some of the lesser-known yet incredibly useful AI tools that often don’t receive the spotlight. You’ll see quick demos, pick up clever tips, and walk away with new ways to use AI that you probably haven’t tried yet — all geared toward making your work (and life) a little easier and a lot more efficient.

PROMPTCrafting

Bobbie Grennier, Teacher at Pajaro Valley Unified School District

3-5 6-8 9-12

Dive into the art and science of PROMPTcrafting—the essential skill of designing effective AI prompts to transform classroom instruction. Explore integrating AI tools like SchoolAI and Adobe Express to enhance teaching, personalize learning, and streamline instructional planning.

Attendees will:

- Learn how to write powerful, standards-aligned prompts to generate lesson plans, assessments, and communication tools.

- Gain hands-on experience using prompt templates that build vocabulary, support student differentiation, and strengthen critical thinking.

- Participate in discussions around digital citizenship, ethical AI use, and real classroom applications for grades K–12.

Join Stephanie Howell (SchoolAI) and Bobbie Grennier (PVUSD) for access to AI related resources, templates and swag opportunities.

Developing Children’s Cognitive Skills Through Art

Faigie Kobre, Early Childhood Consultant at Eduart4kids

TK-2

This session will show how there is another way to do crafts with children. A way to introduce art in the prek-kdg classroom that helps teach kids to think & solve problem’s making them better learners.

Using Local News in the Classroom: Digital Resources, Lessons and Opportunities

Jamie Garfield, Director of Student & Community Engagement at Lookout Santa Cruz

9-12

Our goal is to make using local news in your classroom easy and fun! In this session, learn how to utilize our articles, prompts and class visit opportunities in your classroom this school year. Plus, sign up for your free Lookout Santa Cruz educator membership!

Lookout Santa Cruz is a 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. 

I Didn’t Know AI Could Do That

Stephanie Howell, Coach at Gold EDU & School AI

TK-2 3-5 6-8 9-12

Are you looking to unlock the full potential of School AI? Join us for an eye-opening session where we dive deep into the amazing capabilities of School AI that you might not have discovered yet! We'll explore how School AI can transform your teaching and learning experience, from advanced features to interactive assignments. Get ready to be amazed

The Educator Reset: Habits and Boundaries That Help You Teach - and Live - Well

Jolleen de Clercq, Owner at Armoring the Journey Coaching

TK-2 3-5 6-8 9-12

A new school year is the perfect time to reset—not just your classroom, but your mindset, boundaries, and routines. In this session, you’ll learn practical strategies to help you armor up for the challenges ahead so you can show up strong—for your students, your colleagues, and the people who matter most at home. Walk away feeling more confident in your ability to protect your time, energy, and well-being—so you can teach and live well all year long.

Personalizing Special Education at Scale: Leveraging AI and Evidence-Based Practices for Outcomes and Efficiency

Mara Steiu, Co-founder and CEO at Journify Learning

TK-2 3-5 6-8 9-12

How can we bridge the gap between research and classroom practice to better support all learners - especially those with the most complex needs? This session explores how evidence-based practices (e.g. learner variability research) and AI can drive scalable change in special education, from personalizing instruction to helping maximize the efficiency of special education teams. Attendees will learn how tools like Journify Learning integrate research-backed strategies into instruction, while helping automate progress tracking and data integration among all the support providers working with each student. 

Participants will leave this session with practical takeaways on using AI to personalize learning and maximize both the efficiency and effectiveness of special education teams. 

As part of this session, we’re offering a limited number of free, outcomes-based pilot programs with Journify Learning to interested school and district leaders.

Leverage Kahoot! EDU to Sustain Learner Engagement

Ernesto Rodriguez, Account Executive at Kahoot! 

TK-2 3-5 6-8 9-12

Join our interactive session and discover how Kahoot! is transforming student learning.

Explore the future of education with Kahoot! EDU in this engaging session. Experience our new Lecture Mode and see first hand how AI-powered Kahoot! creation can deliver personalized learning content tailored to student needs. Don't miss this opportunity to see how Kahoot! is reshaping the classroom experience—making learning more interactive, insightful, and effective.

Questions? 

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