Have so much to give but not sure whom to share it with? Looking for someone who can support your career for a while as you grow into it? Come to this session to discover practical methods to become a mentor or a mentee and how to get the most out of that relationship, and how to find someone to support you or for you to support.
Although sometimes considered secondary or an afterthought, technology support infrastructure and practices has a dramatic impact on the level of educational equity students experience in schools. This session will include three different WA school district's approaches to technology support and how these practices connect to their district's work and vision around equitable access.
Embark on a time-saving adventure with Gemini! This fast-paced, interactive session challenges educators to complete common classroom tasks using AI, showcasing the power of Gemini to streamline lesson planning, resource creation, and more. See how much time you can save, gaining hands-on experience crafting effective prompts and witnessing the transformative potential of AI in education. Leave inspired to reclaim your valuable time and reimagine your classroom workflow!
How can you leverage AI apps to remove barriers and include (and engage) all students? This session will give you ideas for using some common school-appropriate AI tools to help all your students, especially those with learning differences or language needs, to access content in your classroom. We’ll namecheck Magic School, School AI, Diffit, and Gemini, among others. If AI is good for anything…it’s this!
Our team recently completed a large-scale Windows 10 to 11 upgrade using Microsoft Intune. This session provides a candid look at our journey, including the unexpected challenges we faced (staff engagement, device issues, deployment hiccups) and the solutions we developed to overcome them. Join us to learn from our experiences and gain valuable insights for your own Windows 11 upgrade project.
"This session discusses common issues with student technology misuse, including online behavior, misuse of AI, and manipulating devices and applications. Learn some potential strategies to identify, prevent, and respond to these challenges.
Please use this link to submit questions that you would like to have discussed in the session: https://forms.gle/hzVdVH8xBShjqKEQ8"
"This session is tailored for Instructional Technology staff focused on empowering teachers to implement Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles through technology.
Participants will discover a variety of instructional tools and resources that enhance differentiation and engagement, alongside the role of AI in personalizing learning experiences. Through collaborative discussions and real-world examples, Instructional Technology staff will learn how to inspire teachers to create inclusive classrooms that meet diverse learning needs.
Leave with actionable strategies and a toolkit to facilitate meaningful UDL implementation, transforming teaching practices and improving student outcomes. Join us to equip educators for a more inclusive future!"
Response to a cyber incident is never a once-size-fits-all event. Districts tune their processes and choices to fit their district's needs and abilities. Most of the districts in Oregon experienced a major third party data breach in December 2024 when the systems of Carruth Compliance Consulting were compromised during a cyber incident. Come hear from three ESD CIOs how each of them engaged their teams in this incident and how they tailored their incident response in a different way from each other yet still coordinated their work. Learn how you can vary incident response process to meet your own district & regional needs and how it can help you efficiently process through a breach response, user notification, and recovery back to normal operations.
We all know that the role of IT leadership in school districts has changed drastically over the last 20 years. Almost all new initiatives involve technology and new advancements in technology can help improve many things that school districts do. Some school districts don't value the voice of their IT leader as much as other school districts, which has limited their ability to fully leverage technology. This think tank will be a facilitated discussion about how we can individually and collectively advance our profession and voice to benefit the students and staff that we support.
"Walking through automating account creation, edits, suspensions, group memberships, and what other systems can be integrated using APIs.
What systems have you created? What would you like to create? What concerns do you have? What are some obstacles you face? What systems would you like integrated, or have you integrated? What are other automations you have created or dreamt of?"
Join us for an amazing session where we will empower women in educational technology to share stories, strategies, and solutions that drive meaningful change. This interactive forum will create a supportive space for participants to reflect on their journeys, celebrate successes, and tackle the unique challenges faced by women in EdTech leadership. Together, we’ll explore innovative practices, exchange practical wisdom, and forge connections to strengthen our collective impact. Whether you’re just starting out or are a seasoned leader, this session is a chance to learn, inspire, and be inspired by women shaping the future of education.
"About a year ago, VMware substantially increased their prices which triggered a project to migrate away as quickly as possible.
In this session we will discuss the various aspects of a virtual infrastructure replacement such as product selection, implementation, and migration of production workloads. Another way to phrase it could be: We are ditching vmware, ask me anything."
In an era where cyber threats are ever-evolving, small districts often face unique challenges due to limited staffing and tight budgets. This session will explore practical, no-cost or low-cost cybersecurity strategies and solutions tailored for small districts. Join us to learn how to enhance your cybersecurity posture and resilience without breaking the bank. You will receive actionable insights and real-world examples to help you safeguard your district.
"Digital Accessibility isn’t hard, but the way you’re doing it probably is. If you only consider accessibility in the last step in content creation, or when an accessible edition has been explicitly requested, you end up suffering through an arduous remediation process that can leave you feeling resentful toward the very concept of accessibility. Let’s talk about normalizing digital accessibility practices by including them in your everyday communications, and creating templates and resources for your coworkers to reduce remediation panic."
Embark on a time-saving adventure with Gemini! This fast-paced, interactive session challenges educators to complete common classroom tasks using AI, showcasing the power of Gemini to streamline lesson planning, resource creation, and more. See how much time you can save, gaining hands-on experience crafting effective prompts and witnessing the transformative potential of AI in education. Leave inspired to reclaim your valuable time and reimagine your classroom workflow!
The idea of implementing a cybersecurity framework can be overwhelming. What framework should I use? How do I get started? Why should I bother? The good news is, you may be doing some of this already and did not know it. We will share our experiences along with the troubles and tribulations we face(d) in hopes to get you started down the framework path.
"As cyber threats become more complex, school districts are feeling the pressure to be more proactive than ever to prevent breaches. But how do you defend against cyber attacks when you have thousands of internal users trying to breach your network everyday? Springfield Public Schools staff will present on how we proactively detect, protect, respond, and recover from cybersecurity events and how each discipline plays a role in building our Cybersecurity Program."
"With all of the applications we're tasked with managing these days, account creation can be a huge time sink. We've turned to the OneRoster standard to make this process (somewhat) easier to navigate, automating account creation for Google Classroom, Renaissance, Powerschool, and scores of other vendor applications.
We'll provide a broad overview of the OneRoster standard and it's capabilities. Next, we'll go into detail on how we use our chosen implementation, Classlink RosterServer, to handle several complex use cases. We'll also cover the largest pitfalls we've encountered and how to avoid them. While our solutions utilize Classlink, similar processes can be implemented in other platforms like Clever, so even if you're not a Classlink customer there is knowledge to gain and share!"
"Running a Tech Department in a School District is hard work! Providing excellent support to busy educators, day in and day out, is exhausting! The kids won't stop breaking their tech! Is it possible to stay efficient and keep team morale high in this environment?
In this session, I will breakdown the steps that I took in order to answer that question. Topics include:
- Empathy (Our jobs exist in order to serve students and their educators) - Team Values (Talk the talk, walk the walk) - Motivation (Does gamification work with adults?) - Establishing clear expectations (The other kind of motivation)"
In this session I'll go over some of the different ways that we use Python scripts (with the gspread library) to leverage Google Workspace tools like Sheets, Forms, and Drive. When used together, you can accomplish quite a lot by improving workflows, building automations, creating data dashboards, and more. We'll discuss some general strategies as well as some of the specific implementations that we (the Peninsula School District) use. If you're from a district looking to start automating or otherwise use Google Workspace apps in your scripting, this could be a good place to start and get some ideas. Or perhaps your district already does similar things - in which case I would love if you could share your use-cases and additional thoughts/suggestions at the end!
Join us for a session on the strategic transition from MacBooks to Chromebooks for teacher devices in the North Clackamas School District. Learn how we set up for success and made this transition with little dissent from teachers and positive impacts on teaching and learning (not to mention our budget!). The team will share lessons learned, tools we developed to help along the way, and strategies that made this such a success.
We will explore how esports can be a powerful tool for fostering digital equity and inclusion in schools. Attendees will learn how esports programs can provide access to technology, promote diversity, and create opportunities for students from underserved communities. The session will cover strategies for integrating esports into educational settings, highlight success stories, and provide actionable steps for using esports as a vehicle for digital inclusion.
Communication with Capital projects teams about the needs for classroom audio and video equipment in new construction can be difficult. This think tank will focus on participate experiences and ways to improve communication needs of AV tech with construction teams.
This think tank discussion will explore effective tools and strategies for fostering an inclusive learning environment. We will examine digital resources, differentiated instruction techniques, and universal design for learning (UDL) principles, as well as practical tips for educators to adapt their teaching methods. By the end, participants will have a deeper understanding of their own digital tools and the features that support inclusive practices to enhance engagement and learning outcomes for every student.
What does a high-functioning, inclusive classroom look like in your district? What specific student needs are being addressed by instructional technology, assistive technology, classroom presentation systems, and other hardware or software in the learning environment? What makes for a strong relationship between district leaders, technology coordinator, and classroom teachers in your district? Where are we headed as we start to envision technology in the classrooms of the next decade? Come to this think tank with these questions in mind, be ready to share some of your own questions, and let's all leave with ideas, actions, and inspiration that keeps inclusivity as a pillar of our work to support student learning.
"1. Understand Eligibility Who is eligible? What is eligible? 2. Funding Years & Deadlines Funding Years Application Window Deadlines! 3. Funding Requests and Priorities Prioritize Needs Budget Realistically 4. Competitive Bidding Process Fair Competition Compare Bids Carefully 5. Form Filing and Accuracy Accurate and complete forms Supporting Documentation 6. Staying Informed USAC Stay Updated 7. Seek Assistance E-Rate Consultants E-Rate State Coordinators"
In this informal panel session, leaders who’ve supported a district through a cyber event will share leadership takeaways from their various experiences and answer audience questions. Expect to hear technical ideas about recovery along with leadership moves and lessons learned. Leaders will share recovery stories and timelines, tips for supporting teams, advice on decision-making and communication strategies, and whatever else may arise through questions.
This session delves into innovative strategies for educators to cultivate critical thinking skills in students, enabling them to effectively navigate and evaluate the rapidly evolving landscape of AI-generated information. We will challenge the traditional linear model of learning and embrace a more expansive approach that encourages students to explore infinite possibilities for thought and perception. Discussions will focus on the latest AI models, Bloom's Taxonomy, Critical Thinking, and Learning Science to explore how the educators can react to challenges and opportunities of AI.
Whether you’re a FreePBX veteran or a total noob, you’re guaranteed to learn something new from our panel of regional VoIP and PBX experts! Join our panelists in this interactive session and discover why so many in the Education space have switched to, and are sticking with FreePBX.
In this session, members of the Edmonds School District Digital Learning team will describe how they have supported staff and student use of generative AI through: policy development/refinement and communication, required and optional professional learning, coaching, and integration into other initiatives and priorities. We will highlight our focus on the significance of open conversations with students around AI usage and provide examples of how we are supporting inclusive practices with gen AI. We will share resources we have developed and reflect on opportunities and challenges we have faced throughout our journey so far.
Embark on a time-saving adventure with Gemini! This fast-paced, interactive session challenges educators to complete common classroom tasks using AI, showcasing the power of Gemini to streamline lesson planning, resource creation, and more. See how much time you can save, gaining hands-on experience crafting effective prompts and witnessing the transformative potential of AI in education. Leave inspired to reclaim your valuable time and reimagine your classroom workflow!
How Gresham-Barlow integrated information from inventory, device management, security, and other systems as we moved to 802.1x. We will cover why and how we moved, as well as the trouble spots that we faced along the way.
This session is tailored for leadership and technical professionals looking to enhance their asset management practices with a strong focus on security using Snipe-IT. We will delve into the critical aspects of setting up a secure asset management system, including secure inventory tracking, maintenance scheduling, and resource allocation. Participants will learn how to implement robust security measures within Snipe-IT to protect sensitive data and ensure compliance with educational standards. By the end of the session, attendees will be equipped with the knowledge and tools to create a secure and efficient asset management system that safeguards educational resources and supports teaching goals. Join us to discover best practices for securing your classroom assets with Snipe-IT!
What does good classroom instruction look like and what are the tools your district can buy to support the work? The days of learning only through lectures and showing understanding simply by writing essays are gone! Learners are diverse, and the ways they access information are too. Our teaching methods and the tools we use must adapt to reflect this diversity. This session will dive into innovative instructional strategies and demonstrate how intentional technology use can boost student engagement, deepen content retention, and elevate learning outcomes. Discover how to support meaningful, accessible learning experiences across elementary and secondary grade levels with tools that align with best practices, helping your district maximize its investment in technology.
Containers and container orchestration are essential for faster deployments, smoother updates, and stronger security. In this 50-minute session, we'll unpack container basics and show how Kubernetes automates and scales app management. Learn how to convert a traditional application into a container, deploy it on a cluster, and tap into rolling updates, load balancing, and self-healing—all in a K–12 education setting. By session’s end, you'll see how containers streamline software delivery, keep patches current, and boost reliability for your school or district.
Join Salem-Keizer Public Schools as we share the trials and triumphs of overhauling our software evaluation process. Discover why we started, where we are now, and what’s next on this journey. We'll walk you through key milestones such as assembling the right team, the twists and turns of our process evolution, and the hurdles we’ve overcome. While we've made significant strides, we're still on the road to refining and improving. Tag along for a candid discussion about our progress—and the lessons we’ve learned along the way!
The COVID pandemic forced many of us into a one-to-one deployment. Now, 5 years later, these Chromebooks are old, beat up, and ready to be refreshed and exchanged with new ones. How do you perform such a huge project with accuracy and efficiency while minimizing interruption to schools and student learning in the classroom? Learn about the Northshore School District “Device Extravaganza!”
Securing student logins with Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is crucial for protecting sensitive educational data. MFA adds an extra layer of security by requiring a password as well as a second form of verification. This significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access, even if passwords are compromised. Compromising student accounts can result in less time applied to learning, loss of personal data, and can have many other serious consequences for student safety and education. Careful consideration into how MFA can be applied to students must be taken in order to successfully protect student information while maintaining accessibility to educational resources. In this panel we will discuss various methods for enabling and enforcing MFA for student logins in Azure and Google.
