ACPE 2025 - Include IT

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."

"Does your institution have 2-2,500 students?
Ever feel like you have too many hats to wear & not enough heads?

Come meet with other small peers as we share our biggest time savers & challenges, to gain insights from others!"

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.

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.

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.

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.