Back to School Blockbuster: Lights, Camera, Educate!

Description: 

Experience a transformative fireside chat on inclusive education and empowering learners for lifelong success. With over fifty years of combined experience, join Texthelp and n2y as they come together to share their inclusive education plans to reach more students than ever before. Hear about practical solutions, from tailored curriculums to tech innovations that are supported by real-world success stories. Martin McKay (Texthelp) and Ryan Fast (n2y) will also address the challenges and barriers faced by educators and students with disabilities, and uncover effective strategies for overcoming them so that every student can thrive.

Speakers: 

• Martin McKay, Founder & CEO, Texthelp 
• Ryan Fast, Chief Revenue Officer of Sales, n2y
• Moderator: Tinashe Blanchet, Numeracy Specialist & Product Specialist for Equatio, Texthelp

Description:

Join us for an inspiring session featuring real-world insights from educators Margaret and Erica (Bedford Central School District). They will share their unique experiences and success stories, showcasing how Read&Write has transformed their teaching practices and enhanced student engagement and achievement. Throughout the session, you’ll discover practical ways to increase the use of Read&Write in your classroom, and explore the benefits it offers for both students and teachers.

In the final segment, Kathleen will provide a sneak peek into the latest updates and upcoming features of Read&Write, giving you a glimpse into the future of this powerful tool. 

Key Takeaways:

• Learn effective methods for incorporating Read&Write into daily classroom activities.
• Discover best practices from educators who have successfully integrated Read&Write to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes.
• Understand the impact of Read&Write on student performance and teacher efficiency through real-world examples.
• Learn about the future roadmap for Read&Write and upcoming innovations that will further support educators and students.

Speakers: 

• Kathleen Colburn, Principal Product Manager, Texthelp
• Margaret Browning, MS, Assistive Technology Coordinator, Bedford Central School District
• Erica Rogan, MS, CCC-SLP, UDL Coordinator, Bedford Central School District

Description:

The popular and prevalent use of GenAI has created the need for education stakeholders to determine its implications for their school community and assess their ability to access, understand, and implement GenAI with consideration to the uniqueness of their community. Digital Promise has been a thought-leader in this conversation engaging with multiple local, state, and national level education AI-related projects. 

This session will highlight takeaways from one of those projects, the RAPID project (NSF #2334525) that collaborated with 10 districts from DP’s League of Innovative Schools, as well as practices included in its recently launched AI Literacy: A Framework to Understand, Evaluate, and Use Emerging Technology. 

From this session, educators will:

• Become more familiar with AI literacy and components of its framework (understand, evaluate, and use).
• Learn examples of how they can include AI and AI literacy in their policies and practices.
• Gain strategies for using AI to create powerful learning experiences and agency.  

Speakers: 

• Dr. Pati Ruiz, Senior Director of EdTech and Emerging Technologies, Digital Promise
• Dr. Amanda LaTasha Armstrong, Postdoctoral Scholar, Digital Promise’s Learning Sciences Research Center for Excellence
• Sana Karim, Project Manager, Digital Promise’s Learning Science Research Center for Excellence

Description:

Step into the director’s chair and uncover the hidden features of Read&Write that can support student success. This session takes a behind-the-scenes look at advanced tips and lesser-known tools designed to customize your experience, and maximize classroom efficiency to create a blockbuster educational experience.

You'll discover features that:

• Tailor Read&Write to your needs and streamline your workflow.
• Customize the interface for a more efficient user experience.
• Enhance reading fluency, public speaking, and foreign language skills
• Organize and track important information effortlessly.
• Utilize the Discover feature and new Simplify AI beta for clearer research and reading tailored to diverse needs.

Speaker:

Kathleen Colburn, Principal Product Manager, Texthelp

Take a break and recharge with our 15-minute intermission. Grab a snack and a refreshment to enjoy the premiere of our customer study with Pittsburgh Public Schools, get a sneak peek at our upcoming webinars and test your knowledge with some fun movie trivia. The perfect pause to refresh and refocus before the afternoon sessions start.

Description:

Struggling to operationalize how to provide universal access to accessibility tools (like Read&Write) for all students? Designing instruction and assessments with accessibility in mind for ALL students can improve academic outcomes for students in all ability groups.  Attend this session to get concrete and time-tested strategies, activities, and tools to advance these practices with both teachers and leaders alike. Learn from two educational leaders that have led this work in four different districts. 

Key Takeaways:

• Practical strategies for implementing universal accessibility tools.
• Techniques to design inclusive instruction and assessments.
• Activities and tools to support accessibility for all students.
• Insights from experienced leaders on creating accessible learning environments.

Speakers:

• Craig Barnum, uPar Product Manager, Texthelp 
• Lindsay Spears, Director of Curriculum, Data, Assessment, and MTSS, Huntley 158

Description:

Explore the life altering change of Project-Based Learning (PBL) into the 6 A's framework. In this beginner session, we will break down each 'A'—Authenticity, Active Investigation, Assessment Practices, Academic Rigor, Adult Relationships, and Applied Learning—providing actionable strategies to enhance your curriculum design.

Speaker:

• Andrew Larson, Educator and Author of Life’s a Project: The Six A’s of Project Based Learning

Description:

Discover the new OrbitNote in this 30-minute session designed for K-12 and higher education educators. We’ve listened to your feedback and transformed OrbitNote to be quicker, more intuitive, and more enjoyable to use. Explore how these changes will improve your classroom experience, making workflows, document management and annotation easier than ever. We’ll also share our plans for future improvements and integrations, ensuring OrbitNote works effortlessly with your existing tools.

Speaker:

• Stuart Marsden, OrbitNote Product Manager, Texthelp

Description:

If we use the science of reading as our guide, we can maximize the probability of more of our students achieving higher levels of literacy. To set your school up for success in moving toward more fully evidence-aligned practices, and better outcomes, learn about these three key shifts that will be a strong foundation for your important work.

Speaker:

• Dr. Heidi Beverine-Curry, PhD, co-founder and Chief Academic Officer, The Reading League

Description:

Mickey Rowe, Founding Artistic Director of the National Disability Theatre, helps make Universally Designed Instruction easy and fun.

20 – 25% of the population is disabled, according to the CDC. Therefore teachers already interact with students with disabilities, IDEA, and IEPs daily. Mickey empowers educators to make that aspect of every teacher’s day a little easier and less stressful.

When we think with an accessibility mindset, we help all of our students succeed, not just those with disabilities. Teachers change these students’ lives daily and deserve some thanks and appreciation straight from the source.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

• OPTIMISM: Educators shape futures daily. Often without realizing it. Mickey’s life was changed by a teacher, Ms. Ritchie, who fought to get him his IEP. Ms. Ritchie doesn’t know she changed Mickey’s life or what he is accomplishing now. Every teacher changes students’ lives in ways they never get to see.
• FLUENCY: Mickey takes IEPs and IDEA from stressful obligations to fun, easy, and empowering frameworks.
• CONFIDENCE: Educators will become confident talking about disability. According to the CDC, 20 – 25% of the population has a disability, so this confidence will make every educator’s life easier daily.

Speaker:

• Mickey Rowe, Autistic Speaker, Award-winning, best-selling author of "Fearlessly Different". Founder of National Disability Theatre. As seen in NYT, PBS, NPR, CNN, Wall Street Journal, Vogue, The TODAY show.

Description:

Join us for an engaging 30-minute beginner session on Equatio, the essential tool for making math digital and accessible for K-12 and Higher Education. This session will focus on the most popular and impactful features of Equatio, helping educators simplify and enhance math instruction. And helping put the spotlight on improving math engagement and success.

What You'll Learn:

• Equation editor & Prediction: Discover how to effortlessly create math expressions with our powerful equation editor, leveraging the Prediction feature for quick and accurate input.
• Desmos integration: Get a quick overview of how Equatio integrates with Desmos to enhance mathematical visualization.
• Handwriting recognition: See a demonstration of how you can easily convert handwritten math into digital format, streamlining the process of annotating and solving problems.
• Speech to math: Experience the ease of converting spoken math into digital text with a brief demo of our Speech to Math feature.
• Screenshot Reader: Learn how to scan and read math content from various sources, including the open web, YouTube, Khan Academy, and PDFs.
• New feature highlight - Whiteboard: Get a sneak peek at our latest addition, the Whiteboard feature, designed to facilitate interactive math teaching and learning.

We will also showcase the top platform used by most of our users - Google Forms Integration. Watch as we create a few problems using different input methods and demonstrate the AI Forms Creator to streamline the process of creating math assessments.

Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your teaching toolkit with Equatio's cutting-edge features, designed to support both K-12 and Higher Education professionals and seamlessly integrate into your teaching practice.

Speaker:

• Louis Shanafelt, Equatio Senior Product Manager, Texthelp

Description:

This session provides tools and strategies for having difficult yet necessary conversations, empowering educators to create a school culture where all voices are heard and valued. Through practical exercises and insightful discussions, you'll learn how to navigate challenging dialogues with confidence and compassion, ensuring a supportive and inclusive environment for both students and staff. Join to enhance your communication skills and contribute to a positive and courageous school community.

Speaker:

• Gregory Brown, Principal, Heard Mixon Elementary School and CEO/Founder, THNK.ULTD, LLC

Description:

Join us for an interactive workshop where Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles meet Equatio, creating an inclusive environment for math instruction. This session will guide you through using Equatio in diverse ways to support all learners by providing multiple methods for representing and expressing mathematical concepts. Gain actionable UDL-aligned strategies to make your math lessons more accessible and engaging, ensuring every student can actively participate and excel.

Speaker:

• Tinashe Blanchet, Numeracy Specialist & Product Specialist for Equatio, Texthelp

Description:

Inclusion benefits all, but it requires thoughtful planning and preparation to successfully include students with disabilities. Join us to explore quick start tips for your team and factors for consideration when planning opportunities for meaningful inclusion this school year. You will leave with an action plan to support successful inclusion!

Speakers:

• Ashley Kitchen, M.Ed., Solution Marketing Manager, n2y
• Jenn Rosalino, M.Ed., Content Marketing Manager, n2y

Take a break and recharge with our 15-minute intermission. Grab a snack and a refreshment to enjoy the premiere of our customer study with Pittsburgh Public Schools, get a sneak peek at our upcoming webinars and test your knowledge with some fun movie trivia. The perfect pause to refresh and refocus before the afternoon sessions start.

Description:

AI access for students is often limited because of the students' age or because of school policies. However there are lots of engaging ways for a teacher to use AI in class for interactive learning activities where the students are participating but the teacher is still managing the AI. In this session we will see how you can "invite AI into your classroom" for interactive projects including debates on any topic, live interviews where the AI takes on a role, "20 questions" games on subject area content, co-writing activities, and more.

Speaker:

• Eric Curts, EdTech Specialist, Google Certified Trainer and Innovator

Description:

In this dynamic session, our panelists will discuss the latest trends, challenges, and innovations in creating accessible educational environments. They will explore how to script a successful path toward inclusion, sharing practical strategies and visionary ideas to enhance educational accessibility for all students. 

This dynamic panel session features leading voices in accessibility and digital equity:

• John Eisenberg, Executive Director of NASDSE, to share insights on national strategies and initiatives for inclusive education.
• Gurpreet Kaur, Head of Accessibility and Product Inclusion for Google Workspace, who will provide a tech industry perspective on integrating accessibility in digital tools.
• D’Andre J. Weaver, Chief Digital Equity Officer at Digital Promise, offering his expertise on advancing digital equity and inclusion.
• Moderated by Emma Fish, VP CM at Texthelp

Description:

Join us to learn how Arkansas has transformed its approach to special education services by supporting educators in making instruction and assessment accessible to every learner. We will share the steps taken from the state level down to the classroom, showcasing how Universal Design for Learning (UDL) has been integrated to address barriers and improve outcomes for all students. Discover the powerful changes implemented to create more inclusive and effective learning environments across Arkansas.

Speakers:

• Jessica Saum, 2022 Arkansas Teacher of the Year, Presidential Leadership Scholar and Advocate for Inclusive Education
• Johnny Key, Partner, Strategos Group and Former Secretary of the Arkansas Department of Education
• Moderator: Kyle Krause, Senior Customer Success Executive, Texthelp 

Description:

Join us for an exciting and informative 30-minute deep dive as we unveil OrbitNote’s revamp, designed by and for educators in North America. We’ll highlight the new features and improvements that make OrbitNote an indispensable tool for both teachers and students. Discover how our commitment to integration and user-friendly design can enhance your document workflow, allowing you to focus more on teaching and learning. Get a glimpse of what’s on the horizon for OrbitNote as we continue to innovate and improve.

Speaker:

• Stuart Marsden, OrbitNote Product Manager, Texthelp

Description:

Chase was moments away from quitting teaching — a career he loved. He was burned out, bitter, and beaten by the external challenges of modern education. But he didn’t quit. He doubled-down, using the same science of well-being he had taught his students for over a decade.

In this engaging, humorous, and heartfelt talk, Chase shares his experience as a veteran educator and provides key insights on how the science of small, positive moments creates thriving adults, learners, and communities. Your audience will be empowered to take care of themselves, so they can better take care of the young adults who need them.

Learning Outcomes:

• OPTIMISM – Refocus on the good in order to reignite our love for teaching and parenting
• OWNERSHIP – Take control of our own well-being through simple, research-based actions that boost purpose and happiness
• MINDFULNESS – Be present and turn minor moments into major momentum to thrive personally and professionally
• COMMUNITY – Cultivate positive relationships with kids and adults to build supportive and resilient cultures.

Speaker:

• Chase Mielke, M.Ed, Best-selling author of The Burnout Cure