Participants will learn brain basics that affect self-regulation and how to use SEL strategies to teach these skills.

Ensuring that all students, regardless of bandwidth or even connectivity, have access to high-quality, robust learning is not accidental. Intentional and empathetic strategies can help to lessen the barriers to digital access, as well as draw needed attention to the socio-economic issues that caused the divide initially. Learn some simple strategies from these three districts that have a diverse student community needs, from a small rural district to a large initiative that connected students across 10 districts.

Especially as Distance Learning makes it even more necessary to use online tools, it's essential that teachers and school staff understand the importance of vetting resources to avoid putting their data or their students' data at risk.

How do you ensure that your district's data is safe as you transition to blended learning models? These disricts share their stories, looking at concerns they identified during remote learning in the Spring around use of personal devices -- and how they used this information to better safeguard their data for next year.

Districts have so many new learning models to choose from, and there is no one model that fits every need for school communities. Learn how this innovative district is preparing for 2020-21 and see an example of how a classroom might look as a 2-in-1 model for simultaneous in-person and online teaching and learning.

As schools prepare for the many challenges of re-opening, data is key to ensuring they are meeting the needs of all students, families, and staff. Using data analytics tools, schools can identify where students are, what technology they have, and what technology and resources they need. Effective data analytics tools can also help schools assess the effectiveness of their instructional planning, whether online, face-to-face, or blended models.

Digital Citizenship skills are more important now than ever as online and hybrid learning will continue into the next school year. Hear how these districts are preparing their school communities to be good digital citizens in this new learning environment.

Finding the right tools is key to helping teachers deliver quality lessons in any learning environment. In this session, you’ll learn about some of these district’s favorite tools for teachers and tech directors, as well as ways to use video to support engaging online and blended lessons.
 

How do you meet the needs of all adult learners in a Pandemic? Variety is the spice of life. Right? Well, we might not be feeling too spicy, but you'll see an overview of the various professional learning opportunities offered to our school district staff and others in the region to rally the troops around remote learning.

As learners spend more and more time in dynamic, interactive, online spaces, digital citizenship is more important than ever. In this session, you will learn how to find and leverage natural connections between the principles of Digital Citizenship and the standards teachers already have to teach so that it is not just "something we do on Fridays." Instead, "digital citizenship becomes the norm, not the lesson."

In this session, you’ll learn strategies for Virtual Professional Development, how to use micro-credentials and badging to implement a culture of learning and success, and more.

In this session, you’ll learn how you can use your staff’s strengths and talents to unleash a culture of leading and serving, as well as get 4 steps for starting a professional learning revolution!

As part of remote learning, teachers need to find new ways to assess students’ learning. In this session, you'll learn how Vlogging can be a wonderful way to include student voice, choice, and creativity into virtual learning -- along with other tips on easy ways to assess remotely.

Our students come from different ethnic, economic, physical, emotional and cultural backgrounds. How do we provide an equitable education for these students in our classrooms? How do we encourage the diversity in our schools to be interested and want to enter careers in technology? In this session, you’ll learn how technology, devices and resources, can be used to provide equity in the instructional process.

Bring your challenge! Food services, transportation, assessment, professional development, 1:1 devices, and SEL support are all areas of concern in our challenging times. In this interactive workshop, participants will learn how to use the service design process to reimagine a service that we deliver to our students, parents, teachers, or community members. Participants will leave with a service design blueprint template that can be used to redesign services in their schools and school systems.

How do you select and modify technology to meet the needs of all learners? How do you support your teachers in this new way of teaching? And how can distance learning tools be used to enhance the social experience for all students to increase student voice through enhancing student agency, collaboration, and peer feedback, while supporting student growth in building modern knowledge? This session will offer specific tips and strategies to help districts find and use distance learning technology to best support the needs of all learners and teachers.

Despite potential looming shutdowns, social distancing and virtual learning, children still need opportunities for social engagement. Esports has a potential to help fill that void.

In this session, you’ll learn how one district shifted to a block schedule model that would support on-site, remote, or hybrid attendance and another used the shift to remote learning as a chance to see how technology can open new doors to learning -- not just virtually, but face to face as well. Also, a high-level overview of the Texas instructional continuity framework and how it continues to evolve leading into the upcoming school year will be shared.