Name: Three Paths, One Prep; Designing Differentiated, Student-Driven Learning Experience with AI
Start: 2026-09-19T13:50:00-0700
End: 2026-09-19T14:50:00-0700

Three Paths, One Prep; Designing Differentiated, Student-Driven Learning Experience with AI

Saturday September 19, 2026 1:50pm - 2:50pm PDT

Differentiation doesn't fail because teachers don't believe in it. It fails because producing three versions of one lesson costs three evenings. This hands-on session collapses that cost so the students who most need a different path actually get one: English learners who need multimodal, language-supported explanations; students with IEPs who need self-paced content they can replay; and students without academic support at home.
This is a build session, not a presentation. Model: participants begin inside a student-facing module, experiencing an interactive lesson path, an AI avatar explanation, and scaffolded practice exactly as a student would. Show: a brief live build makes every decision visible: why this prompt structure, why this element stays human written, how AI content is checked for bias, and what student data never enters an AI tool. Explore: working in pairs, participants design and begin building a differentiated module for a real upcoming lesson from their own classroom, supported by a reusable template and decision checklist.
Every tool (Genially, AI text and avatar generators) is chosen only where it moves students toward deeper learning, expanded access, or greater ownership of pace and path, and participants practice that same judgment themselves. Educators leave with a started module, a reusable template, a responsible AI checklist, and a workflow that makes differentiation a sustainable weekly practice.

Speakers

Abida Merchant

High School Teacher, Downey Unified School District

Abida Merchant teaches AP Computer Science, AP Cybersecurity, and Business at Warren High School (Downey USD), where she serves as department lead and, beginning this school year as Teacher Technology Lead specializing in AI. A Project Lead The Way Master teacher since 2016, she has... Read More →

Saturday September 19, 2026 1:50pm - 2:50pm PDT

Breakout Session 3

AI and Innovative Tech Symposium

Abida Merchant

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AI and Innovative Tech Symposium

Abida Merchant

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