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AI and Innovative Tech Symposium
Saturday, September 19
 

8:30am PDT

Registration
Saturday September 19, 2026 8:30am - 9:00am PDT
Registration will take place in front of the Duarte High School New Gym on Central Avenue.  
Saturday September 19, 2026 8:30am - 9:00am PDT

9:00am PDT

Symposium Kickoff and Keynote Innovation Panel
Saturday September 19, 2026 9:00am - 10:15am PDT
The Keynote Innovation Panel will feature student, parent, teacher, and principal voices. Together, they’ll discuss how AI and innovation are shaping education, unlocking new possibilities, and inspiring a future of learning grounded in creativity, connection, and purpose.


Saturday September 19, 2026 9:00am - 10:15am PDT

10:30am PDT

Don't Write the Code, Curate the Learning! Vibe Coding for Deeper Learning with Gemini
Saturday September 19, 2026 10:30am - 11:30am PDT
Vibe coding isn't about writing the perfect prompt, it's about designing the right learning experience. The session begins with Catch the Vibe, where participants step into the role of a student and experience an AI-powered learning activity firsthand. Next, participants will Learn to Vibe by pulling back the curtain to explore how the experience was designed in Gemini, discover practical...
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Speakers
TK

Taraneh Karim

EdTech and Innovation TOSA, Torrance Unified School District
Taraneh Karim is an Educational Technology Innovation Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) for Torrance Unified School District with more than a decade of experience in education. Before transitioning into educational technology, she taught middle and high school social science, where... Read More →
avatar for Rob Johnson

Rob Johnson

EdTech Innovation TOSA, Torrance Unified School District

PU

Phuong Uzoff

EdTech Innovation TOSA, Torrance Unified School District


Saturday September 19, 2026 10:30am - 11:30am PDT

10:30am PDT

Elevating AI Literacy and Digital Citizenship with Google Vids
Saturday September 19, 2026 10:30am - 11:30am PDT
In an era of generative AI, deepfakes, and algorithmic feeds, digital citizenship must be an active, cross-curricular practice. This practical session equips educators with a clear blueprint to navigate and merge two essential free resources—the Common Sense Media Digital Citizenship curriculum and the Google AI Educator Series (developed with ISTE+ASCD to train K-12 teachers nationwide in AI...
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Speakers
avatar for Kim Baljet

Kim Baljet

Director of Educational Technology, iLead Ca Hybrid Charters
Hi, I'm Kim the Director of Educational Technology for iLEAD Schools. After over two decades igniting young minds in the elementary classroom, I've embarked on an exciting new chapter in 2024, dedicating myself full-time to empowering educators with the transformative power of educational... Read More →

Saturday September 19, 2026 10:30am - 11:30am PDT

10:30am PDT

From Documents to Dialogue: Create Conversations Around Your School’s Data and Policies
Saturday September 19, 2026 10:30am - 11:30am PDT
By September, most schools have baseline assessment data - i-Ready diagnostics, SBAC, formative assessments. But turning raw data into insights takes time, and communicating those insights to staff often gets lost in spreadsheets and reports that no one reads.This hands-on session teaches school leaders to use NotebookLM to identify trends in assessment data and create visual or audio summaries...
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Speakers
avatar for Paul Dietrich

Paul Dietrich

Academic Coach, Gonzales Unified School District
Paul Dietrich is an Academic Coach at Fairview Middle School in the Gonzales Unified School District and brings 12 years of diverse educational experience, including a decade in the classroom. His journey in education encompasses teaching math for two years at the high school level... Read More →

Saturday September 19, 2026 10:30am - 11:30am PDT

10:30am PDT

The Smartest "Person" I Know: Enhancing IEPs and EBPs with AI
Saturday September 19, 2026 10:30am - 11:30am PDT
In this session participants will learn how to use AI to enhance IEP writing and evidence-based practices for individuals on the autism spectrum. This will include IEP goal baseline data, IEP goals, and more. It will also cover visual supports, video models, social narratives, and music mediated instruction. Participants will be able to see how I have implemented these strategies into my own...
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Speakers
avatar for Jerry Rivard

Jerry Rivard

Glendora Unified School District
I recently presented for CAPTAIN (California Autism Professional Training and Information Network) about how I've been using AI in my classroom. The presentation focused on how to use AI to implement autism evidence-based practices. I have been teaching in the ESGV SELPA Autism program... Read More →

Saturday September 19, 2026 10:30am - 11:30am PDT

10:30am PDT

What If We Don’t Tell Them How? Designing Open-Ended Engineering Experiences That Build Student Agency
Saturday September 19, 2026 10:30am - 11:30am PDT
What happens when we stop telling students how to solve a problem and instead create opportunities for them to think, design, test, and revise? In this interactive session, participants will experience an open-ended engineering challenge and explore how intentional learning design can transform STEM experiences into opportunities for deeper thinking and student agency.Using Rigamajig as a model...
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Speakers
avatar for Jessica Muncy

Jessica Muncy

Elementary School Teacher
Jessica Muncy is an elementary STEM educator and current mechanical engineer with experience designing and implementing engaging, student-centered engineering learning experiences for grades PK through 6th. She has received multiple grants supporting innovative STEM education and... Read More →

Saturday September 19, 2026 10:30am - 11:30am PDT

11:30am PDT

Lunch 🍔
Saturday September 19, 2026 11:30am - 12:40pm PDT
Lunch is on us! Enjoy a catered meal from The Habit featuring your choice of a burger or veggie burger, served with fries, a drink, and a cookie for dessert.
Saturday September 19, 2026 11:30am - 12:40pm PDT

12:40pm PDT

Best Practices For Writing Classrooms in the AI Era
Saturday September 19, 2026 12:40pm - 1:40pm PDT
With AI in the writing classroom, the question isn't if, it's how. Come get real, classroom-tested strategies for using it across the whole writing process, from brainstorming to revision to feedback, without losing authentic student writing. I'll share the moves I actually use: assignments AI can't easily fake, leaning on peer review so students won't pass AI work off to each other, turning an AI...
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Speakers
avatar for Jen Roberts

Jen Roberts

High School English Teacher, San Diego Unified School District
Jen Roberts is a Nationally Board Certified high school English teacher with 25+ years of experience teaching English Language Arts and Social Science and in grades 7-12. She is the co-author of Power Up: Making the Shift to 1:1 Teaching and Learning and a Google for Education Certified... Read More →

Saturday September 19, 2026 12:40pm - 1:40pm PDT

12:40pm PDT

Computing + AI: A Ready-to-Teach Curriculum for Future-Ready Classrooms
Saturday September 19, 2026 12:40pm - 1:40pm PDT
Artificial intelligence is transforming how we solve problems, yet many educators feel uncertain about how to prepare students for this new reality. This interactive session introduces Computing+AI, a curriculum designed to build foundational computing knowledge alongside AI literacy so students become informed, creative, and ethical users-not just consumers-of AI. Participants begin by sharing...
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Speakers
DS

Dana Saito-Stehberger

University of California, Irvine
Dana Saito-Stehberger, Ed.D. is the Director of Curriculum and Instruction and a Research Specialist at the University of California, Irvine Digital Learning Lab. She leads the design and research of innovative K–12 curricula that integrate computational thinking and artificial... Read More →
ER

Evelyn Rodriguez

University of California, Irvine
Evelyn Rodriguez is a fourth-year Informatics major with a specialization in Human Computer Interaction at UC Irvine, where she also serves as a Research Fellow at the Digital Learning Lab. She is one of the Co-Designers for the curriculum development for the Computing and AI for... Read More →

Saturday September 19, 2026 12:40pm - 1:40pm PDT

12:40pm PDT

Elevating Student Agency and Depth of Learning through Gemini Notebook Curation
Saturday September 19, 2026 12:40pm - 1:40pm PDT
Discover how to revolutionize student agency and depth of learning using Google’s NotebookLM, a powerful AI-driven personalized research assistant built on Gemini. Moving far beyond basic reading summaries, NotebookLM functions as an active synthesis engine designed to help educators and students deep-dive into complex topics with secure, source-grounded discovery. Now integrated as a Google...
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Speakers
avatar for Rob Johnson

Rob Johnson

EdTech Innovation TOSA, Torrance Unified School District

PU

Phuong Uzoff

EdTech Innovation TOSA, Torrance Unified School District

TK

Taraneh Karim

EdTech and Innovation TOSA, Torrance Unified School District
Taraneh Karim is an Educational Technology Innovation Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) for Torrance Unified School District with more than a decade of experience in education. Before transitioning into educational technology, she taught middle and high school social science, where... Read More →

Saturday September 19, 2026 12:40pm - 1:40pm PDT

12:40pm PDT

Exploring Story, SEL, and Critical Media Literacy in ELA Classrooms
Saturday September 19, 2026 12:40pm - 1:40pm PDT
Literature offers readers lessons that transcend beyond its pages. Through these lessons, through thematic topics, and through characters’ interactions and conflicts, there are opportunities for students to notice and develop connections to our dynamic everyday lives. Join me as I share a unit that fosters student creativity at the intersection of literature, media literacy, and technology: Dear...
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Speakers
GK

Gurbir Kahlon

High School Teacher, Torrance Unified School District

Saturday September 19, 2026 12:40pm - 1:40pm PDT

12:40pm PDT

Identity First Districts Are Safer, Faster and Easier to Run
Saturday September 19, 2026 12:40pm - 1:40pm PDT
Start every school day calm and secure with identity as your operating system. In this session, we will guide you through a steady rhythm where access, automation, and analytics work in concert.On day one, accounts and rosters are synced from SIS and HR systems, so students and staff open their devices and land on the right tools. Access is always aligned to the role and updates as students switch...
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Speakers
avatar for Lee Williams

Lee Williams

ClassLink
Lee Joined the ClassLink team in 2023. He has spent the last 25 yearsworking with Education and Enterprise organizations across the country.His focus has always been about creatively designing and implementingsustainable technology solutions. Lee works to become the trusted advisorwithin... Read More →
Saturday September 19, 2026 12:40pm - 1:40pm PDT

12:40pm PDT

Three Paths, One Prep; Designing Differentiated, Student-Driven Learning Experience with AI
Saturday September 19, 2026 12:40pm - 1:40pm 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...
See More →
Speakers
avatar for Abida Merchant

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 12:40pm - 1:40pm PDT

1:50pm PDT

Bringing Language to Life with AI: Multimodal and Authentic Learning Through Stories, Songs, and Student Voice
Saturday September 19, 2026 1:50pm - 2:50pm PDT
This hands-on session explores how generative AI can be used to design purposeful, multimodal language-learning experiences that integrate stories, songs, visuals, and student voice. Studies on multimodal composing point to the importance of moving beyond print-based language practice and engaging learners through multiple modes of meaning-making (Lim & Kessler, 2023; Yu & Zhang, 2026). Research...
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Speakers
avatar for Weina Chen, Ed.D.

Weina Chen, Ed.D.

Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts Global
Dr. Weina Li Chen is an Associate Professor and program leader of Bilingual Education at the University of Massachusetts Global. She has years of experience in the field of bilingual education as a Mandarin teacher, teacher educator in TESOL and bilingual education, researcher, and... Read More →

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

1:50pm PDT

Exploring Story, SEL, and Critical Media Literacy in ELA Classrooms
Saturday September 19, 2026 1:50pm - 2:50pm PDT
Literature offers readers lessons that transcend beyond its pages. Through these lessons, through thematic topics, and through characters’ interactions and conflicts, there are opportunities for students to notice and develop connections to our dynamic everyday lives. Join me as I share a unit that fosters student creativity at the intersection of literature, media literacy, and technology: Dear...
See More →
Speakers
GK

Gurbir Kahlon

High School Teacher, Torrance Unified School District

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

1:50pm PDT

Start a Conversation, Not an Accusation: Ditching the AI "Gotcha" Culture
Saturday September 19, 2026 1:50pm - 2:50pm PDT
AI deployment in education has been dominated by fear and far-too often biased “AI detection” tools. But at ABCUSD, we’ve found that the real breakthrough isn’t in the software –it’s in the Human Intelligence (HI) that guides it. This session pulls back the curtain on our district’s ongoing journey to move AI from a scary plagiarism machine to a transparent partner in the classroom....
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Speakers
avatar for Mike Lawrence

Mike Lawrence

Director of Information & Technology, ABC Unified School District
Mike Lawrence, Director of IT at ABC Unified, leads districtwide digital learning and infrastructure strategy. Nationally recognized among the top 100 in EdTech, Mike co-founded Google’s global educator programs and served as CEO of CUE. A lifelong learner, he is dedicated to advancing... Read More →

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

1:50pm PDT

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...
See More →
Speakers
avatar for Abida Merchant

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

1:50pm PDT

Your Classroom, Your Tool: Vibe-Code Custom Solutions to Real Classroom Problems
Saturday September 19, 2026 1:50pm - 2:50pm PDT
You know your students' needs better than any EdTech company. But finding (or building) a tool that solves your specific problem? That takes time, money, or coding skills you may not have.This session teaches intermediate-to-advanced AI users to vibe-code: describe what you need in plain English, and let AI build it. You'll see a working example, identify a real classroom problem you want to...
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Speakers
avatar for Paul Dietrich

Paul Dietrich

Academic Coach, Gonzales Unified School District
Paul Dietrich is an Academic Coach at Fairview Middle School in the Gonzales Unified School District and brings 12 years of diverse educational experience, including a decade in the classroom. His journey in education encompasses teaching math for two years at the high school level... Read More →

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

2:50pm PDT

Check-Out
Saturday September 19, 2026 2:50pm - 3:00pm PDT
Close out the day by reflecting on key takeaways, celebrating new ideas, and connecting with fellow educators. Continue the conversation, exchange inspiration, and consider how you’ll carry innovation forward in your classroom, school, or district.
Saturday September 19, 2026 2:50pm - 3:00pm PDT
 
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