AI and Innovative Tech Symposium: Full Schedule

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 prompting strategies, and learn how to guide AI toward creating engaging games, simulations, role-playing experiences, and other activities that promote meaningful student thinking while increasing access and opportunities for all learners. Finally, it's time for a Vibe Check! Participants will create, test, and refine their own AI-supported learning experience while receiving coaching and feedback throughout the process. Attendees will leave with tangible strategies, a Vibe Library of adaptable prompts, and a repository of ready-to-use K–12 learning experiences spanning multiple grade levels and content areas. Rather than leaving with another collection of prompts, they'll leave with the confidence to design learning experiences where AI enhances instruction and transforms student achievement.

Speakers

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 →

Rob Johnson

EdTech Innovation TOSA, Torrance Unified School District

Phuong Uzoff

EdTech Innovation TOSA, Torrance Unified School District

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

Breakout Session 1

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 literacy)—with Google Vids to foster authentic student agency.

Next, we transition from curriculum to creation using Google Vids as an equity-driven accessibility tool. Running smoothly on Chromebooks in a secure Workspace environment, Google Vids acts as an equalizer—eliminating complex editing barriers so students can focus entirely on critical analysis. You will discover how students can use Vids to synthesize concepts and create reflective media artifacts on three urgent digital dilemmas: media balance, data privacy, and AI deepfakes.

Rather than listening to a passive lecture, attendees will step into the role of the learner. You will explore these resources, analyze student video frameworks, and collaborate to adapt ready-to-use lesson prompts for your subject area. You will walk away with a concrete, classroom-ready roadmap and template toolkit to turn students from passive consumers into reflective, ethical digital creators.

Speakers

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

Breakout Session 1

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 that inform meaningful staff conversations about instruction. You'll learn how AI can help you synthesize data quickly so you can spend your energy on what to do about it - not just understanding what the numbers mean.

Speakers

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

Breakout Session 1

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 classroom and how they can easily attempt to do the same in theirs as well. These AI enhancements have made me a more effective educator, along with making teaching more fun and enjoyable.

Speakers

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

Breakout Session 1

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 experience, participants will examine how open-ended challenges, purposeful questioning, and productive struggle help students construct understanding rather than simply follow directions. Participants will explore strategies that create equitable entry points for diverse learners and allow students to contribute through collaboration, creativity, communication, and problem solving.

Through the Model–Show–Explore framework, educators will experience the learner perspective, unpack instructional choices, and design an engineering experience they can adapt for their own classrooms. The focus is not the tool—it is creating conditions where students see themselves as capable engineers and innovators.

Speakers

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

Breakout Session 1

10:30am PDT

10:30am PDT

10:30am PDT

10:30am PDT

10:30am PDT

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