IETA 2023

Creative work can be hard. It can be challenging. It can sometimes be overwhelming to try and plan and incorporate into the classroom. Yet, we know our students are going to have to be more creative than ever to successfully thrive in today’s world. This workshop shares how design thinking can provide a structure for creative teaching and learning, and how this process can empower our students to do remarkable work inside our schools right now.

Our learners today live in a completely different world than we did 25, 15, or even 10 years ago. Students have access to on demand information with the click of a button on their phones. In today's world, technology is growing exponentially, change is an expected part of our lives, and we have tools that revolutionized the way we think about teaching and learning.

Yet, on the fundamental level of learning we know that all of this change needs to be channeled for it to have a positive impact on our students and in our classrooms. This session goes into detail on how to build a student-centered classroom that promotes authentic learning experiences for all students.

Attendees will learn:
• how student-choice fuels engagement
• how to use technology with a learning purpose
• what innovative teaching practices impact a diverse set of learners
• why student-centered classrooms promote equity and ownership of learning

Innovation in education starts with our students. It strengthens relationships and deepens learning experiences. Student choice and technology allow teachers to build true engagement with all students regardless of their background.

Come learn about IETA's funding and sustainability initiative. 

This session will explore ways we can use technology to break down siloes in our MTSS processes and better track and evaluate how well our MTSS processes are working, with an end goal of delivering differentiated education for each student based on their individual needs. We’ll talk about technology systems that can support MTSS and how to leverage them to create a more efficient experience for educators while supporting better outcomes for students. We’ll also discuss how technology can support the data driven workflows of MTSS and the data privacy concerns that can arise with tools that are commonly used in MTSS today.

Join Keith Krueger, COSN CEO, for a short update on COSN's latest and greatest resources. Learn more about COSN.org, the national ed tech leadership association, and how your school district technology team can benefit by being involved. 

Teachers are exhausted because they do the lion’s share of the work. This workshop will guide
teachers in reimagining time-consuming, teacher-led workflows that are ineffective and help
them to shift to more sustainable student-led workflows. This workshop will focus on
developing a partnership with learners and embracing workflows that position the learners as
active agents in the learning process. We’ll explore how teachers can leverage blended learning
to create the time and space for these sustainable workflows and use the principles at the heart
of Universal Design for Learning to ensure these workflows are accessible, equitable, and
inclusive. Teachers will leave this training with concrete strategies designed to help them shift to
more student-led sustainable workflows. These workshops are hands-on and practice-based, so
participants will leave with resources they can use immediately!

Teachers are exhausted because they do the lion’s share of the work. This workshop will guide
teachers in reimagining time-consuming, teacher-led workflows that are ineffective and help
them to shift to more sustainable student-led workflows. This workshop will focus on
developing a partnership with learners and embracing workflows that position the learners as
active agents in the learning process. We’ll explore how teachers can leverage blended learning
to create the time and space for these sustainable workflows and use the principles at the heart
of Universal Design for Learning to ensure these workflows are accessible, equitable, and
inclusive. Teachers will leave this training with concrete strategies designed to help them shift to
more student-led sustainable workflows. These workshops are hands-on and practice-based, so
participants will leave with resources they can use immediately!

Are you watching kids scroll through life, with their rapid-fire thumbs and a six-second attention span? Physician and filmmaker Delaney Ruston saw that with her own kids and learned that the average kid spends 6.5 hours a day looking at screens. She wondered about the impact of all this time and about the friction occurring in homes and schools around negotiating screen time—friction she knew all too well.

In SCREENAGERS, as with her award-winning documentaries on mental health, Delaney takes a deeply personal approach as she probes into the vulnerable corners of family life, including her own, to explore struggles over social media, video games, academics and internet addiction. Through poignant, and unexpectedly funny stories, along with surprising insights from authors, psychologists, and brain scientists, SCREENAGERS reveals how tech time impacts kids’ development and offers solutions on how adults can empower kids to best navigate the digital world and find balance.

After the film, we'll spend about 20 minutes discussing some key topics and takeaways.

Numerous recent studies show that students with  low socio-economic status , have a consistent pattern of lower scores in reading, math, and science assessment. Empirical research also supports a link between student internet access, motivation, engagement, attendance, and academic achievement. Today, technology is critical to not only student learning, but also to prepare students for the 21st century workforce . It is more important than ever that students have  customized  learning experiences , providing them with relevant  resources to help them succeed in their education and reach their full potential. You’ll leave this session equipped with  innovative strategies to incorporate Social Emotional Learning (SEL) through technology; meeting students where they are, increasing both student and family engagement while improving outcomes.

Teaching your students to code has never been more engaging than with ‘Coding in Minecraft’ by
Prodigy Learning. In this session you will get hands-on with this immersive curriculum and credential
pathway which immerses students in Minecraft: Education Edition to learn all about coding. Come see

for yourself how ‘Coding in Minecraft’ creates a student-led, highly engaging learning experience where
the teacher becomes the facilitator, and the students lead their own learning to learn how to code in
Blocks, JavaScript or Python and validate their skills by gaining credentials along the way!