Registration / Morning Refreshments / Exhibit Area Open

Opening Remarks

Keynote: How Data and Technology Shape Human Experiences

Throughout our lives, data and technology are increasingly shaping our surroundings. The distinctions between “online” and “offline,” between “digital” and “physical,” have begun to blur. Automation and AI are some of the most discussed issues in technology circles today. But, at the center of it all, is still humanity and the human experience. Digital evangelist and "Tech Humanist" Kate O'Neill will discuss how and why we should approach strategy and innovation challenges with an emphasis on what makes our experiences more meaningful.

Kate O’Neill, Founder / Chief Executive Officer, KO Insights

Break

Concurrent Sessions I

Protein Folding in Paradise Valley Schools

Learn how Paradise Valley Schools is contributing to the largest supercomputer project in the world – Folding@home, hosted at Stanford University. The district initiative known as Cluster Crush is focused on protein folding to aid research into Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer and other devastating diseases. This is the epitome of social good with technology. In this session, teachers will discuss how they are integrating math into distributed computing along with the science of protein folding. You will also hear from students explaining computing for a social good and leaving a positive digital footprint.

Cori Araza, Teacher, Paradise Valley Unified School District

Karen Mensing, Technology Integration Facilitator, Paradise Valley Unified School District

Mixing It Up: Blending Learning for Higher Student Achievement

Participants will be given an overview of the process used to integrate the blended learning model of instruction into the high school math classroom. Focus will be on the various technological tools utilized and methods used to change the learning process to one that is student-centered. Also discussed will be the road bumps that occurred during the integration process and how they were resolved.

Jeff Newman, District Instructional Technology Integration Specialist, Tolleson Union High School District

Refresh, Renew, Revitalize

The Alhambra School District refreshed 10,000 OS and iOS devices in the spring of 2017. This process was achieved by a small technology team that leveraged their resources to guarantee a successful process. In this session, attendees will gain insight on the procedures that Alhambra implemented to ensure a successful sell back of its current devices and the purchase and rollout of 10,500 new devices.

Devi Beck, Computer Technician, Alhambra School District

Alan Davidson, Instructional Technology Facilitator, Alhambra School District

Ruben Montoya, Lead Instructional Facilitator, Alhambra School District

Phillip Seng, Project Manager, Alhambra School District

Dr. Nan Williams, Director of Technology, Alhambra School District

IoT – Bringing Your Projects to Life

Explore real-life examples of IoT devices that are readily available. Many projects are simple and inexpensive to build. These devices are accurate and reliable and help students gain knowledge in programming, as well as electronics. Discover how easy and fun building these projects can be. Please join Dysart Unified School District for a demonstration of various sensors, data collection and automation/wifi projects.

Robert Jossis, Network Technician, Dysart Unified School District #89

Alfonso Vasquez, Network Engineer, Dysart Unified School District #89

Securing Your Digital Way of Life – The Latest Trends in Cybersecurity

Security is always top of mind among government and education business officials responsible for the security of their organizations. It’s critical that IT professionals ask themselves if they are prepared to face the threats. Join this session and find out what you can do to implement the right strategies for defense.

Ron Temske, Vice President, Security Solutions, Logicalis

Making Arizona’s New A-F Reporting Come to Life!

During this session, participants will discuss Arizona’s new A-F report card components for both elementary and secondary schools. Participants will identify best practices to prepare for the shifts, while addressing possible barriers. The session will support educators aligning district priorities to develop coherence from the boardroom to the classroom by focusing on district and state summative measures to key performance indicators, strategies and actions.

Dr. Abram Jimenez, Vice President District Leadership, Illuminate Education

Gina M. Thompson, Associate Superintendent Curriculum, Yuma Union High School District

Lunch

General Session

Women & Information Technology

Organizations from many disciplines are working to increase the number of women finding and choosing colleges and careers in information technology and computation. In Arizona, Paradise Valley Schools is also working to close the gap. With partners like Executive Women’s Forum and the National Center for Women & Information Technology and organization participation from Stanford, ASU, Google and Cisco, PVS is aiming to make a difference. Its first-year trials and highlights are shared, along with second-year plans.

Allies of Paradise Valley’s Women & Information Technology

Break

Concurrent Sessions II

Computer Science for Arizona

This session will delve into the progress that Arizona has made in bringing computer science for all and will be led by co-chairs for the statewide Computer Science task force. Updates on certification, standards and implementation will be shared, as well as progress on the state plan and the landscape of computer science.

Jon Castelhano, Executive Director of Technology, Gilbert Public Schools

Janice Mak, Computer Science Educator, Paradise Valley Unified School District / Vice President, Computer Science Teachers Association

Brian Nelson, Associate Professor, Arizona State University

Technology Growth Tools for Teaching Generation Z

How are schools meeting the needs of Generation Z (digital integrators born 1995 to 2010)? During this interactive session, participants will learn how students can be evaluated on technology standard proficiency and teacher performance can be assessed on innovation with technology in every classroom. Discover how Flagstaff USD has accomplished this and come away with growth tools to replicate similar initiatives.

Heather Breedlove, Technology Integration Coordinator, Flagstaff Unified School District

Mary Knight, Technology Director, Flagstaff Unified School District

Heather Zeigler, Digital Literacy Specialist, Flagstaff Unified School District

Emergency Response Planning and Disaster Recovery

The increased reliance on information and technology is having a significant impact on district-level Emergency Response Planning. Areas to consider include reunification of students with family, systems interfacing, 911 data exchange, hospital exercises, interface with responders, chain of command, policies/practices, training, etc. This session will be an opportunity to hear what one district is doing.

Jeff Billings, Director of Information Technology, Paradise Valley Unified School District

The Data Dilemma We All Face

The expectations around data analysis are changing across all administrative roles in a district. CIOs need to assist more and more with data liberation and transparency and provide tools and knowledge for informed decision-making. The overall data conversation is changing regarding speed, access and format. Calcasieu Parish has deployed new tools successfully to present data to the community, the School Board and the Cabinet for better outcomes and greater support. This session will prompt challenges about how to think about data and share tools to help look at data with a fresh perspective.

Dr. Sheryl Abshire, Chief Technology Officer, Calcasieu Parish Public Schools, LA

Preventing Credential Theft and Abuse

The majority of all breaches involve password theft at some stage of the attack. This is because the vast majority of organizations continue to use password-based credentials as the primary means of securing user access. As a result, password-stealing techniques are used by a broad spectrum of attackers to breach organizations, compromise their networks and steal critical data from internal data centers and the cloud. This session will outline innovations to prevent the theft of user credentials and make them useless to adversaries once stolen.

Brian Tokuyoshi, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Palo Alto Networks

Technology Creation vs. Technology Adaptation

This session will cover technology creation versus technology adaptation in the EdTech world, primarily discussing the hindrances that adaptation of current technologies in the classroom poses and the innovations that creating technology for the classroom brings. Adaptation underserves the educational market, propagates ineffective and outdated teaching models and hinders overall creativity and innovative thinking. Technology creation has modularity in that interchangeability is more conducive to stylized learning, allows teachers to develop more effective curriculums and is the stepping stone to the 21st century classroom. We must adjust technology for education, not adjust education for technology.

Ryan Alphonso, Marketing, HoverCam

Jaime Falcon, Marketing & Media Relations, HoverCam

Break

Concurrent Sessions III

From Technology Class to Computer Science

As the technology standards have evolved and its 1:1 expanded, the Balsz School District has transitioned to a computer science curriculum for K-8 technology classes for the 2017-18 school year. This includes coding, robotics, a drone unit and 3D printing. We would like to share our process and experiences, as well as hear from other districts that have experienced or are considering the same shift.

Salina Bernal, Computer Science Teacher, Balsz School District

Leslee Jonovich, Computer Science Teacher, Balsz School District

Julie Morgenthal, Director of Technology Services, Balsz School District

Brandi Reed, Computer Science Teacher, Balsz School District

Agnes Sharp, Computer Science Teacher, Balsz School District

Interconnecting Complex School Systems

Today’s schools have more stand-alone software systems than ever before managing all aspects of district functions. IT now finds itself increasingly trying to devise new and innovative ways to connect to systems, including third party and cloud-based applications. We will discuss some strategies for identifying connection strategies and some of the newest methods for developing near real-time performance in loosely coupled environments.

Eric D. Kistler, Software Developer, Tolleson Union High School District #214

Dr. Bianca Lochner, Director of Technology & Information Systems, Tolleson Union High School District #214

Redefining Learning in the Classroom with iPads

Please join Crane School District and Jamf in this session to learn how the school iPads challenged the status quo and transformed the educational experience. The speakers will review the district’s struggle in making its dream a reality of providing essential technological learning resources for its students; why Crane chose the iPad; examples from the classroom; guiding the instructional process; steps toward individualized learning; and the path to sustainability to continue the dream.

Brian Frye, Strategic Systems Engineer – K20, JAMF

Kim Fuller, Strategic Account Executive – K12 Southwest, JAMF

Dr. Michael Hoffman, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Crane School District

Trina Siegfried, Manager, Special Projects, Crane School District

Digital Learning Trends Driving District Innovation and Efficiency

Join Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow, and Katie Gallagher, director of product marketing at Blackboard, for an in-depth look at the digital learning trends impacting the plans of technology leaders across the nation and within Arizona, outlined in their recent joint report, Trends in Digital Learning 2017. More than 514,000 K-12 students, parents and educators nationwide (including over 20,000 from Arizona districts) shared their views on the benefits and challenges of technology use through the Speak Up 2016 Research Project for Digital Learning. In this interactive session, we will explore the most

important Speak Up trends for CIOs/CTOs that will help drive innovation and efficiency in your organization.

Julie Evans, Chief Executive Officer, Project Tomorrow

Katie Gallagher, Director of Product Marketing, K-12 Teaching & Learning, Blackboard

Adjourn

Conference times, agenda and speakers are subject to change.