Registration / Morning Refreshments / Exhibit Area Open

Opening Remarks

Keynote

Sharon Gai, Keynote Speaker and Author

Break

Concurrent Sessions 1

AI in Action: Transforming Learning for High School Students in Special Education

Join us as we delve into the transformative power of AI in education with a focus on special education and other underserved populations. Discover how a project in the Vail School District worked with high school students in special education to navigate AI technology, modifying their work and gaining invaluable real-life skills. This session offers practical insights and actionable strategies aimed at revolutionizing learning and preparing students for the future.

Emily Marshall, Assistant Director of Education Technology, Vail School District

From Breach to Triumph: A Cyber Recovery Tale

Dive into a riveting session with our Executive Director of Technology and Network Operations Manager, sharing a firsthand account of overcoming a cyberattack. Discover how quick thinking, a robust Cyber Incident Response Plan (CIRP) and a partnership with security experts turned a potential disaster into a story of resilience and recovery. Learn from our journey, the crucial role of preparedness and how we restored our network within 24 hours.

Lauren Owens, Executive Director of Technology, Agua Fria Union High School District

Brandon Gable, Network Operations Manager, Agua Fria Union High School District

Thomas Innovation and Empowerment Academy

Thomas Elementary is a Title I community school in the heart of Eastside Flagstaff. The school community is presently making a transition to meet the evolving expectations of our technologically advancing world. Be inspired by the process of rebranding as we make the shift to Thomas Innovation and Empowerment Academy. Come hear about our implementation of Empower Hour, use of site-based coaching, utilization of Apple Teacher Certifications and integration of the new Arizona Technology Standards.

Katrina Collins-Hernandez, Principal, Flagstaff Unified School District

Cris Bowen, Instructional Coach, Flagstaff Unified School District

Preparing Students with Future Skills

How are you empowering all learners today and preparing them for tomorrow? As technology changes, the skills that employers are looking for are changing — away from passive, knowledge-based skills toward skills like creative problem-solving, analytical thinking, design and collaboration. Join us to discuss how to equip students with these skills and how we can enable them to do real-world work with real-world tools.

Apple Education

Building a Cyber-Secure Future: Tools, Partnerships and Opportunities for Schools

Discover how powerful initiatives can empower your school community, enhance cybersecurity measures and prepare students for a future where digital safety is paramount. Attending CIOs and tech directors will gain insight and resources to enhance cybersecurity awareness for Arizona schools. Learn about cyber threat mitigation tools – comprehensive and interactive training solutions help students and staff understand and mitigate cyber threats and are available now. Additionally, Arizona schools are already benefitting from a collaboration partnership offering cutting-edge cybersecurity resources and curricula. Finally, the FCC Cyber Pilot Funding program provides schools with vital funding to improve cybersecurity infrastructure and training programs.

Mike Lauer, National Director of Public Sector Programs, Fortinet

Lunch

Lunch and Learn General Session

Learning, Technology and Innovation: Uniting PD, BizOps, IT and EdTech

Discover how embedding System Administrators within a unified department encompassing IT, professional development and educational technology can level up district operations. By fostering cross-functional collaboration and contextual understanding, the classic school district IT department has been reimagined to empower System Administrators to create agile processes that align with district strategic goals.

Troy Harris, Systems Administrator, Flagstaff Unified School District

Matthew Kovacs, Systems Administrator, Flagstaff Unified School District

Break

Concurrent Sessions 2

Building a Stronger School System: Women in Educational Leadership

This session isn’t just about women leaders – it’s about building a stronger school system for everyone. Women make up the backbone of our schools, but we are underrepresented in leadership roles. This session is designed for both women aspiring to leadership and men who want to champion their advancement. We’ll explore the unique strengths women bring to educational leadership and identify the barriers they often face.

Laura Boone, President, Arizona Technology in Education Association

Diana Hawari, Chief Information Officer, Dysart Schools

Emily Marshall, Assistant Director of Education Technology, Vail School District

The ABCs of UDL and AI

Universal Design for Learning provides the framework for personalizing instruction, but technology supercharges teachers’ ability to implement it! Learn how technology (and, specifically, generative AI) can bring UDL to life in modern classrooms, meeting the needs of each and every learner. Devices are recommended for hands-on activities.

Shaun Creighton, Director of Instructional Technology, Chandler Unified School District

It's Your Play – Cybersecurity Support Strategies and Playbook Creation

Cyberattacks are a serious threat to schools. In this session, you will learn how to build support inside and outside of your district and discuss considerations for prioritizing your layered protections. You will learn about the need for incident response playbooks and will also begin to build your own playbook to run when an event happens. You will leave the session with the tools to be better supported and prepared for what is to come. Whether you are an administrator or IT professional, this session will help you on your cybersecurity journey.

Wendy Jones, Education Strategist Manager, CDW Education

Bryan Krause, Education Strategist, CDW Education

Alhambra ESD Case Study – Improving Access and Decisions Through Analytics

This session will review a case study related to access, management and utilization. Through presentation and facilitated discussion, attendees will explore automation of account creation and management, how access to digital resources can impact the full teaching and learning lifecycle and how using analytics can inform strategic level decisions, from investment priorities to professional development design. We will also review the cybersecurity rubric developed by the CyberSecurity Coalition for Education, a unique framework informed by NIST and other relevant cybersecurity and privacy standards, taking into account the specific needs of education. It is a groundbreaking approach to self-assessing and improving cybersecurity in schools.

Ruben Montoya, Director of Technology, Litchfield Elementary School District (formerly at Alhambra Elementary School District)

Lee Williams, Director of Instructional Technology, ClassLink

Birds of a Feather Roundtable Tech Talks

Journey to Certificate-Based Wireless Authentication

A session for the super techs! Yuma Union High School District has been on a 10+ years journey to secure Wi-Fi infrastructure. This session will highlight the different steps we took along the way to get to certificate-based user and device authentication (802.1x EAP-TLS). We will share how we use our MDM tools and SecureW2 to authenticate users and devices and assign network access based on Active Directory user lookups.

Dean Farer, Chief Information Officer, Yuma Unified High School District

Brandan Krizay, Director of Technology, Yuma Unified High School District

Ron Pendleton, Systems & Network Engineer, Yuma Unified High School District

Change Management via AI Implementation

Join our tech leadership team as we delve into our groundbreaking AI Playbook, a study in Change Management for K-12 education. We’ll share how our district integrated AI technology throughout our system, fostering a unique partnership between technology and curriculum. Learn from our journey, the challenges we’ve navigated and the successes we’ve celebrated. Come to exchange insights and strategies on bridging tech and academic departments, setting the stage for a future-ready learning environment.

Lauren Owens, Executive Director of Technology, Agua Fria Union High School District

Luke Allpress, Director of Innovative Solutions, Agua Fria Union High School District

Drew Olsson, Ed Tech Coordinator, Agua Fria Union High School District

Break

Concurrent Sessions 3

Setting AI Culture for Educators

We can’t ignore AI and its use in education. Even if your district hasn’t shared guidance, there’s a good chance you have staff who are already using it. We will show you how to start creating your organization’s AI culture by sharing common language, addressing misconceptions, and providing expectations around staff and student AI usage. If your district is not ready to allow student AI use, we will share how we’ve trained our educators.

Rae Mask, Technology Mentor, Balsz Elementary School District

Lindsey McCaleb, Board Member, Arizona Technology in Education Association

How We Accidentally Formed a Statewide Technology in Education Network

Join our interactive conversation as we share how we “accidentally’ formed a network of technology professionals bringing their best to Arizona education and technology. We will talk about how these happenstance connections evolved into a network that is expanding our reach across the state. Just a few examples include our CIO/CTO Chats (a monthly gathering of education and IT leaders commiserating, collaborating and connecting); AzTEA/ADE Town Halls (a mobile gathering, hosted by distinctive settings, offering learning and networking opportunities to all Arizona education IT professionals); afternoons with AzTEA (a monthly webinar on topics of interest including eRate, cybersecurity and technology mentoring); and our CETL Study Cohort – 28 professionals currently working together to prepare for the exam!

Laura Boone, President, Arizona Technology in Education Association

Diana Hawari, Chief Information Officer, Dysart Schools

Emily Marshall, Assistant Director of Education Technology, Vail School District

Enabling a Stable Digital Future

The continued push for digitization in education is swiftly transforming K-12 technology plans, with new applications, including AI, necessitating increased power and enhanced connectivity. Alongside interest in AI, IT teams grapple with daily challenges – such as cybersecurity and managing multiple buildings with numerous connected devices – while also trying to be more sustainable. Many districts are also working with limited staff and budgets that can make it challenging to adopt and deploy advanced technology quickly. This discussion will focus on how modernizing critical infrastructure can help tackle these IT challenges and pave the way for a secure digital future.

Microsoft and AI for School and District Leaders

Join us for this workshop where we will explore the strategic implementation of AI in your school or district, focusing on tools within the Microsoft environment. We'll discover how Microsoft Copilot is helping to simplify workflows and reimagine education and uncover the AI-powered features built into the M365 tools such as Word, PowerPoint and Teams, demonstrating how they can enhance student engagement, efficiency and productivity. We will also discuss best practices for establishing a clear roadmap for AI integration that aligns with your district's mission and curriculum goals.

Birds of a Feather Roundtable Tech Talks

Journey to Certificate-Based Wireless Authentication

A session for the super techs! Yuma Union High School District has been on a 10+ years journey to secure Wi-Fi infrastructure. This session will highlight the different steps we took along the way to get to certificate-based user and device authentication (802.1x EAP-TLS). We will share how we use our MDM tools and SecureW2 to authenticate users and devices and assign network access based on Active Directory user lookups.

Dean Farer, Chief Information Officer, Yuma Unified High School District

Brandan Krizay, Director of Technology, Yuma Unified High School District

Ron Pendleton, Systems and Network Engineer, Yuma Unified High School District

Change Management via AI Implementation

Join our tech leadership team as we delve into our groundbreaking AI Playbook, a study in Change Management for K-12 education. We’ll share how our district integrated AI technology throughout our system, fostering a unique partnership between technology and curriculum. Learn from our journey, the challenges we’ve navigated and the successes we’ve celebrated. Come to exchange insights and strategies on bridging tech and academic departments, setting the stage for a future-ready learning environment.

Lauren Owens, Executive Director of Technology, Agua Fria Union High School District

Luke Allpress, Director of Innovative Solutions, Agua Fria Union High School District

Drew Olsson, Ed Tech Coordinator, Agua Fria Union High School District

Adjourn

Conference times, agenda and speakers are subject to change.