TRETC 2025: Full Schedule

9:15am EST

The Power of Generative AI: Redefining Writing Instruction with WisdomK12

Monday January 20, 2025 9:15am - 10:00am EST

Imagine revolutionizing how students learn to write, with instant, personalized feedback that motivates them to improve faster than ever before. This lecture presents a groundbreaking case study on WisdomK12, an automated writing evaluation tool transforming writing instruction in Northeastern U.S. middle schools. This study, guided by Richard Elmore's renowned instructional core framework, reveals how public and private school teachers and students embrace technology to enhance learning outcomes. Participants found that WisdomK12 not only saves valuable time but also delivers authentic, encouraging feedback, inspiring students to write more and with greater confidence. If you’re invested in improving education with cutting-edge technology, this presentation is your gateway to understanding the future of writing instruction.

In "Generative AI in the Classroom: Redefining the Writing Process," we explore how local school districts have transformed writing instruction using the innovative WisdomK12 generative AI tool. This presentation will showcase qualitative and quantitative data highlighting the tool's impact on student engagement and writing proficiency. Attendees will gain insights from students, teachers, and administrators who have successfully integrated WisdomK12 into their curricula. Discover firsthand experiences and best practices that demonstrate how AI can enhance the writing process. Join us to learn how generative AI is reshaping education, making writing instruction more efficient and effective.

Objectives:

Apply AI to improve writing.
Emphasize writing in cross-curricular assignments with AI affordances.Leverage AI to improve critical thinking and creativity.
Understand the Integration of Generative AI in Writing Instruction: Participants will learn how the WisdomK12 generative AI tool is being used to redefine the teaching of writing, including the specific methods and strategies employed by local school districts.
Analyze Data and Outcomes: Attendees will review and interpret qualitative and quantitative data collected from the implementation of the WisdomK12 tool, gaining insights into its effectiveness in improving student writing skills and engagement.
Gain Practical Insights from Real-world Implementations: Participants will hear firsthand accounts from students, teachers, and administrators who have used the tool, enabling them to identify best practices and potential challenges in adopting generative AI in their own educational settings.

Speakers

Eric Sparkenbaugh

Asst. Superintendent, Montour School District

Michael Marchionda

CEO, WisdomK12

Michael Marchionda is a seasoned educator, entrepreneur, and thought leader in the intersection of education and artificial intelligence. As the founder and CEO of WisdomK12, Michael has revolutionized how educators and students collaborate, leveraging generative AI to enhance writing... Read More →

Traci Ramey

Cheif Academic Officer, William Penn Academy

Monday January 20, 2025 9:15am - 10:00am EST
Middle School, Room 111

Session, Listen & Learn

9:15am EST

AI-Powered Classrooms: Bridging the Gap between Humans and Machines

Monday January 20, 2025 9:15am - 10:45am EST

Oliver, Room 212

Let's focus on the uses of Artificial Intelligence and how these tools can transform learning. We will talk about Generative AI and dive into its uses, and concerns, and explore how it is evolving and the implications for education and the future of work.

Learning Objectives:
1. Understand the potential of AI for education and why we need to teach about it and use it in our classrooms.
2. Identify how AI can be used to improve student learning and educator productivity and efficiency.
3. Understand the need for students to have these skills and be aware of resources for enhancing learning for academic success.

Speakers

Rachelle Dené Poth

Spanish and STEAM Teacher, Consultant, Riverview SD and ThriveinEDU LLC

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth is an edtech consultant, presenter, attorney, author, and teacher of Spanish and STEAM: Emerging Technology. Rachelle has a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law, a Master’s, and a Doctorate in Instructional Technology. Rachelle specializes... Read More →

Monday January 20, 2025 9:15am - 10:45am EST
Oliver, Room 212

Workshop, Create & Explore

Company Riverview School District, Thrivein EDU LLC
Audience Elementary Educators (K-5), Middle School Educators (6-8), High School Educators (9-12), Computer Science Educators, Administrators, Appropriate for All Audiences

9:15am EST

Hacking Education: Integrating picoCTF into Your Cybersecurity Curriculum

Monday January 20, 2025 9:15am - 10:45am EST

Oliver, Room 114

Hacking Education: Integrating picoCTF into Your Cybersecurity Curriculum
Join us for an interactive workshop designed to empower high school educators with the tools to bring cybersecurity into the classroom. This 45-minute session introduces the basics of Capture the Flag (CTF) competitions and demonstrates how picoCTF’s free, accessible platform can seamlessly integrate into programming or cybersecurity curricula. Educators will gain practical insights into engaging students with hands-on problem-solving challenges that foster critical thinking and technical skills. The workshop concludes with a short practice CTF, allowing participants to experience firsthand how these challenges work in an educational setting. Whether you're new to CTFs or looking for fresh ways to enhance your lessons, this session will equip you with everything you need to get started. With help from Carnegie Mellon grad students, you can become a hacker too! Don't miss this opportunity to inspire your students and prepare them for a future in cybersecurity!

Learning Objectives:
1. Understand the basics of Capture the Flag (CTF) competitions:
Educators will learn what CTFs are, how they work, and why they are effective tools for teaching cybersecurity concepts and problem-solving skills.
2. Incorporate picoCTF into classroom curriculum:
Participants will explore strategies for integrating picoCTF challenges into their existing programming or cybersecurity lessons to engage students and enhance learning outcomes.
3. Facilitate student participation in CTF activities:
Educators will gain hands-on experience with a practice CTF, enabling them to confidently guide their students through similar challenges and competitions in a classroom setting.

Speakers

Megan Kearns

Academic Outreach Program Director, Carnegie Mellon University

Taylor McCampbell

Graduate Student, Carnegie Mellon University

If you are interested in having the picoCTF program (https://picoctf.com/) from Carnegie Mellon in your school please talk with me. picoCTF is cyber security learning platform and is completely free and designed to be as accessible as possible. Further, we love to get in the classroom and give cyber security lessons to students, assist teachers with resources... Read More →

Monday January 20, 2025 9:15am - 10:45am EST
Oliver, Room 114

Workshop, Create & Explore

Company Carnegie Mellon University
Audience Middle School Educators (6-8), High School Educators (9-12), Computer Science Educators, Administrators, EdTech Leaders
Subject Cybersecurity

9:15am EST

Introduction to Rapid Prototyping in Educational Game Design

Monday January 20, 2025 9:15am - 10:45am EST

Oliver, Room 110

Having students make educational games, as a means for presenting content knowledge, can be a fun alternative to writing a paper or doing a presentation. However, lack of coding or design skills can make this task seem intimidating for some learners and educators. This workshop will teach you how to use industry techniques for rapid prototyping, with no coding skills required, to have your students make a basic analog educational game in about an hour. You will leave being able to call yourself a game designer even if you have never tried it before! These skills are applicable for other design projects and all materials will be provided.

Learning Objectives:
1. Participants should be able to utilize rapid prototyping techniques in their own classrooms.
2. Participants should be able to design a quick, basic, educational game.
3. Participants should be able to explain how these techniques may be utilized for other creative design assignments.

Speakers

Ryan Sittler

Professor, Pennsylvania Western University - California

Monday January 20, 2025 9:15am - 10:45am EST
Oliver, Room 110

Workshop, Create & Explore

9:15am EST

Revolutionizing Core Math + Science Classrooms 7-12 with Virtual Reality

Monday January 20, 2025 9:15am - 10:45am EST

Oliver, Room 112

Join us for a revolutionary learning experience in Secondary Math + Science that uses virtual reality to transform student engagement, confidence and competence. Come hear from Dr. Trisha Martell, Principal and Ms. Alison DeMarco, Director of Digital Teaching and Learning, at Elizabeth Forward Middle School, what teachers and students are saying and why they feel so passionately about spatial learning with Prisms VR.

You will experience the power of immersive, embodied and kinesthetic learning, and reimagine what it means to teach and learn core Math and Science with the next generation of spatial computers for enduring long term memories.

Learning Objectives:
1. Participants will experience Embodied Learning in Secondary Math + Science with VR.
2. Participants can explain the unique opportunities in learning core math with VR.
3. Participants can lead a Prisms module in a math or science classroom.

Speakers

Dr. Trisha Martell

Principal, Elizabeth Forward School District

Beth Carr

Prisms Partnership Director, Prisms VR

Monday January 20, 2025 9:15am - 10:45am EST
Oliver, Room 112

Workshop, Create & Explore

Company Prisms VR
Audience Middle School Educators (6-8), High School Educators (9-12), Administrators, EdTech Leaders
Subject Data Driven Education, EdTech for Equity, Career Connections

10:15am EST

Carnegie Mellon University + Burrell High School Digital Writing Center: A Dynamic and Mutually Beneficial Student Support

Monday January 20, 2025 10:15am - 11:00am EST

Middle School, Room 111

Carnegie Mellon University has a variety of education outreach offerings throughout the University, including the Leonard Gelfand Center for Service Learning and Outreach’s LGC Tutoring. COVID-19 forced this program to find unique alternatives to in-person tutoring to support students, which have since been found beneficial post-COVID. With community partners, the establishment of fully virtual digital writing centers allows CMU undergraduate student tutors to offer robust written feedback to high school students. This session will offer an overview of the digital writing center model, the structures for implementation, and details of the mutual benefits of this partnership; featuring Burrell High School.

Objectives:

Attendees will be able to identify the benefits of the digital writing lab model for both 6-1th graders and undergraduate and graduate students in high education settings.
Attendees will be able to understand the dynamics of partnering with High Education instructions using open source technology.
Attendees will be able to understand how to create a digital writing lab or how to work with an existing digital writing lab

Speakers

Mimi Wertheimer

Director of Student Instructor Development and K-12 Community Partnership, Leonard Gelfand Center @ Carnegie Mellon University

Monday January 20, 2025 10:15am - 11:00am EST
Middle School, Room 111

Session, Engage and Connect

Audience Middle School Educators (6-8), High School Educators (9-12), Administrators
Subject EdTech for Equity, EdTech Accessiblity: Inclusive Education Through Technology

10:15am EST

High Schoolers Engaging Elementary Students Through Innovative STEM Lessons

Monday January 20, 2025 10:15am - 11:00am EST

Middle School, Room 105

Whether it’s VEX, SkillsUSA or FIRST, these youth robotics programs instill a passion for all things STEM. Garrett County Public Schools (Maryland) leverages this passion by allowing its high school robotics students to teach highly engaging, standards-based, and scalable lessons to all students, grades 2 though 5 - making a systemic impact in our district. These lessons produce many “ah-ha” moments and help ensure that elementary-aged students develop the skills needed for their success in STEM. This session will feature our high school students sharing about their lessons and the “gadgets” they use to teach them -including a LEGO Abacus and Top Spinner, a “math-magic” trick based on the rudiments of binary numbers, a set of LEGO calipers that exactly determine the Golden Ratio and homemade “Makey Makeys”. Many “gadgets” will be given away. In fact, all participants will take at least one home! This program has been a huge “win-win” success and our students’ passion is contagious. They will inspire you with the difference they make!

Objectives:

Participants will learn how high school students can be used effectively in teaching STEM lessons to upper elementary students to promote the development of essential STEM Skills such as spatial reasoning, proportionality, and those found in computational thinking.
Participants will be presented with 5 highly engaging and scalable STEM lesson lessons that are easily replicable and reinforce concepts of multiplication, the binary number system, and the significance of the Fibonacci numbers.
Participants will become familiar with FIRST Robotics and how its programs encourage its teams to make a systemic impact on the schools and communities they serve - making a difference to all students, whether they are on a robotics team or not.

Speakers

Chuck Trautwein

Teacher, STEAM Educator, Garrett County Public Schools, Maryland

Monday January 20, 2025 10:15am - 11:00am EST
Middle School, Room 105

Session, Engage and Connect

Audience Elementary Educators (K-5), Middle School Educators (6-8), High School Educators (9-12), Computer Science Educators, Appropriate for All Audiences
Subject EdTech for Equity, Robotics & Coding, Computational Thinking Pathway

10:15am EST

POD x TECH: Using Audio-Storytelling to Enhance Digital and Media Literacy

Monday January 20, 2025 10:15am - 11:00am EST

Middle School, Room 109

Since 2018, PART has operated a K-12 digital literacy program in 8 school districts across the greater Pittsburgh region. We call our program POD x TECH, in abbreviation for two components that represent growing fields of increasing significance to students workforce readiness — podcasts and technology.

Now in its fourth year, the POD x TECH program, in which PART grew the program to 15 classrooms across 12 schools, PART works directly with students in supplementing their year-long curriculum in two equally important ways, where technology is at the intersection of each student's preparedness for continuing education and entry into the workforce.

Attendees will explore PART's methodology, our successes and failures, and leave with tools for their students and schools.

Mike Zula, or “Mr. Mike” is a Pittsburgh native with an education background spanning the state of Pennsylvania, culminating in matriculation from Penn State and Pitt Law—Mike understands the education landscape in Pennsylvania and abroad as it pertains to both higher education and career readiness programs.

Mr. Mike’s passion is situated somewhere between storytelling and technology—how we tell our stories utilizing technology profoundly impacts the way in which future generations will understand our use (hopefully the responsible use) of technology.

A staunch advocate of individualized education and multimodal education methods, bringing Mike and PART into your classrooms, libraries, or board rooms provides an energetic and entertaining look at how we interact with technology in our educational journeys—journeys which are lifelong.

The Partnership to Advance Responsible Technology (PART) is a Pittsburgh-based, independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit think-tank that engages key, multi-sector stakeholders to ensure the responsible research, development, deployment, and governance of emerging and data-driven technologies, notably artificial intelligence. The POD x Tech program is funded by the Grable Foundation.

Objectives :

Understand the methodology behind the POD x TECH program: Attendees will learn how PART integrates podcasts and technology into K-12 classrooms to enhance digital literacy and career readiness, and how this approach can be applied in their own schools.
Identify key successes and challenges in implementing a digital literacy program: Attendees will gain insights into the growth and development of the program, including practical takeaways from both its successes and challenges, enabling them to better plan and adapt similar initiatives in their institutions.
Gain tools and strategies for enhancing student workforce readiness: Attendees will leave with actionable tools and strategies to integrate technology and storytelling into their educational programs, fostering students’ preparedness for higher education and the workforce.

Speakers

Mike Zula

Education Program Manager, Partnership to Advance Responsible Technology

Monday January 20, 2025 10:15am - 11:00am EST
Middle School, Room 109

Session, Engage and Connect

Audience Elementary Educators (K-5), Middle School Educators (6-8), High School Educators (9-12), Administrators, Appropriate for All Audiences, EdTech Leaders, All grade levels (k-12)
Subject Ethics in AI, Integrating AI into the Classroom, EdTech for Equity, Emerging Tech

1:45pm EST

Connecting Communities through Cosmic Careers

Monday January 20, 2025 1:45pm - 2:30pm EST

Middle School, Room 101

Connecting Communities through Cosmic Careers: This panel discussion will focus on career opportunities in the space industry, virtual opportunities for partnerships to explore space careers, how to develop interactive activities for career exploration, and how to increase the impact of career connections by aligning experiences to standards and a common language. This session will bring together experienced three educators from the classroom, science museum, and business community to explain how they created a series of virtual interactive programs that impacted students across the United States using the RIASEC framework for career connections.

Objectives:

Attendees will learn about the vast array of career possibilities available to students in the region across the STEAM disciplines.
Attendees will explore virtual opportunities to explore space careers, and interactive activities designed for virtual instruction.
Attendees will explore how they can introduce their students to space careers while aligning to standards-based curricula.

Speakers

Norton Gusky

Educational Technology Broker, NLG-Consulting, LLC

For over 40 years I've been an educator - teacher, CTO, and now an educational technology broker. For more look at my website:https://nlg-consulting.net/about/

Mike Hennessy

Manager of Learning & Programs, Moonshot Museum

Monday January 20, 2025 1:45pm - 2:30pm EST
Middle School, Room 101

Session, Engage and Connect

Company Moonshot Museum
Audience Elementary Educators (K-5), Middle School Educators (6-8, High School Educators (9-12, Educators (9-12), All grade levels (k-12), Administrators
Subject Career Connections, Emerging Tech, Space Education, World of Work

1:45pm EST

Drone Soccer: Inspiring and Educating Students in STEM fields & Aviation

Monday January 20, 2025 1:45pm - 2:30pm EST

Middle School, Room 109

STEM education is pivotal for the future workforce, yet many students, particularly those from underrepresented communities and those with disabilities, lack access to engaging and hands-on STEM learning experiences.

According to the CDC, 1 in 6 children have a developmental disability, which includes both physical and mental impairments, while 4 in 10 children have persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. There is a growing demand for innovative educational programs that captivate students' interest and provide practical skills while also emphasizing interpersonal skills, collaboration, teamwork and fostering a sense of community.

Drone soccer is a thrilling team sport played with radio-controlled quadcopters in protective exoskeletons designed for collisions. Teams of five compete in a netted arena, ramming and blocking to prevent the opposing team from scoring. Before competing, students must learn to build, program, fly, and repair high-performance drones, gaining valuable engineering skills.

Objectives:

What is Drone Soccer?
Resources needed for Drone Soccer
How can United Drone Adventures support Drone Soccer Programs?

Speakers

Kelly Shields

Lead Data Scientist, United Drone Adventures

Monday January 20, 2025 1:45pm - 2:30pm EST
Middle School, Room 109

Session, Engage and Connect

Audience Middle School Educators (6-8), High School Educators (9-12), Computer Science Educators, Administrators, Appropriate for All Audiences
Subject ESports and Gamificaiton

1:45pm EST

Learning Adventures: An Expansive Approach to Authentic PBL and Prompt Setting

Monday January 20, 2025 1:45pm - 2:30pm EST

Middle School, Room 111

How would you like to attend school where these were the subjects?

Synthetic Synthetic Biology
Data Activism
Tiny Large Language Models
Dreamtime Design
Micronations
Codes and Cryptography
Inventing Hugo Cabret

Would you know how to teach in such a setting? Would students be more engaged? Would learning be natural and authentic?

Since our students will graduate into a technologically sophisticated and uncertain future, the best educators create environments and experiences that prepare children to solve problems none of us have ever anticipated. The greatest return on investment is when the learner herself is invested in their own growth. For these reasons, and more, the project should be a teacher’s smallest unit of concern.

Many educators share these ideals, but don’t know how or where to begin. Veteran educators strive to make their prompt setting more elegant, evocative, and effective.

Objectives:
Set better promptsBe a better PBL practitionerBetter understand your own thinking and that of students

Speakers

Gary Stager

Founder, CEO, Professor, STEAM Educator, and Author, Constructing Modern Knowledge

In addition to being a popular keynote speaker at some of the world’s most prestigious education conferences, Gary Stager is a journalist, teacher educator, consultant, professor, software developer, publisher, and school administrator. An elementary teacher by training, he has... Read More →

Monday January 20, 2025 1:45pm - 2:30pm EST
Middle School, Room 111

Session, Engage and Connect

Audience Elementary Educators (K-5), Middle School Educators (6-8), High School Educators (9-12), Administrators, EdTech Leaders
Subject Integrating AI into the Classroom, Robotics & Coding, Computational Thinking Pathway

1:45pm EST

Let’s Bring AI into Your Class! A Co-Design Session to Embed AI Literacy into Traditional Subjects

Monday January 20, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm EST

Oliver, Room 215

This interactive co-design session empowers K-12 teachers to seamlessly integrate AI concepts into their existing classroom activities, making learning both engaging and relevant for students. Teachers will work collaboratively with the speakers to develop activities that convey essential, practical AI knowledge, helping students build the foundational skills to become responsible, informed decision-makers in a future shaped by AI. No prior AI expertise is required—this session is designed to support all educators. By the end of the workshop, each team of teachers will have crafted an AI-enhanced activity ready to bring into the classroom, helping students build common-sense AI literacy through familiar subjects. Join us to explore accessible, innovative ways to bring AI into your teaching practice!

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify potential AI-related knowledge that suitable for existing learning activities.
2. Create a classroom-ready AI-embedded activity.
3. Design assessment criteria for this AI-embedded activity.

Speakers

Ruiwei Xiao

PhD Student at Carnegie Mellon University, Carnegie Mellon University

Monday January 20, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm EST
Oliver, Room 215

Workshop, Create & Explore

Company Carnegie Mellon University
Audience Elementary Educators (K-5), Middle School Educators (6-8), High School Educators (9-12), Computer Science Educators, Administrators, Appropriate for All Audiences, EdTech Leaders, All grade levels (k-12)
Subject AI for All (SEL), Data Driven Education, Integrating AI into the Classroom, EdTech for Equity, Design Thinking, Computational Thinking Pathway, Effective Assessment Strategies

TRETC 2025

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