TRETC 2025: Full Schedule

9:15am EST

Conquering the Clock & Making Connections: Designing Meaningful Cross-Curricular Projects to Maximize Student Learning Time (with a little help from AI)

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

Oliver, Room 215

In this interactive workshop, we will inspire educators to embrace collaboration and Design Thinking in designing meaningful, cross-curricular projects that maximize learning time. As we showcase student projects, we will take you through our process, illustrating how we transformed the challenge of limited time into opportunities for creativity and deeper learning. We will share practical strategies for interacting with AI to streamline brainstorming, planning, and resource creation for projects.

You will witness how our students brought action verbs to life in STEAM class by creating stop motion animation films using props made in Art; see how they applied math concepts to design and 3D print cutting tools for clay projects; and feel their excitement as their bioluminescent organism paintings lit up using a paper circuit. Other example projects include coding activities and robotic creations that showcase how technology enhances learning experiences.

After showcasing some of our student projects, participants will embark on a choose-your-own-adventure style workshop, with options to create a hands-on project from a student’s perspective, workshop their own project ideas, or do a combination of both. Participant takeaways will vary depending on individual goals: some may leave with new strategies for effectively interacting with AI, others may leave with project ideas, and some may depart with a blueprint for endless possibilities in making learning meaningful for students.

Learning Objectives:
1. Understand and apply collaborative strategies to design meaningful, cross-curricular projects that enhance student engagement and maximize learning time.
2. Explore how to effectively interact with AI to streamline brainstorming, planning, and resource creation for cross-curricular projects.
3. Create a hands-on project from a student’s perspective, or dive into planning a cross-curricular project or lesson, using us as coaches and brainstorming partners.

Speakers

Colleen Hinrichsen

STEAM Teacher, Mars Area School District

Colleen currently teaches STEAM to 2nd-5th grade classes as part of the weekly "specials" rotation at Mars Area Elementary.

Katherine Frye

Art Teacher, Mars Area School District

Monday January 20, 2025 9:15am - 10:45am EST
Oliver, Room 215

Workshop, Create & Explore

Company Mars Area School District
Audience Elementary Educators (K-5), Appropriate for All Audiences
Subject Integrating AI into the Classroom, Robotics & Coding, Design Thinking

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

From $0.00