NCED Connect Symposium 2025

Expanding the Role of IT in School Media In this session, we’ll explore how an IT professional can go beyond traditional tech support to make a meaningful impact on a school community. Using real-life examples, I’ll share how I leveraged my skills in IT alongside my talents in media, photography, videography, drone piloting, and live streaming to create new communication channels and media opportunities for the school. This session will cover the integration of media tools into IT infrastructure and how these contributions can enrich the school’s relationship with parents, students, and the broader community. At the heart of these efforts is TMSA TV, a platform designed to engage with our community and foster direct communication with parents. Building a School’s Media Presence: From Newsletter to Broadcast StudioEffective communication with parents and students is crucial in today’s school environment. In this session, I'll walk you through how we launched the TMSA Newsletter, now in its seventh edition, and created TMSA TV, a fully equipped broadcast studio that offers high-quality, affordable media resources. You’ll learn how these initiatives have helped us improve school communication, engage with parents, and provide students with opportunities for hands-on media experience. We also implemented the Yodeck TV Management System, turning all the school’s TVs into digital signage. Now, whenever parents visit the school, they can view real-time updates, news, and event information, keeping them connected and informed. Our main purpose behind these projects is to use TMSA TV as a space to actively engage with parents, students, and the community. We plan to invite guest speakers to discuss important topics such as health, education, and other issues related to students and families, providing a platform for learning and dialogue.Empowering Students through Media: Launching a Broadcast ClubIn this session, I’ll discuss the creation of the TMSA Broadcast Club, the first of its kind in the school’s history. This initiative empowers students by giving them the tools and knowledge to manage live streams, handle production equipment, and engage in live broadcasting. We’ll explore the benefits of giving students responsibility for school media production, how it helps develop valuable technical and creative skills, and the positive impact it has on student engagement. The Broadcast Club is also part of our larger goal to involve students in creating and managing content for TMSA TV, helping them become more involved in school communication. Innovative School Media: Making a Big Impact with Small InvestmentsQuality media and communication tools don’t have to be expensive. In this session, I’ll share how we created TMSA TV with top-tier equipment at an affordable price and the substantial impact it’s had on our school’s communication strategy. We also implemented Yodeck, a digital signage system, to convert all the school’s TVs into dynamic information channels that display school updates and event news for visiting parents and students. A key goal of these initiatives is to use TMSA TV*as an engagement hub for our community. We plan to host guest speakers from various fields, including health, education, and other important topics that concern our students and parents. This session will focus on how strategic use of technology can create lasting, positive effects on communication, student involvement, and community engagement.Integrating IT and Media: The Future of School CommunicationAs technology continues to evolve, so do the ways we can communicate within the school environment. In this session, I’ll dive into the future of IT in schools, highlighting how integrating media resources like live streaming, newsletters, broadcast clubs, and digital signage systems (like Yodeck) can transform a school’s communication channels. We’ll also discuss how TMSA TV can serve as a tool for direct engagement with parents, students, and the wider community. By inviting guest speakers to discuss relevant topics such as health and education, we’re not just keeping families informed—we’re creating a space for meaningful dialogue and community growth. Attendees will gain insight into how to plan and implement similar initiatives that will help schools stay connected in innovative and impactful ways. In this 50-minute session, I will do my best to explain all the topics and motivate attendees to implement these best practices in their own schools.

Join us for an exciting session where Coding + Ai + DigCit = A Winning Team that spark student engagement and success flourish when learners are given voice, choice, and opportunities to interact with multiple learning resources. Participants will gain practical strategies for integrating personalized learning, timely feedback, and dynamic, interactive lessons using Infinite Campus LMS and Tech Quest with Learning.com into their instruction. A key focus will be helping educators guide students through engaging with technology securely, with accountability, and in ways that foster respectful behavior. Through the lens of critical thinking, problem-solving, and differentiation, educators will learn how to help students take ownership of their learning and become active creators and innovators. Fellow educators will walk away with actionable tools and strategies to enhance instructional delivery via streamline lesson planning, ignite deeper student engagement, freeing up time, and helping cultivate flexible students who are confident problem-solvers and future-ready digital learners. 

In this hands-on session, we will explore how to leverage AI-powered EdTech tools to help students develop durable, future-ready skills aligned with the NC Portrait of a Graduate. We'll break down key skills like adaptability, collaboration, critical thinking, and more, introducing a range of tools that teachers can integrate into their lessons. Participants will explore tools such as Nova Labs, PhET, Book Creator, Miro, and Pangea, incorporating AI features to enhance learning and student engagement. After learning about and experimenting with these tools, attendees will engage in small group discussions around case studies or adapt their own lessons to apply the tools effectively. Leave with practical strategies and resources for empowering students to thrive in an AI-driven world.

Participants will engage in a dynamic, interactive 1.5-hour session that combines hands-on activities, collaborative discussions, and technology exploration. The session begins with a 15-minute introduction, outlining the professional development's goals, ISTE standards alignment, and the Ebbinghaus Curve of Forgetfulness. Next, participants will break into small groups for a 30-minute workshop where they explore and apply each platform (SchoolAI, Khanmingo, Diffit, Brisk Boost, and Quizizz AI). Using guided prompts, participants will create mini-lessons, integrating the tools to reinforce spaced repetition in line with the Ebbinghaus Curve. Each group will share their lesson plans and discuss implementation challenges and solutions. For the following 20 minutes, participants will engage in a live demonstration using Quizizz AI and Brisk Boost. They will experience firsthand how gamified assessments and quick boosts enhance engagement and repetition. Interactive polls and real-time feedback will keep participants actively engaged and allow them to experience the student’s perspective. In the final 25 minutes, participants will reconvene for a collaborative reflection session. Using SchoolAI’s data analytics simulation, they will analyze and interpret data from their activities. Facilitators will guide discussions on how to adjust lessons based on this data, promoting personalized learning paths and student growth. By engaging in practical activities, collaborative sharing, and technology demonstrations, participants will leave the session empowered to integrate these tools effectively in their own classrooms.

This session will focus on utilizing blended learning instructional practices that allow for small group instruction in secondary classrooms. Participants will explore Station Rotation and Playlists through small group discussions, collaborative activities, and by modeling both methods in the workshop. Participants will leave with concrete ideas on how to support secondary students more effectively and to truly differentiate instruction. Participants will also learn how to use the FREE K-8 Course Content for ELA, Social Studies, Science, and Math to support this small group instruction.