NCED Connect Symposium 2025

In this interactive session, participants will explore the power of blended learning to increase student engagement. Topics will include the 3 dimensions of engagement, blended learning strategies, and blended learning success stories. Participants will have an opportunity to network with other educators and begin designing a blended learning activity to use immediately! At the conclusion of the session, participants will be equipped with practical tools and innovative ideas for blended learning implementation.

Join us for an exciting look at the first year of our district's AI literacy integration in Chatham County Schools! This presentation will explore how we're empowering both educators and students to navigate the future of generative AI with confidence and responsibility. With the support of the prestigious NCDPI Impact Grant, we’re on a path to create a digitally savvy community that understands how AI can drive positive change. By 2027, we aim to equip our schools with the tools and knowledge to harness AI in transformative ways, and we want YOU to be a part of that process!Our year one goal is to provide educators with practical tools and guidance for integrating generative AI into classrooms. This will include an AI pedagogies document and opportunities for professional development, such as our DISC (Digital Innovation Steampunk Camp) annual district-wide conference and partnership with Magic School Enterprise, along with ongoing communications and training throughout the year.  Our goals for years two and three include collecting educator feedback on AI’s role in education and how they use it, in order to refine program efficacy. This data will be used to improve professional development initiatives, including DISC, which will be held in person for the first time post-pandemic in 2025. This year’s theme, “Innovation is in the AIr,” will focus on culturally responsive and ethical AI tools for various instructional specializations, with future DISCs incorporating evolving AI topics. Through DISC and related AI training, we aim to reduce concerns surrounding plagiarism and copyright infringement. As educator proficiency improves, student and family proficiency will also rise, supporting positive outcomes in instruction. Simultaneously, we anticipate analyzing student data on AI usage to inform instructional planning and identify trends from 2024 to 2027, ensuring our AI strategies meet diverse student needs. By implementing safe AI-based accessibility features aligned with ISTE standards and NCDPI guidelines, we plan to accommodate all learners by 2027. The program’s success will result in a local population well-equipped to engage with AI responsibly, improving digital citizenship and driving positive community impacts.

Are group projects getting you down? Do you pair learners in small teams only to hear crickets? Does it seem like only one person is doing all the work in project groups? Then join this session to learn how you can set students up for successful collaboration and beat the group work blues! We’ll kick off this session with a discussion of some of the most common challenges we face with group projects in the classroom: lack of student communication skills, bossy student leaders, and disengaged group members. Participants will then experience collaborative learning strategies that help overcome these challenges in a new way and experiment with tools like a Team Charter template from LucidSpark for starting teamwork off on the right foot and quick and effective check-in strategies in Padlet or ensuring all team members are on the same page. These strategies transcend one-and-done group projects to develop transferable skills for the world beyond our classrooms. Educators who attend this session will walk away with templates to use in their class tomorrow along with actionable tips for beating the group work blues and setting the tone for the school year.