AI Educator Summit: Full Schedule

9:30am CDT

Mirror, Not Monitor: Personal Development with the Teacher Professional Growth GEM

Tuesday August 4, 2026 9:30am - 10:20am CDT

Traditional professional development often feels like a performance review. This presentation introduces the Teacher Professional Growth GEM—a revolutionary, AI-powered self created sample tool designed to shift the paradigm from high-stakes evaluation to autonomous self-reflection.
Built specifically to be a "mirror, not a monitor," this GEM provides educators with a completely safe, private space to analyze classroom data and coaching models. By removing the threat of judgment or administrative oversight, teachers are empowered to take full ownership of their professional journey and classroom learning needs.
Attendees will leave with a sample or recipe to create a GEM that delivers non-biased, impartial insights into instructional performance, highlighting strengths and identifying growth areas without a digital paper trail. Learn how this innovative tool bridges the gap between data-driven coaching and teacher autonomy, fostering an environment where educators don't just survive evaluations—they thrive on their own terms.

Speakers

Craig Dierking

Director of Assessment and Accountability, Raymore Peculiar School District

Craig Dierking is a seasoned Director of Assessment and Accountability and expert Data Analyst dedicated to transforming educational data into systemic institutional growth. They lead strategic initiatives in assessment design, data literacy, and compliance metrics. A sought-after... Read More →

Karmin Ricker

Instructional Design and Technology Coord., Raymore Peculiar School District

With over three decades of experience in education, Karmin has navigated the evolving landscape of instructional shifts with a focus on authentic student engagement. After a successful career as a secondary English and French teacher and athletic coach, Karmin transitioned into instructional... Read More →

Tuesday August 4, 2026 9:30am - 10:20am CDT
Room 146

Leadership & District Innovation

10:30am CDT

The AI Audit: A Hands-on Red-Lining Workshop for Leaders

Tuesday August 4, 2026 10:30am - 11:20am CDT

Room 146

Innovation without oversight is a liability. As AI integration moves from "pilot" to "policy," leaders must be able to identify the hidden risks in emerging use cases—from algorithmic bias and data privacy gaps to the erosion of teacher agency. Participants will be handed real-world AI implementation scenarios and tasked with "red-lining" the friction points. Plan on lots of dialogue and conversation in this session.

Speakers

Karmin Ricker

Instructional Design and Technology Coord., Raymore Peculiar School District

Tuesday August 4, 2026 10:30am - 11:20am CDT
Room 146

Leadership & District Innovation

11:30am CDT

AI Empowered - Elementary

Tuesday August 4, 2026 11:30am - 12:20pm CDT

Room 146

Audience: Education (Elementary)
This module equips educators with practical skills to leverage AI for new learning experiences. Participants will explore approaches that go beyond conventional applications like quizzes and worksheets to design dynamic, personalized learning environments. The course examines how AI can support differentiated instruction, facilitate collaborative knowledge construction, enable authentic assessment, and develop students’ critical thinking skills. Educators will learn to create resources that enhance student agency and engagement a variety of learning activities.

Learning objectives:

Design AI-enhanced learning experiences that foster deep understanding and student agency beyond traditional instructional materials.
Implement personalized learning strategies using AI tools that respond to diverse student needs and learning preferences.
Create innovative assessment approaches that leverage AI to provide meaningful feedback and authentic evaluation of student growth.

Speakers

Phygital Labs

Tuesday August 4, 2026 11:30am - 12:20pm CDT
Room 146

Teaching & Learning

1:10pm CDT

The classroom X-ray: Using teacher dashboards to compare and support student writing

Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:10pm - 2:00pm CDT

Room 146

Teachers can see the final essay, but rarely see the hours of thinking, deleting, and rearranging that happen before students "Submit" their work. This session introduces a process-centered teacher dashboard that acts as an "X-ray" for the writing classroom. Participating teachers will learn how to compare the workflows of an entire class at a glance to identify who is authentically engaged, who is stuck in the drafting phase, and who may be relying too heavily on external tools. By making the "invisible" visible, teachers can provide more personalized feedback and turn data into meaningful coaching conversations. By focusing on the journey of writing, we move toward a more transparent and supportive form of assessment.

Speakers

Badri Adhikari

Associate Professor, University of Missouri-St. Louis

Dr. Adhikari is an Associate Professor in the Computer Science Department at the University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL). His work focuses on artificial intelligence, educational technology, and the responsible use of AI in learning. His research has been supported by the U.S. National... Read More →

Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:10pm - 2:00pm CDT
Room 146

Assessment & Feedback

global Y

2:10pm CDT

The Glow-Up Your Curriculum Didn't Know It Needed : A practical guide to using AI for curriculum planning — no matter where you're starting from.

Tuesday August 4, 2026 2:10pm - 3:00pm CDT

Room 146

Raise your hand if you've planned a lesson on a Sunday you weren't even excited about. Whether your curriculum comes in a binder or lives entirely in your head, AI has something for you. In this session we'll ditch the overwhelm, find your teacher "skin type," and walk away with real prompts ready to use the moment school starts back up. Designed for teachers, support staff, and administrators at every comfort level. No tech experience required. Just show up.

Speakers

Amanda Harrison

6th Grade ELA Teacher, Hancock Place School District

I'm Amanda Harrison — a 6th grade ELA teacher at Hancock Place Middle School just outside of St. Louis. I teach in a diverse district where no two students are exactly alike, which means differentiation isn't optional. It's everything. (:
Over the past several years I've used AI as a real classroom tool — building year-long pacing guides, creating differentiated materials for diverse learners, and designing student-favorite units like my Poetry Cafe performance project. I've figured out how to make AI work at every... Read More →

Tuesday August 4, 2026 2:10pm - 3:00pm CDT
Room 146

Teaching & Learning

global Y

9:30am CDT

Where Creativity Meets AI: Hands-On Learning with Adobe Aqua

Wednesday August 5, 2026 9:30am - 10:20am CDT

Room 146

Jump into a hands-on, interactive session where creativity meets AI using Adobe Aqua. Designed for Pre-K and elementary teachers, you’ll explore how students can safely create and watch their ideas come to life with built-in COPPA and FERPA-aligned tools. Come ready to play, create, and leave with fun ideas you can use right away.

Speakers

Kate Horstmann

Techinical Integration Specialist, MOREnet

Wednesday August 5, 2026 9:30am - 10:20am CDT
Room 146

AI Tools/Platforms & Creation

global Y

10:30am CDT

Hit the Ground Running: AI-Powered Assignments for Engagement and Real-Time Feedback

Wednesday August 5, 2026 10:30am - 11:20am CDT

Room 146

In a world where students can find and copy anything in seconds, the real challenge isn't access to content it's cutting through it. This session looks at how tools like Brisk and School AI can help teachers quickly build student-friendly assignments that spark genuine thinking. You'll walk away with ready-to-use ideas and a better sense of how AI can create feedback loops that keep students engaged, accountable, and actually working through the material instead of around it.

Speakers

Patrick McSalley

6th Grade Social Studies, Hancock Place Middle School

I'm a 6th grade Social Studies teacher at Hancock Place Middle School with a passion for using AI to enhance how students think, question, and engage with content. In my classroom, I use AI tools to build interactive tutors, guide primary source analysis, and give students scaffolded... Read More →

Wednesday August 5, 2026 10:30am - 11:20am CDT
Room 146

Assessment & Feedback

global Y

11:30am CDT

Leveraging AI to improve Feedback Cycles

Wednesday August 5, 2026 11:30am - 12:20pm CDT

Room 146

This session explores how AI can be used to strengthen feedback cycles and support high-quality teaching and learning. Participants will examine how timely, actionable feedback helps students refine their thinking, deepen understanding, and take ownership of their learning, while also reducing the burden on teachers.

It will introduce participants to Snorkl, which is a tool for students to record and explain their thinking, and then get immediate and personalized feedback from AI. Students insights are also shared educators so they can better understand how their students think, including their strengths and where they need more support.

Speakers

Maggie Kenny

Partnerships, Snorkl

Maggie Kenny is a former middle school special education teacher and a member of the Snorkl team. She works with schools and districts across the country to support formative assessment and help teachers provide more timely, individualized feedback using AI. Drawing on her classroom... Read More →

Wednesday August 5, 2026 11:30am - 12:20pm CDT
Room 146

Assessment & Feedback

global Y

1:10pm CDT

Snorkl 201: Going Deeper with Snorkl

Wednesday August 5, 2026 1:10pm - 2:00pm CDT

Room 146

In this follow-up session, teachers will go deeper with Snorkl by exploring how to design stronger tasks, align feedback and scoring to specific learning goals, and use student thinking to guide instruction. Teachers will learn how Snorkl supports K–12 students across all subjects by capturing spoken, written, and drawn responses and providing immediate, personalized feedback from teacher-aligned AI. Participants will also explore how to use Snorkl with their own curriculum tasks for any subject area, review classwide trends, and use rich artifacts of student work to support next steps.

Speakers

Maggie Kenny

Partnerships, Snorkl

Wednesday August 5, 2026 1:10pm - 2:00pm CDT
Room 146

Assessment & Feedback

global Y

2:10pm CDT

Ensuring AI Fidelity in an Ever-changing World

Wednesday August 5, 2026 2:10pm - 3:00pm CDT

Room 146

In this workshop, we’ll explore how to ensure that AI technologies benefit all segments of society. We will focus on the need to create and utilize AI systems that are ethical and transparent. Join us as we delve into strategies for creating AI systems that benefit all in our ever-changing world.

Speakers

Terrance Peterson

Senior Director, Growth and Stakeholder Engagement, Missouri School Boards' Association

Dr. Terrance Peterson brings extensive knowledge in the field of educational administration and leadership development. He has worked as an assistant principal on the high school level and a principal on both the middle and elementary school levels. Throughout his 30 years of... Read More →

Wednesday August 5, 2026 2:10pm - 3:00pm CDT
Room 146

AI Literacy/Ethics & Student Readiness

global Y

9:30am CDT

10:30am CDT

11:30am CDT

1:10pm CDT

2:10pm CDT

9:30am CDT

10:30am CDT

11:30am CDT

1:10pm CDT

2:10pm CDT

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