Gulf Regional Innovative Teaching Conference

arrow_back View All Dates

9:00am CDT

You Can't Teach A Nervous System That's On Fire: Understanding Student Dysregulation in the Age of Social Media

Wednesday July 15, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

Something has shifted in our classrooms. Educators across grade levels and subject areas are reporting the same thing: students who cannot focus, cannot regulate, cannot tolerate uncertainty, and cannot connect the way they once could. And most professional development has responded by adding more — more curriculum, more programs, more policy, more things for already-exhausted educators to implement.

This session takes a different approach entirely.

You Can't Teach a Nervous System That's On Fire is a deep, honest, and surprisingly hopeful look at what is actually happening to the students sitting in our classrooms — through the lens of neuroscience, social media research, and the realities of growing up in an era of unprecedented collective overwhelm.

Participants will leave with:

A clear, accessible understanding of how chronic social media consumption is affecting the adolescent nervous system

The ability to recognize and reframe specific student behaviors through a neurological lens — transforming how they see and respond to their most challenging students

Practical, evidence-informed strategies to support student regulation that require no new budget and no additional programs

Language and tools to share with parents navigating these same challenges at home

This is not a session about blaming phones, diagnosing students, or adding to anyone's workload. It is a session about understanding — because when you truly understand what you are looking at, everything about how you show up changes.

And that changes what is possible in the room.

Presenters

Kristi Bush

Keynote Speaker, Social Media Safety Educator, KNB Communications

Kristi Bush serves as a national education consultant and social media safety advocate. She is a licensed social worker with greater than 20 years of clinical practice and health care experience. She attended Troy and Auburn University where she studied social work and counseling... Read More →

Wednesday July 15, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Library

9:00am CDT

Formative Assessment with Pear Deck

Wednesday July 15, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

Room 96

Learn how to engage and assess your students using Pear Deck! Create interactive slide decks that students will love to interact with while delivering content or for gauging learning.

Presenters

Allie Schultze

Wednesday July 15, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Room 96

Google Technology

Level All Teachers, Librarians, Special Education

10:00am CDT

Google Gemini: Your Classroom Assistant

Wednesday July 15, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

Room 96

Dive into the features of Google Gemini, an AI chatbot that can help you create plans, assist in designing instruction, and customize your bot to meet your needs.

Presenters

Allie Schultze

Wednesday July 15, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Room 96

Google Technology

Level All Teachers, Counselors, Librarians, Special Education

12:00pm CDT

AI-Powered Studying with NotebookLM

Wednesday July 15, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm CDT

Room 96

Unleash the power of your personalized and protected AI assistant with NotebookLM. Find out how to create accessible study guides and learning aides for you and your students.

Presenters

Allie Schultze

Wednesday July 15, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm CDT
Room 96

Google Technology

Level All Teachers, Counselors, Librarians, Special Education

1:00pm CDT

Easy Video Production with Google Vids

Wednesday July 15, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT

Room 96

Jump into the world of video production with Google Vids. Utilize the familiar tools found throughout the Google ecosystem to create engaging and professional video presentations.

Presenters