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Venue: Cafeteria/Auditorium clear filter
Monday, July 13
 

8:30am CDT

Keynote - Designing for What’s Next: When the Answer is Easy, Thinking Matters More
Monday July 13, 2026 8:30am - 9:50am CDT
As artificial intelligence makes answers instant, the real challenge isn’t access to information…It’s how
we design for human thinking. This keynote explores how risk-taking, failure, mindfulness, and intentional design help
learners and leaders move beyond compliance toward true agency. Rather than focusing on how to use AI, the talk
reframes what humans do best: ask better questions, take risks, reflect deeply, and navigate uncertainty. The future
doesn’t need faster answers, it needs better thinkers.

Presenters
avatar for Carl Hooker

Carl Hooker

Keynote Speaker, Hooker Technology
Carl Hooker is an educator, consultant and speaker from Austin, TX. He spent the past 27 years as a teacher and administrator supporting the he has held a wide range of roles. From teacher to administrator, he’s always had one common belief – that kids need to drive their own... Read More →
Monday July 13, 2026 8:30am - 9:50am CDT
Cafeteria/Auditorium

10:00am CDT

Mind vs. Machine
Monday July 13, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
In the ultimate battle for AI supremacy, humans will put various AI tools through a series of challenges
and see which one creates the best output. Chatbots, image generators, and more compete in this interactive
Promptetition to see which tools are truly the best and which we should toss aside.

Presenters
avatar for Carl Hooker

Carl Hooker

Keynote Speaker, Hooker Technology
Carl Hooker is an educator, consultant and speaker from Austin, TX. He spent the past 27 years as a teacher and administrator supporting the he has held a wide range of roles. From teacher to administrator, he’s always had one common belief – that kids need to drive their own... Read More →
Monday July 13, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Cafeteria/Auditorium

12:00pm CDT

ZENgaged: Effective Approaches for Teaching the Anxious Generation
Monday July 13, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm CDT
To ban or not to ban? That is the question when it comes to cell phones in the classroom. Now more
than ever, educators need to be equipped with strategies to address student anxiety through techniques and effective classroom management. Learn how to implement practices
that build resilience, and strategies for students to reduce distractions and anxiety. This session provides actionable
insights to create a calm, focused learning environment where students can thrive emotionally and academically. Join
us to discover how to transform anxious energy into positive engagement, fostering a supportive classroom culture
for the Anxious Generation.

Presenters
avatar for Carl Hooker

Carl Hooker

Keynote Speaker, Hooker Technology
Carl Hooker is an educator, consultant and speaker from Austin, TX. He spent the past 27 years as a teacher and administrator supporting the he has held a wide range of roles. From teacher to administrator, he’s always had one common belief – that kids need to drive their own... Read More →
Monday July 13, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm CDT
Cafeteria/Auditorium

1:00pm CDT

Nailed IT! Ed Tech Edition
Monday July 13, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
In this highly interactive session, attendees will work to complete a series of challenges in a short time
limit to see if they “Nailed it”. This session builds on the framework that taking risks can be a good thing when it
comes to creating and sharing ideas. Attendees will walk away with strategies to use in their schools when it comes
to engaging learners and getting them to take risks.

Presenters
avatar for Carl Hooker

Carl Hooker

Keynote Speaker, Hooker Technology
Carl Hooker is an educator, consultant and speaker from Austin, TX. He spent the past 27 years as a teacher and administrator supporting the he has held a wide range of roles. From teacher to administrator, he’s always had one common belief – that kids need to drive their own... Read More →
Monday July 13, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
Cafeteria/Auditorium

2:00pm CDT

Mind vs. Machine
Monday July 13, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT
In the ultimate battle for AI supremacy, humans will put various AI tools through a series of challenges
and see which one creates the best output. Chatbots, image generators, and more compete in this interactive
Promptetition to see which tools are truly the best and which we should toss aside.

Presenters
avatar for Carl Hooker

Carl Hooker

Keynote Speaker, Hooker Technology
Carl Hooker is an educator, consultant and speaker from Austin, TX. He spent the past 27 years as a teacher and administrator supporting the he has held a wide range of roles. From teacher to administrator, he’s always had one common belief – that kids need to drive their own... Read More →
Monday July 13, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT
Cafeteria/Auditorium
 
Tuesday, July 14
 

9:00am CDT

You Can't Teach a Nervous System That's on Fire: Understanding Student Dysregulation in the Age of Social Media
Tuesday July 14, 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
avatar for Kristi Bush

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 →
Tuesday July 14, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Cafeteria/Auditorium
 
Wednesday, July 15
 

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
avatar for Kristi Bush

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
Cafeteria/Auditorium

2:00pm CDT

Closing Session: Our Time to Shine: Igniting Inspiration into Impact
Wednesday July 15, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT
Join us for an uplifting closing session led by Spanish Fort Elementary’s own Elizabeth Von Hofe, Alabama’s 2026–2027 Teacher of the Year — she’ll share inspiring closing remarks that will leave us motivated to make a real impact. We’ll finish the day on a high note with a fun raffle and fantastic prizes to be won!
Presenters
avatar for Elizabeth Von Hofe

Elizabeth Von Hofe

Special Education Teacher, Spanish Fort Elementary
Elizabeth Eubanks Von Hofe is Alabama’s 2026-2027 Teacher of the Year. She is a National Board Certified Teacher (Exceptional Needs Specialist/Moderate-Severe Disabilities) who serves as Special Education Department Chair and classroom teacher of students with multiple disabilities... Read More →
avatar for Jeremy King

Jeremy King

Instructional Technology Coorindator, Central Office Staff
 
Wednesday July 15, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT
Cafeteria/Auditorium
 


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