Imagine walking into a classroom or a professional development session years from now. What will the participants remember? They won’t necessarily remember the exact bullet points on a slide or a standard worksheet. What they will remember is the environment, the feeling of discovery, and the engagement. In short: they remember the experiences we build for them.
This core philosophy drives everything I do in the classroom, in instructional coaching cycles, and in my book, Cooking Up Experiences In The Classroom. This summer, I am packing up my digital kitchen and heading out on tour to help you cook up some magic in your school or district. Whether you want to master custom AI chatbots using a simple food-themed framework, dive headfirst into student voice through micropodcasting, or simply grab a taco or a sweet treat with me, I want to meet you!
Here is exactly where I’ll be, what we will be learning together, and how we can connect.
Stop 1: June 14th-16th – Elementary Technology Conference (Galveston, TX)
We’re kicking things off by the coast to dive into powerful student engagement and leadership tools tailored for elementary and beyond.
- TACOS for School Leaders: A Simple Framework for Building Custom AI Chatbots: School leaders deserve AI tools that save time instead of creating more work. In this session, I’m breaking down my TACOS framework to help you design safe, purpose-aligned campus bots (like walkthrough feedback bots or family-communication bots).
- From Worksheets to Wayground: Reading Reviews That Work: Move past boring test-prep packets. Learn how to use Wayground for interactive, data-driven reading reviews that integrate right into Google Classroom.
- Snorkl Your Way to Smarter Student Insights: See how Snorkl uses AI-powered audio feedback to help students explain their thinking out loud, streamlining your assessment workflow.
Stop 2: June 28th – July 1st – ISTE Live 2026 (Orlando, FL)
My second stop is the biggest EdTech party of the year! I have a packed schedule of sessions, interactive playgrounds, live podcasting, and in-booth presentations.
- Digital Storytelling Playground & Less Teacher Talk, More Student Learning: I am obsessed with micropodcasting! Drop by the continuous, hands-on playground or attend the session to grab a microphone, test out recording tools, and leave with templates to start a campus podcasting club using tools like WeVideo.
- AI & Edtech Power Hour: A high-octane look at turbocharged tools designed to elevate student thinking across every grade level and subject.
- Higher-Order Thinking Playground: Come ponder, problem-solve, and explore rigorous critical-creative activities aligned with the highest levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy that you can implement the very next day.
- Live Podcasting at the TWT Booth (Monday, June 29th): Be a Guest on My Podcast! I’ll be podcasting live so I’m looking for guests to chat about food trivia, general knowledge, and fun EdTech topics. If you want to grab a mic and join the show at ISTE.
- Live Podcasting and In-Booth Presentation at the WeVideo booth (Tuesday, June 30th): Come check out how WeVideo can assist you with your student podcast needs. I’ll be showcasing how I use WeVideo with students for podcasts and micropodcast projects to showcase critical thinking and academic discourse.
- Orlando Food Tour: I am teaming up with Robolink and TWT Audio for an evening food tour of Orlando on Monday night. Logistics are wrapping up, so stay tuned for the official invite!
Stop 3: July 13th-14th – Instructional Coaching Convention (Round Rock, TX)
Stop number three will be focusing on how we support our amazing educators. If you are an instructional coach or school leader, let’s redefine how we support adult learners by treating coaching cycles like masterclass recipes.
- What Baking A Cheesecake Taught Me About Coaching: We will explore how patience, precise ingredients, and the right environment turn a messy coaching cycle into a masterpiece.
- Crush Coaching: Cooking Up Success with Notion: Discover how to streamline your workflows, track coaching data, and organize your campus support systems using customizable Notion dashboards.
Beyond the Sessions: Podcasts, Food, & Book Deliveries!
PD doesn’t just happen inside the presentation rooms. Let’s hang out in the wild
- San Antonio Local Deliveries: Live in the San Antonio area? Keep an eye out for my next post! If you buy a copy of Cooking Up Experiences In The Classroom directly from my platform, I will hand-deliver it to you, sign it, snap a selfie with you, and bring along a sweet treat!
Summer professional development is the perfect time to rest, recharge, and fill up your toolbelt with strategies that serve experiences, not just lessons. Whether we are building TACOS-inspired AI bots in Galveston, recording micropodcasts in Orlando, or talking coaching strategies in Round Rock, I cannot wait to learn alongside you.
Your Next Steps:
- Are you attending ISTE? Comment below or message me directly if you want to be a guest on my live booth podcast!
- Make sure to bookmark this page and subscribe to the newsletter so you don’t miss the upcoming Orlando Food Tour sign-ups and the San Antonio book delivery form!
Buen Provecho!