Category: Blog

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!

Stop spending your weekend editing your end-of-the-year class video! Learn how to use Google Vids and AI to generate a stunning classroom memories video in minutes.

The end of the school year is an incredibly magical time, but let’s be honest—it is also exhausting. Between grading finals, packing up your classroom, and managing high-energy students, your to-do list is completely packed. The last thing you have time for is spending your entire weekend hunched over complex editing software trying to build an end of year class video.

Fortunately, you don’t have to. Thanks to Google Workspace’s AI-powered video creation tool, you can create a beautiful, professional-grade classroom memories video in just a few minutes. Here is your step-by-step guide to using Google Vids for teachers to alleviate your workflow and save your weekend. Use the step-by-step tutorial in this blog post or check out the video tutorial below to learn how.

Step 1: Batch Your Photos in Google Drive

Before launching the editor, gather your raw materials. The ultimate time-saving hack is to take all the photos you captured throughout the school year and dump them into a single, dedicated Google Drive folder. Name it something distinct like “Classroom Memories 2026.” Because Google Vids integrates natively with your Drive, having your images organized in the cloud first ensures a seamless building experience later. This is especially helpful if you have pictures and videos from multiple teachers

Step 2: Launch Google Vids and Connect Your Drive

Once your photos are ready, head over to Google Vids. You can open a fresh project instantly by typing vids.new directly into your browser bar, or by clicking “New” inside Google Drive and selecting Google Vids. When the dashboard loads, choose the option to start a new project from using the Upload option. From here, select a template and create enough scenes for all of your media. you will select the option to upload or insert files, connecting your project directly to that pre-staged Google Drive folder.

Step 3: Polish with Transitions, Text, and Voiceover

With your baseline classroom memory video structured, it’s time for the finishing touches. Click the spaces between your slides to instantly apply clean transitions like fades or wipes. Use the text tool to overlay student names, titles, or memorable dates. To give it that heartfelt touch, use the built-in recording tool to add a custom voiceover to specific scenes, sharing a personal message of encouragement for your students as they head to the next grade.

Step 4: Add Music and Export

To finalize the atmosphere, browse Google Vids’ built-in library of copyright-free audio. Select an upbeat or reflective track to serve as your background music; the platform will automatically duck the music volume so it never overpowers your voiceover. When you’re satisfied, click the export button. You can download the final clip as an MP4 or save it directly to Google Drive to share safely with parents and administration.

Ready to Save Time This Week?

Creating an end of year class video no longer requires hours of painstaking manual labor. By adopting Google Vids into your teacher toolkit, you can give your students a keepsake they will cherish forever while keeping your weekend entirely for yourself.

Have you tried Google Vids in your classroom yet? Leave a comment below and let me know your favorite time-saving edtech hacks! Buen provecho!

If you’ve ever walked out of a conference dinner thinking, That was fine… but I didn’t really meet anyone, this event is for you.

Conference schedules are packed. Days are full of sessions, conversations, and ideas. By the time evening rolls around, many educators find themselves choosing between yet another sit-down dinner or heading back to their hotel to recharge. But what if there were a third option—one that blends fun, connection, food, and just the right amount of friendly competition? Enter…The Official EdTech Bites Trivia Night sponsored by Robolink!

This after-hours trivia night is designed for educators who want to unwind, laugh, and build meaningful connections without the pressure of awkward networking or formal presentations. It’s casual, upbeat, and intentionally social. Because some of the best conference moments happen outside the breakout rooms.

Why Trivia?

Trivia has a way of leveling the playing field. You don’t need to be an expert in any one topic to have a great time. One question might tap into pop culture, the next into random facts, and another into something you haven’t thought about since middle school. The magic happens when teams realize that everyone brings something different to the table.

At this event, trivia isn’t about being perfect. It’s about collaborating, laughing when you miss a question, celebrating when someone pulls a random answer out of thin air, and bonding over the shared experience. It’s the kind of environment where conversations happen naturally and connections feel authentic.

A True Social Experience

This isn’t a lecture. It isn’t a product demo disguised as a dinner. It’s a social night out created specifically for educators who value community and conversation.

There will be appetizers, music playing between rounds, and plenty of opportunities to mingle before, during, and after trivia. Teams will form organically, making it easy to meet educators from different schools, districts, and states. Whether you come with colleagues or arrive solo, you’ll leave having met new people and expanded your professional learning network in a way that feels effortless.

As your MC for the evening, I’ll be keeping the energy high, the pacing lively, and the experience memorable. Think of it as structured fun with plenty of room for spontaneity.

The Setting Matters

Casa Rio on the River Walk isn’t just a location—it’s part of the experience. With the River Walk lights, the view from the balcony, the sound of the water, and the buzz of downtown San Antonio in the evening, the atmosphere sets the tone for a relaxed and welcoming night. It’s a reminder that professional learning doesn’t always have to happen in carpeted ballrooms or fluorescent-lit rooms. Sometimes it happens over shared plates, laughter, and a little friendly competition.

Prizes, Bragging Rights, and More

Of course, no trivia night is complete without prizes. The winning team will walk away with some awesome giveaways, but the real prize is the experience itself. These are the kinds of moments people talk about long after the conference ends. It will be remembered as the night they skipped another sit-down dinner and ended up having one of the most fun evenings of TCEA 2026.

Even if you don’t win, you’ll leave with stories, new connections, and probably a few inside jokes that only your trivia team will understand.

Important Details to Know

Because this is meant to be an intimate, high-quality experience, attendance is capped at 35 participants. That smaller group size ensures everyone has space to participate, interact, and truly enjoy the evening without getting lost in a sea of strangers.

If you’re interested in attending, RSVP is required. Each person must complete the RSVP form individually using their own personal email address. You may use your work email address but district filters can block our email communication. Please do not submit one form for multiple people. This helps ensure spots are distributed fairly and communication is clear.

Once all spots are filled, registration will close.

Why You Should RSVP Now

Conference schedules fill quickly, and social events tend to book up faster than expected…especially ones that promise good food, great company, and even better experiences. This trivia night is intentionally designed to be different from the typical after-hours option. It’s relaxed, engaging, and built around what educators value most: connection, community, and fun.

If you’re looking for a night where you can:

• Break bread with fellow educators
• Build your PLN without forced networking
• Let your random trivia knowledge shine
• Enjoy music, laughter, and great conversation

then this is the event for you.

Spots are limited, and once they’re gone, they’re gone. Click the RSVP link, save your spot, and consider sharing this with a colleague who would love a night like this too.

RSVP BELOW

We’ll see you on the River Walk for an unforgettable evening. Buen provecho!