2026 Elevated Teaching Summit: Full Schedule

Vision

In Canyons School District, we believe that all stakeholders benefit from purposeful technology integration within the learning process, focusing on student achievement. Educational technology will be used to empower teachers, students, and other stakeholders to gain the knowledge and skills needed to adapt, create, consume, and connect responsibly and ethically with the broader world in preparation for meaningful life opportunities.

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9:10am MDT

Anti-Scam Academy

Wednesday June 3, 2026 9:10am - 10:10am MDT

3410

How do you feel about your teaching right now? How do you make sure you know what's happening, while also being gracious to yourself.

Presenter

Jodi Ide

Teacher Specialist, Canyons SD

Jodi Ide has taught high schoolers and educators to question everything—except her music preferences and the Oxford comma. A social studies specialist with a soft spot for media literacy-themed picture books, she’s on a mission to make sure “once upon a time” doesn’t mean... Read More →

Gretchen Zaitzeff

District library media specialist, Canyons School District

As co-lead of the Utah Information, News, and Media Literacy Collaborative, Gretchen Zaitzeff brings a strong background in fostering critical media engagement and empowering educators to integrate information, news, and media literacy across the curriculum. She works as the District... Read More →

Wednesday June 3, 2026 9:10am - 10:10am MDT
3410

Safe & Supportive Environment

Audience Elementary Teachers, Middle School Teachers, High School Teachers, Classroom Teachers

10:20am MDT

Once Upon a Media Message: Picture Books as a Portal to Media Literacy

Wednesday June 3, 2026 10:20am - 11:20am MDT

3410

This session showcases how media-literacy themed picture books can be a powerful tools for teaching essential media literacy dispositions, knowledge, and skills to learners of all ages. Educators will learn how to select and use picture books that spark inquiry, promote critical thinking, and encourage discussions about how media shapes our understanding of the information landscape. Participants will explore how themes such as triggers, news, misinformation, and representation are made accessible through engaging stories and illustrations. Strategies for adapting these books to different grade levels and collaborating with school librarians will be shared. Attendees will leave with practical ideas and resources to support students in becoming reflective, responsible, and media-savvy learners across the K-12 spectrum.

Presenter

Jodi Ide

Teacher Specialist, Canyons SD

Gretchen Zaitzeff

District library media specialist, Canyons School District

Wednesday June 3, 2026 10:20am - 11:20am MDT
3410

Safe & Supportive Environment

Audience Elementary Teachers, Middle School Teachers, High School Teachers, School librarians

12:20pm MDT

News and Media Literacy - CREATE Session

Wednesday June 3, 2026 12:20pm - 1:35pm MDT

3410

Presenter

Jodi Ide

Teacher Specialist, Canyons SD

Gretchen Zaitzeff

District library media specialist, Canyons School District

Wednesday June 3, 2026 12:20pm - 1:35pm MDT
3410

Create Session

1:45pm MDT

Intellectual Agency: Putting Learners in the AI Driver’s Seat

Wednesday June 3, 2026 1:45pm - 3:00pm MDT

3410

This professional learning session equips educators with high-impact protocols to ensure students become critical thinkers—not passive copy-pasters. They will learn and practice protocols that prioritize student agency and human judgment to guide students to critically read, question, and humanize AI's authoritative yet flawed answers. Leave with the transformative strategies needed to ensure every student embraces their intellectual agency and takes the AI driver’s seat in their learning journey.

Learning Intention: Cultivate intellectual agency by shifting from a focus on AI-generated products to a focus on the human-led process, ensuring students maintain cognitive ownership and authority over their work.

Success Criteria: Design learning experiences where students demonstrate authority over AI to reflect their own informed perspectives and academic nuance.

Presenter

Naomi Watkins

Secondary ELA Specialist, USBE - Utah State Board of Education

Dr. Naomi Watkins is the Secondary English Language Arts Specialist for the Utah State Board of Education, where she provides strategic oversight for ELA instruction, standards, and adolescent literacy. With over 20 years of experience in education and a Ph.D. specializing in adolescent... Read More →

Wednesday June 3, 2026 1:45pm - 3:00pm MDT
3410

Instructional Design & Planning

Audience Middle School Teachers, High School Teachers, Classroom Teachers, instructional coaches
Ed Tech Tool Artificial Intelligence (AI)

9:10am MDT

10:20am MDT

12:20pm MDT

1:45pm MDT

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