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.

9:30am MDT

Alternative AI Scaffolds with Gemini

Tuesday June 2, 2026 9:30am - 10:30am MDT

3410

Students come to Diamond Ridge High School with a wide variety of aptitudes, skills, and needs. In our mini-term schedule, students earn credit in the classroom at an accelerated rate. The combination of student diversity and rapid pacing emphasizes the need for teacher agility and targeted scaffolds. Drawing from the Diamond Ridge experience, this session will present AI strategies designed to support teaching and learning in secondary classrooms. While many educators are familiar with MagicSchool, we will focus on Google Gemini, NotebookLM, and other district-approved platforms. We will discuss advanced prompting, settings and tools, and AI-assisted coding to create engaging instructional content. Participants will practice using Gemini features like “Canvas” and creating Gems.

Presenter

Louis Sherman

ELA Teacher, Canyons School District

Chris Lauriano

Instructional Coach, Canyons School District

I'm currently finishing my 12th year in education, the first eight years I taught mathematics, robotics, and coding. I'm currently the instructional coach for Canyons Virtual Academy and Diamond Ridge. I earned my bachelors and teaching credential from Cal State Long Beach and my... Read More →

Tuesday June 2, 2026 9:30am - 10:30am MDT
3410

Instructional Tools & Technology

Content Area Alternative Education
Audience Middle School Teachers, High School Teachers, Classroom Teachers, Counselors, Admin
Ed Tech Tool Artificial Intelligence (AI)

10:40am MDT

Digging Deeper: Document-Based Inquiry!

Tuesday June 2, 2026 10:40am - 11:40am MDT

3410

Transform your social studies classroom into a hub of critical inquiry. This session equips middle and secondary educators with innovative strategies to bridge the gap between primary sources and contemporary real-world issues. Participants will walk away with actionable tools to empower students as lifelong learners and active, informed citizens.

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 →

Jessica Edwards

Teacher, Canyons School District

I have been in education for 16 years with 15 years as a social studies teacher and one whole year as an instructional coach! I love getting to support teachers and see all the amazing things that they are doing in their classrooms! #bestjobever In my "free" time, I attempt to keep... Read More →

Tuesday June 2, 2026 10:40am - 11:40am MDT
3410

Instructional Design & Planning

Content Area Social Studies
Audience Middle School Teachers, High School Teachers, Social Studies

12:40pm MDT

The Book was Better (But Was it Really?): Using Book-to-Media Adaptations in Instruction

Tuesday June 2, 2026 12:40pm - 1:40pm MDT

3410

The Book Was Better explores the thrills and pitfalls of middle-grade and young adult book-to-movie adaptations. We will examine how beloved stories are transformed—sometimes faithfully, sometimes frustratingly—when they hit the big screen or streaming platforms. From casting controversies to plotline overhauls, the conversation will dive into what adaptations get right, what they get wildly wrong, and why it matters to tween and teen readers. It will also highlight how these adaptations can be leveraged in the classroom and library to spark engagement, fuel book circulation, and support media literacy conversations. Attendees will leave with programming ideas, booklists, and talking points to help students critically compare page and screen.

Presenter

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 →

Tuesday June 2, 2026 12:40pm - 1:40pm MDT
3410

Instructional Priorities

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

1:50pm MDT

Accessible Printmaking using a 3D Intaglio Printroller

Tuesday June 2, 2026 1:50pm - 3:00pm MDT

3410

Learn about making an accessible Etching Print roller using 3D printing. This eliminates the cost and space barriers to get into Intaglio printing by making a miniature Print roller perfect for 2x2 inch prints. The small size also allows students to work fast and using 3D printing makes it very cost effective. We will go over free use files, materials needed in addition to 3D filament, and other best practices when using the miniature Print roller.

Presenter

Kristy Dunn

Visual Art Teacher

Tuesday June 2, 2026 1:50pm - 3:00pm MDT
3410

Instructional Tools & Technology

Content Area CTE
Audience Middle School Teachers, High School Teachers
Instructional Priority STEAM/STEM

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

Gretchen Zaitzeff

District library media specialist, Canyons School District

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)

9:30am MDT

10:40am MDT

12:40pm MDT

1:50pm MDT

9:10am MDT

10:20am MDT

12:20pm MDT

1:45pm MDT

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