Control Alt Achieve: My 2025 FETC Sessions

I am excited and honored to be presenting at the Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC 2025) in Orlando, Florida on January 14th through 17th, 2025.

I always look forward to an opportunity to see old friends, make new friends, share some ideas, and learn so many new things from others.

You can register for FETC at https://www.fetc.org/

If you are thinking of attending, you can save 10% on an All-Access or Session pass with my special promo code FETC25SPEAKER

Below is a list of sessions I will be presenting at FETC 2025, along with any associated resources. Please feel free to join me for any of these sessions. I look forward to sharing, learning, and chatting with you!

🧔 My Sessions:

Short version:

January 14th

8:30am - 📊 Google Sheets for Educators: From Data Noob to Nerd
1:30pm - 🚦 Artificial Intelligence / Natural Misuse - Managing AI in Schools
4pm - 🚀 Beyond the Slideshow: Unleashing Student Creativity with Google Slides

January 15th

9am - 💎 The "Gem in AI" - Google AI Tools for Education
11am - 🤖 Custom AI Chatbots for Personalized Student Learning
3pm - 📛 Today's Special Classroom Guest: Mr. A.I. Chatterbot
4pm - ✍️ Class Companion Booth #3181

January 16th

10am - 🧰 The AI Toolbox: Best AI Tools for Schools
12pm - ✨ MagicSchool AI Booth #3815
1:30pm - 👓 Hipster Google Showdown - Tools You Probably Never Heard Of
3:30pm - 💬 World of Promptcraft: The Quest to Build a Better Prompt

January 17th

8am - 🔑 Google Tools to Support all Learners
10am - 💯 The Future of Feedback - Guided Grading with AI

Detailed version:

📅 TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2025

📊 Google Sheets for Educators: From Data Noob to Nerd

Time: 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM EST
Session Code: WS320BC1
Location: SOUTH 320BC, Orange County Convention Center
Session Agenda: https://bit.ly/curts-data
Description: Google Sheets is easily one of the most powerful tools in the Google Workspace suite of programs. Unfortunately many people can feel intimidated by spreadsheets and all of their features. In this session we will take the mystery out of Google Sheets as we cover topics including view options, freezing rows and columns, sorting data, filtering data, formulas, charts and graphs, sparklines, conditional formatting, data validation, pivot tables, mail merge, and more.

🚦 Artificial Intelligence / Natural Misuse - Managing AI in Schools

Time: 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM EST
Session Code: WS320BC3
Location: SOUTH 320BC, Orange County Convention Center
Session Agenda: https://bit.ly/curts-aimisuse
Description: As beneficial as AI is, it also comes with challenges and the potential for misuse. In this session we will explore ways to address academic integrity concerns, tools and strategies to help monitor AI use, proper citation for AI generated content, ways to encourage positive use of AI in the classrooms, developing your own class set of AI guidelines for students, alternative assessment options, addressing AI bias and inaccuracies, student data privacy, identifying fake content, evaluating AI tools, and more.

🚀 Beyond the Slideshow: Unleashing Student Creativity with Google Slides

Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM EST
Session Code: WS320BC4
Location: SOUTH 320BC, Orange County Convention Center
Session Agenda: https://bit.ly/curts-slides
Description - We all know Google Slides is a great tool for making multimedia slideshows. But did you know it can also be used to make "Choose Your Own Adventure" style stories, interactive quizzes, online comic strips, storybooks, stop-motion animation, manipulatives, class soundboards, formative feedback in class, peer editing activities, and more? In this session we will explore these and more non-traditional uses of Slides. Learn how students can use Google Slides to express themselves in more ways than just a presentation.

📅 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2025

💎 The "Gem in AI" - Google AI Tools for Education

Time: 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM EST
Session Code: CS320EF1
Location: SOUTH 320EF, Orange County Convention Center
Session Agenda: https://bit.ly/curts-googleai
Description: Google has long been a leader when it comes to creating and using artificial intelligence in practical ways. In this session we will explore a wide range of Google tools that incorporate generative AI including Google Gemini, NotebookLM, Search Generative Experience, integrations in Docs, Slides, Sheets, Gmail, Search, Classroom and more! See how these tools can be used by teachers and students.

🤖 Custom AI Chatbots for Personalized Student Learning

Time: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM EST
Session Code: WS330A6
Location: SOUTH 330A, Orange County Convention Center
Session Agenda: https://bit.ly/curts-chatbots
Description: AI chatbots are a powerful way to provide safe, monitored, personalized learning experiences for students. Chatbots can be used for a wide range of engaging activities such as interviewing a historical figure, discussing a book, learning about a career, assessing understanding, providing tutoring, or diving into any topic. With AI these chatbots adjust to each student individually to meet their specific needs and interests. In this session we will explore traditional AI chatbots, as well as free tools such as SchoolAI, Mizou, Brisk, Fobizz, MagicSchoolAI and more, where you can choose from a wide range of pre-made chatbots or easily create your own.

📛 Today’s Special Classroom Guest: Mr. A.I. Chatterbot

Time: 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EST
Session Code: LRT1-11
Location: Expo Hall Leadership Round Tables: Booth 3386
Session Agenda: https://bit.ly/curts-aiguest
Description: AI access for students is often limited because of the students' age or because of school policies. However there are lots of engaging ways for a teacher to use AI in class for interactive learning activities where the students are participating but the teacher is still managing the AI. In this session we will see how you can "invite AI into your classroom" for interactive projects including debates on any topic, live interviews where the AI takes on a role, co-writing activities, and more.

✍️ Class Companion Booth

Time: 4:00 PM - 4:30 PM EST
Location: Booth #3181
Description: Join me at the Class Companion booth for an engaging demonstration of how the Class Companion AI can be used for student feedback and grading.

📅 THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2025

🧰 The AI Toolbox: Best AI Tools for Schools

Time: 10:00 AM - 10:45 AM EST
Session Code: CS320EF4
Location: SOUTH 320EF, Orange County Convention Center
Session Agenda: https://bit.ly/curts-aitools
Description: ChatGPT and Gemini are wonderful, but what other AI tools are available? Thankfully there are many educational AI resources that build on top of these models with tools that are free, provide extra functionality and features, and make the process easier and more convenient for educators. In this session we will explore many of these tools such as MagicSchool AI, Khanmigo, SchoolAI, QuestionWell, EnlightenAI, Snorkl, Sorcerer, Drift, Curipod, Brisk Teaching, Ideogram, Udio and more.

✨ MagicSchool AI Booth

Time: 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM EST
Location: MagicSchool AI Booth #3815
Description: Join me at the MagicSchool AI booth for an engaging demonstration on how teachers can create custom AI rooms for students to engage in personalized learning activities.

👓 Hipster Google Showdown - Tools You Probably Never Heard Of

Time: 1:30 PM - 2:15 PM EST
Session Code: CS320EF6
Location: SOUTH 320EF, Orange County Convention Center
Session Agenda: https://bit.ly/curts-hipster
Description: Everyone knows about Google Docs, Gmail, Search, and other common Google tools. But there are also loads of smaller, lesser-known, but powerful tools that can be used for teaching and learning. Learn about 70+ hidden gems such as Emoji Kitchen, Interview Warmup, Timelapse, Lens, AutoDraw, ImageFX, MusicFX, VR/AR Models, Read Along, Semantris, GameSnacks, ChromeOS Flex, Teachable Machine, NotebookLM, Applied Digital Skills and more.

💬 World of Promptcraft: The Quest to Build a Better Prompt

Time: 3:30 PM - 4:15 PM EST
Session Code: CS320EF8
Location: SOUTH 320EF, Orange County Convention Center
Session Agenda: https://bit.ly/curts-aiprompt
Description: AI can have a powerful impact on teaching and learning, but the value of what you get out can often depend on the quality of what you put in. How can you craft better prompts to get the best results? In this session we will explore examples of excellent prompts, models for building better prompts, using a "super prompt" to create prompts, using the "collaborative prompt" technique, activities to practice prompting, and more.

📅 FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2025

🔑 Google Tools to Support All Learners

Time: 8:00 AM - 8:45 AM EST
Session Code: CS320EF9
Location: SOUTH 320EF, Orange County Convention Center
Session Agenda: https://bit.ly/curts-support
Description: There are many tools, apps, extensions, and features available to assist all learners. In this session we take an in-depth hands-on look at a wide range of technology tools to assist any and all learners. These can include text-to-speech, speech-to-text, readability, reading comprehension, artificial intelligence tools, audio support, organization, focus, and more. Learn what tools are available and how to access and use these free tools with your students.

💯 The Future of Feedback - Guided Grading with AI

Time: 10:00 AM - 10:45 AM EST
Session Code: CS320EF11
Location: SOUTH 320EF, Orange County Convention Center
Session Agenda: http://bit.ly/curts-aigrading
Description: One of the biggest challenges in education is the time required to provide detailed feedback on student work. Thankfully we now have powerful AI tools that can generate personalized feedback for student work based on the guidelines, rubrics, and style we suggest. This can include feedback on student writing from short answers to full essays, as well as feedback on spoken student explanations. In this session we will explore AI feedback tools such as Class Companion, Snorkl, EnlightenAI, and more.

📝 FETC Sharing Doc

If you will be attending FETC, please feel free to contribute to the Google document I set up for sharing resources.
You can add information including if you are attending, session resources, mixers/events/meetups, attractions/restaurants, questions, comments, or other resources.
FETC Sharing Doc - https://bit.ly/fetc25-share

🦋 Bluesky Resources

If you are on Bluesky, I have created some resources to help you connect and learn with other FETC attendees. And if you are not on Bluesky yet, then check out my "Bluesky Starter Tips for Educators" and join us!

FETC 2025 Attendees Starter Pack - This is a collection of people who will be attending FETC so that you can easily follow any or all of them. If you are attending FETC, let me know and I will add you to the Starter Pack.

FETC 2025 Feed - This feed pulls together the last seven days of posts about FETC so you can see what everyone is sharing about the conference in one place.