Control Alt Achieve: Join Me for the 2026 ITEC Fall Conference

Tuesday, October 6, 2026

I am excited and honored to be presenting at the 2026 ITEC Fall Conference on October 12-13, 2026 in the Des Moines, Iowa.

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 get full details about the event and register for this conference at:

See below for all of the details on my sessions. I hope to see you there!

📅 Monday October 12, 2026

📓 Gemini Notebook for Schools: Your Grounded Google AI Super Tool

Time: 9:30am - 10:20am CDT
Location: Room 302/303
Session Agenda: http://bit.ly/curts-notebook
SCHED page: Resource link
Description: Generative AI is a game-changer, but sometimes you need answers based strictly on the facts you trust. Gemini Notebook is different because it is "grounded" in the specific content you provide, helping to reduce hallucinations and inaccuracies. In this deep-dive session, we will learn how to create notebooks using your own Google Docs, Slides, PDFs, websites, videos and more. We will explore how to "chat" with your sources to find specific answers and summarize key concepts, and then use the powerful Studio tools to instantly generate Audio and Video Overviews, slide decks, infographics, mind maps, data tables, flashcards, quizzes, and reports. Discover practical and creative ways to use Gemini Notebook for teaching and learning.

🍳 Lunch Keynote: Your Brain on AI

Time: 11:50am - 1:20pm CDT
Location: Exhibit Hall
Session Agenda: http://bit.ly/curts-aibrain
SCHED page: Resource link
Description: When students use AI, are they learning or just offloading? As beneficial as AI can be, overreliance on it can hurt thinking skills, creativity, and understanding. How do we avoid this? This keynote offers the 'Wrestle, Rap, Reflect' framework, a powerful, practical solution that keeps the human in the loop by requiring learners to engage their own brains before and after the AI interaction. We will learn to move students from a passive 'crutch' mindset to an active 'catalyst' partnership, ensuring AI builds intellectual agency, not atrophy.

✨ The "Gem in AI" - Google Gemini for Schools

Time: 1:30pm - 2:20pm CDT
Location: Room 302/303
Session Agenda: http://bit.ly/curts-gemini
SCHED page: Resource link
Description: Discover Google’s powerful, free generative AI tool and how it can assist educators and students. In this session we will do a hands-on deep dive in Gemini including prompting, educational uses, processing files, generating files, slideshows, images, and audio, deep research, guided learning, vibe coding, custom Gems, Gemini tools in Classroom and other Google tools, data privacy features, and more.

📅 Tuesday October 13, 2026

💎 Your AI Treasure Chest: Creating & Sharing Gemini Gems

Time: 8:30am - 9:20am CDT
Location: Room 302/303
Session Agenda: http://bit.ly/curts-gems
SCHED page: Resource link
Description: Gems are reusable, custom prompts that save your best AI workflows for instant access, and they are a game-changer for educators! In this deep-dive session you will learn how to create your own Gems, with tips for effective prompting and uploading reference files. We'll also cover how to share your Gems with colleagues and how schools can build a shared, high-quality Gem repository for staff and students. To see their full potential, we will tour my "EduGems" website and demonstrate powerful, ready-to-use prompts for lesson hooks, rubric generation, DOK analysis, and even creating AI-powered classroom games.

🔑 Tech Tools to Support All Learners

Time: 1:30pm - 2:20pm CDT
Location: Room 302/303
Session Agenda: http://bit.ly/curts-support
SCHED page: Resource link
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.