I.T.S. News and Events

Technanigans returns for its second year, bringing educators together to strengthen their practice and learn from one another. The experience centers on refining what works, staying curious, and exploring how technology can support learning across classrooms and professional practice.

The theme Redefining Learning reflects the shifts happening in education as new tools, new possibilities, and new questions continue to emerge. It invites educators to think about how learning is changing, how classroom experiences can expand, and how technology can be used in ways that open up opportunities that were not possible before. It also draws on the SAMR model, where redefinition represents transformation through technology integration, creating something that couldn’t have been possible without technology.

"Year 1 sparked ideas—Year 2 is where we bring them to life. Technanigans provides the hands-on learning, collaboration, and innovation we need to turn emerging tools into real impact for students,” Chief Technology Officer Kelly Sain said.

This year, Technanigans connects with the Summer Symposium to create two full days of learning for TSD staff and educators from across Colorado. Together, these experiences expand opportunities for collaboration, allowing educators to learn from colleagues within the district and from across the state.

Holly Clark, keynote speaker for Technanigans, brings a nationally-recognized voice in educational innovation and AI integration to TSD. Her work focuses on helping educators use technology in thoughtful, purposeful ways that support strong instruction. Her message aligns closely with the work across TSD, where the focus remains on thoughtful use of tools to support teaching and learning while maintaining the central role of educator expertise.

Across both days, participants will experience sessions led by TSD educators, educators from across Colorado, and our keynote speakers. These sessions highlight how technology is being used in real classrooms, with a focus on instructional strategies, intentional integration, and the purpose behind when and why to use these tools.

This year also introduces a new type of session: the Model Classroom. Educators often leave conferences with exciting ideas, but without a clear path for applying them in their classrooms. These sessions are designed to bridge that gap. During each 50-minute session, participants step into the role of students as the facilitator leads either an elementary or secondary model lesson that integrates technology in intentional ways. Each session then transitions into a debrief, where participants reflect on what they experienced and consider how the instructional moves and use of technology could transfer to their own classrooms.

Technanigans continues to be a space for connection, reflection, and growth. It is an opportunity to learn with colleagues, explore new ideas, and continue refining practice together.

Registration is now open for both Technanigans and the Summer Symposium. We invite you to join us for two days of learning and collaboration!

Any time we step into new ideas, new tools, or new possibilities, it can be energizing. There’s a kind of momentum that comes from imagining what could be different, what could be strengthened, or what could be possible.

The real work though, is not about chasing inspiration somewhere else. It’s about bringing focus to the work we are already doing. How do we thoughtfully integrate powerful tools into classrooms, systems, and daily practice in ways that align with what we value most about learning?

This moment feels like a transition: the practice of teaching and learning is being asked to evolve not only because new tools exist, but because we have an opportunity to examine our priorities and ensure they reflect our deepest educational values.

For a long time, there has been a desire to move toward student-owned learning that is deeply personal, driven by passion, and shaped by student voice. At the same time, it has often felt like an almost insurmountable challenge to make that vision real within the confines of traditional school structures.

AI is not creating new questions so much as amplifying the ones we’ve had for a long time. It is surfacing long-standing tensions in teaching and learning, while also opening new possibilities for more responsive, student-centered classrooms. At the same time, this moment raises urgent questions about trust, equity, and what we want learning to become. In many ways, the work underneath it is not actually about AI at all. It is about learning, values, and decision-making, and powerful tools simply make those questions harder to ignore.

If you’re feeling the pressure to move fast with AI, you’re not alone. When decisions impact students directly, it’s worth slowing down enough to stay thoughtful.

It doesn’t have to be about rushing toward the next tool or trying to have all the answers. It’s about staying close to what we know matters most in teaching and learning, and taking the next step with care.

Here are three things worth holding in the back of our minds as we decide what AI should, and shouldn’t, do in learning spaces.

1. Human First, Human Last

The most important part of any AI experience is the human.

AI can support our work in powerful ways, but it should serve human aspirations, values, and decisions, not take the place of them.

One of the biggest risks is letting AI quietly take away agency, for teachers or for students. When a tool starts shaping the work before we’ve had a chance to think, question, or create, something important is lost.

Agency is at the heart of student-owned learning. It relies on learners actively shaping their thinking, their questions, and their voice. If AI begins to do that work for us, we risk moving farther away from the responsive, human-centered classrooms we hope to create.

It can be helpful to think about the difference between outsourcing the doing and outsourcing the thinking. AI may support the doing, but the thinking, the struggle, and the meaning-making must remain human.

Humans bring the goals, the questions, and the context. AI can help refine ideas, but the work is strongest when it begins with human intention and ends with human decision-making.

AI is a tool that should serve human intentions, not replace human judgment.

When conversations drift toward tools and features, it helps to return to a simple frame: Human first, human last.

2. What’s the Learning?

With the human at the center, the next question becomes even clearer: what is the learning?

When conversations about AI get stuck, it’s often because we skip this question.

Before deciding whether a tool belongs in a lesson, it helps to pause and ask: What is the thinking we want students to engage in?

AI can be helpful in reducing friction, generating ideas, or supporting the work around learning, but it can also blur the line between supporting a process and replacing it. If a tool begins doing the thinking that students need to do for themselves, then the learning shifts in ways that may be unintended.

The learning often lives in the process, not just the product. In math, for example, the goal is rarely just the final answer. It’s the reasoning, the problem-solving, and the persistence it takes to get there. A tool that shortcuts that process can also shortcut the learning.

AI has a way of surfacing these kinds of misalignments. It asks us to be more intentional about what we truly want students to engage in.

When we name the learning first, whether the goal is communication, reasoning, revision, or problem-solving, we create space for students to stay at the center of the experience.

Tools should follow the learning, not lead it.

3. What’s the Right Tool for the Job?

Choosing the right tool starts one step earlier than the tool itself. The first question is: what is the best method to achieve the learning outcome?

Some outcomes require practice and feedback. Others require discussion, reflection, or productive struggle. Sometimes the best method is modeling and guided instruction. Sometimes it is inquiry, revision, or collaborative sense-making.

Once the method is clear, the tool choice becomes much easier. AI can be useful when it supports the method, reducing barriers, offering examples, or helping students rehearse skills. But if it shortcuts the thinking we want students to engage in, it may work against the outcome.

Sometimes the right tool is AI. Sometimes it is paper, a whiteboard, a peer conversation, or time. The goal is not a specific tool. The goal is learning.

A Closing Thought

Many of the hardest conversations about AI are not really about technology. They are about learning and values, about what we are trying to preserve and what we are willing to change.

Learning clarity may be some of the most important work we do right now, staying grounded in what matters most and moving forward thoughtfully alongside our students.

How AI Was Used in This Document

In writing this, I used AI to help brainstorm and expand on the ideas I wanted to highlight, along with some final proofreading and word choice. The thinking, values, and final decisions remained my own throughout the process.

In today’s interconnected world, helping students develop the skills to navigate technology responsibly and thoughtfully is essential. Digital citizenship goes beyond online safety—it’s about fostering empathy, responsibility, critical thinking, and ethical decision-making in all spaces, online and offline. At Thompson School District, we want to support teachers in facilitating these conversations in school and providing guidance families can use to continue them at home.

October 20–24 marks Digital Citizenship Week, a great opportunity to introduce or highlight these conversations and engage students in meaningful activities.

Build Your Understanding: Teachers as Digital Citizenship Guides

Effective digital citizenship instruction begins with teachers developing a strong understanding of the skills, habits, and strategies students need to navigate online and offline spaces responsibly. Before introducing students to concepts like digital footprints, respectful communication, or media literacy, it helps to explore these skills yourself and reflect on how they connect to everyday interactions.

• Explore resources and lessons: Many resources, including Common Sense Media, provide frameworks for thinking about responsibility, respect, and ethics in digital contexts. You can adapt these lessons to show that the same principles apply in classrooms, playgrounds, and communities.
• Reflect on personal practices: Consider how you model respectful communication, collaboration, and problem-solving, both online and offline. Students notice both and benefit from seeing consistency.
• Collaborate with colleagues: Discuss ways digital citizenship lessons can reinforce broader citizenship values like empathy, fairness, and civic responsibility.

Bringing Digital Citizenship into the Classroom

Once you’ve built your understanding, you can begin integrating digital citizenship into everyday teaching. The goal is to make these concepts a natural part of learning rather than a separate unit.

• Start small: Even short conversations about online safety, respectful behavior, or critical thinking can spark reflection. Emphasize that these skills are used both online and in real-world interactions.
• Embed into lessons and projects: Connect digital citizenship to teamwork, classroom discussions, and problem-solving activities, highlighting parallels between online and offline behavior.
• Model thinking aloud: It’s okay to not have all the answers. Share your own thought process when faced with a digital citizenship question. This shows students that reflection, questioning, and learning alongside others is part of responsible decision-making.
• Use real-world examples: Bring in current events, social media trends, or school-based scenarios to illustrate how digital and civic responsibilities intersect.
• Encourage reflection: Ask students to consider how their actions affect others and themselves in all contexts, promoting empathy, fairness, and accountability. Activities during Digital Citizenship Week can be a helpful starting point.

Supporting Families at Home

Families play a critical role in helping students practice responsible citizenship both online and offline. Teachers can guide families in starting conversations that feel natural, age-appropriate, and ongoing.

• Provide simple starting points: Suggest discussions about kindness, respect, and safety. For example, ask students how they would respond to a situation on social media and then discuss how those choices might look in real life.
• Encourage modeling and reflection: Families don’t need to have all the answers either! Thinking aloud together helps students see that learning and decision-making are lifelong skills.
• Use resources as conversation tools: Share the TSD flyer or web version on talking with their child about AI.
• Grade-level focus: Tailor discussions by age: younger students on safety and sharing, upper elementary on privacy and respect, middle school on reputation and media literacy, and high school on ethics and responsible decision-making.

Bringing Digital Citizenship to Life

Start small, reflect, and model thoughtful decision-making in the classroom and beyond. Collaborate with families and students to explore questions together, helping students develop the habits, empathy, and critical thinking they need to be responsible citizens online and offline. Digital Citizenship Week is a perfect time to have these critical conversations and set the stage for ongoing learning throughout the year.

More Ways to Earn Credit This Year

This year, the Ed Tech team is expanding opportunities for teachers and staff to earn credit through a wide range of professional learning events as part of the TSD Ed Tech Redefining Learning series. We know your time is valuable, and we want to give you options that support your goals, your schedule, and your curiosity.

TSD Ed Tech Redefining Learning Series

Why this matters

We designed this menu of learning to give you more flexibility in how you participate and earn credit. Whether you want to dip into a short AI activity, join a conversation with colleagues, or take on a longer study, you’ll find a pathway that works for you. Our professional learning theme this year is redefining learning, and each of these opportunities is designed with that vision in mind. They are not just checking a box for credit, but rethinking how technology, collaboration, and innovation can transform teaching and learning. We hope that these options encourage you to stay curious, connected, and growing throughout the year, while helping us collectively redefine learning for our students.

How it works

For each of the learning opportunities that you participate in through I.T.S., we’ll track your attendance and hours. At the end of the year, you’ll receive a certificate that summarizes the professional learning hours you’ve completed with our department. For hours that you are not paid, you can apply those hours toward TIC credit, and we can register you for the appropriate TIC level.  Then you’ll work with the Professional Development Team to finalize the paperwork and payment.

Highlights for This Year

• AI Discovery Choice Board: Explore artificial intelligence at your own pace with interactive activities that connect directly to classroom practice.
   
• Online Meetups: In these 1.5-hour sessions, you’ll get the latest district updates in educational technology, practical AI strategies, insights on digital citizenship and media literacy, ready-to-use slides for your site staff meeting, talking points about AI in TSD, and answers to your AI questions, all while collaborating with colleagues across the district.
   
• TeachMeet Mini-Conference: A two-hour opportunity featuring four fast-paced, 20-minute sessions focused on educational technology. Hear from colleagues, gather new ideas, and walk away with practical tools you can use right away.
   
• Technanigans: Our signature event returns this summer with a full day of learning, exploration, and hands-on sessions. With multiple strands that highlight AI, digital citizenship, innovation, and classroom-ready tools, this event is designed to inspire and equip you for the year ahead.

Looking ahead

This year’s professional learning menu is designed to give you choice and flexibility in meaningful opportunities to support your instructional journey. Whether you’re curious about AI, eager to try new ed tech tools, or looking to connect with colleagues, there is a pathway for you. We invite you to jump in, explore the opportunities that fit your goals, and be part of redefining learning in Thompson School District. If you have ideas for sessions or opportunities you’d like to see offered in the future, please reach out to our Ed Tech team. We’d love to hear from you.