McAllen ISD’s TECHnovate lets teachers explore tech in the classroom

As the school year approaches, many teachers will be getting ready by participating in TECHnovate, the annual conference which merges technology with classroom lessons.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of TECHnovate which will take place on Wednesday, August 6 from 7:30 am – 3:30 pm at McAllen High School (2021 La Vista Ave.) in McAllen.

At TECHnovate, teachers learn from each other and other experts. This is an all-day event for educators focused on creativity, social collaboration, engagement and the compelling ways schools integrate technology into their classrooms. Only a handful of such events occur each year across the nation. The first TECHnovate in McAllen ISD was in 2015.

This year, nearly 600 educators have signed up (from McAllen ISD and other school districts). There will be a whopping 96 sessions to choose from. Many are related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how this would be integrated into the classroom.

Some of the sessions include Virtual Reality in the Elementary Classroom; AI for Lesson Design; Planning, Teaching and Empowering with AI; and Welcome to the Gemini Experience.

“This year we’re celebrating our fearless teachers who’ve turned classrooms into launch pads of creativity and made learning an adventure for the digital age,” McAllen ISD’s Director for Library Services and Digital Learning Ann Vega said. Vega is also the event organizer.

This year’ keynote speaker will be Ms. Stevie Frank, a Technology Integration Specialist who has been published in articles and books and presented at many EdTech conferences. Also speaking will be Mr. Carl Hooker who has spent 25 years in education and is an expert on the integration of technology in schools. He consults for many school districts across the country and has presented at many state and national events.