Empower EDU

How do we build AI literacy with the youngest learners in our schools, and where do we even begin? This hands-on workshop introduces educators to the AI4K12 initiative's Five Big Ideas in AI, a research-based framework that makes AI concepts accessible and teachable across grade levels. Participants will explore how the framework applies specifically to K–5 learners and examine practical strategies for bringing it to life in everyday instruction. Through unplugged, screen-free activities and teacher-designed lesson examples, attendees will experience how AI literacy can be woven into existing subjects rather than treated as a separate add-on. Whether you teach reading, science, or math, or support teachers who do, this session will give you concrete tools and a clear starting point for developing AI understanding in your youngest students. Participants will leave with classroom-ready activities, a cross-curricular planning guide, and a working knowledge of the AI4K12 framework they can share with their teams.

Learn what a Micro-credential is and how it will benefit your teaching. I want to share my experience as a physical education teacher. As a non-core teacher, finding meaningful professional development can be difficult. Learn how micro-credentials give you agency in your learning, allowing you to focus on your areas of need. Micro-credentials move us from a one-size-fits-all approach to discovering where we can grow as teachers. I want to share what micro-credentials are not, for example, they're not a quick fix to fill your CEU needs. They require buy-in from teachers and, in turn, create lasting impact. Discover how micro-credentials have benefited me as a physical education teacher. Strategies that helped me discover which micro-credentials to complete, along with tips and tricks to be successful. If time allows, we will explore Digital Promise and how to successfully navigate the website. My goal is for teachers and stakeholders to understand the impact Micro-credentials have had on my teaching and the long-term benefits that other types of traditional professional development could not easily fulfill.

This presentation will begin with my experience with micro-credentials and self directed learning, and we will dive into learning about the implementation of the use of choice boards in the classroom. We will learn about what a choice board looks like, with a few examples provided, and we will create a choice board during the session! Come ready to learn more about student agency and why it is so important at any grade level and come ready to create a lesson that can be used in your classroom!

From Compliance to Self-Direction: Democratizing Learning for Agency, Mobility, and OpportunityThe U.S. learning ecosystem was largely designed for standardization, sequencing, and compliance—optimizing for scale in an industrial-era model of education. While this system expanded access, it positioned learners primarily as participants in predefined pathways rather than active agents in shaping their own learning journeys. Today, this model is increasingly misaligned with the rate of technological change and a labor market that demands adaptability, continuous skill development, and the ability to navigate complex career pathways.This session explores a paradigm shift from compliance-based learning to self-direction as a foundational design principle (Boyer, 2020). Drawing on the International Society for Self-Directed Learning’s definition (2020), self-direction is framed not as an individual trait, but as a system-enabled capacity—one that can be intentionally designed for and supported at scale.We examine how three critical enablers—personalized learning pathways, competency-based frameworks, and digital credentials—collectively provide levers for enhancing and cultivating environments that embrace self-directed learning. Personalization allows learning experiences to adapt to individual goals and contexts, in real time, with relevance and meaning; competency frameworks make skills explicit, measurable, and tied to mastery rather than seat time; and digital credentials (both degree and non-degree based) render those skills visible, portable, and actionable across education and employment systems.Together, these elements shift learning from static pathways to dynamic navigation, empowering individuals to make informed decisions about their education and careers. This transformation has significant implications for social mobility, enabling more equitable access to opportunity by equipping learners with the tools to understand, articulate, and leverage their skills in a rapidly evolving economy.Participants will leave with a conceptual framework for designing self-directed learning ecosystems and practical insights into how institutions, employers, and intermediaries can operationalize this shift.Additional citations and references available as required.