2026 GOCSD Innovation Summit

How can you teach students to communicate effectively while also making it relevant to the digital environment all around us? Podcasting! In this session, attendees will hear one teacher's experience bringing podcasting into her classroom and how it can be adapted for other ages or subjects. Participants will leave with materials to help them supply, plan, and teach podcasting in their own classroom.

This session provides practical strategies for addressing challenging behaviors in both special education and general education classrooms. The presentation incorporates insights from CPI, Autism Helper, and Conscious Discipline, along with classroom-tested approaches developed through years of experience. Attendees will also explore a visual schedule format that has been successfully implemented and adapted over the past decade to align with evolving curriculum demands and the integration of educational technology.

Get ready to rethink the power of manipulatives! This hands-on session will show how giving students the opportunity to physically touch, move, and build with math tools can spark deeper understanding than screen-based practice alone. While manipulatives are often associated with early primary grades, they can be game-changing for upper elementary students—especially those who have struggled to connect with math in the past. Participants will explore how to use manipulatives to connect mathematical concepts to real-world situations, helping students make sense of what they are learning through building, modeling, and proving their thinking. This approach moves beyond rote memorization and drill-based learning, empowering students to develop lasting conceptual understanding. Teachers will leave with ready-to-use strategies, engaging lesson ideas, and interactive games they can implement immediately. This session is ideal for educators teaching grades 2–5.

School-wide music video. Pickleball tournament. Community Car Shows. Building a marimba. Journaling. Mental Health Education. Senior projects can be more than a capstone—they can be a catalyst for real change. In our program, students identify something that would improve their lives, the school, or the community, then turn their research into action. This session will share how we structure student-led projects that move beyond compliance to authentic impact. Participants will learn practical frameworks for guiding inquiry, supporting project management, and assessing real-world learning so students can apply what they know in meaningful ways.