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Elementary Technology Conference

Elementary Technology Conference (ETC) | Galveston, Texas | June 9-11, 2024
Elementary Technology Conference

ETC 2024: Sun, Fun, and Tech-Powered Learning for PreK-5 Educators

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

Summer is almost here and you know what that means: TCEA’s Elementary Technology Conference (ETC) is coming up! Located in Galveston, Texas, this conference allows PreK-5 educators (teachers, principals, librarians, and ed tech enthusiasts of all flavors) to go deeper in an engaging blend of sessions. These sessions combine solid pedagogy with meaningful technology integration and a dash of summer sun. Designed for anyone who works with PreK-5th grade students, ETC is a must-attend event with a summer feel and hands-on focus. Let’s take a look at some of the big reasons to sign up for this elementary-centered conference.

Session Variety

With over 100 sessions to attend at the Elementary Technology Conference, you will definitely find great resources that fit your PD needs and help you build even more amazement for next school year. You’ll see that ETC sessions target the following areas (and more!):

Technology Integration in the Classroom

  • Incorporate digital tools like Seesaw, Canva, and Google Workspace.
  • Create engaging student content through podcasting, digital storytelling, and app smashing.
  • Utilize robotics and coding tools like KIBO, Ozobot, and Scratch.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education

  • Explore integrating AI with lessons to teach coding, storytelling, and literacy skills.
  • Implement AI for personalized learning, vocabulary enhancement, and digital escape games.
  • Empower students and educators through MagicSchool, Gemini, and ChatGPT.

Pedagogical Strategies and Classroom Management

  • Apply blended learning and station rotations to structure classroom activities.
  • Design formative assessments with Seesaw, choice boards, and small group instruction.
  • Tailor feedback for diverse learners with CER, Agile lesson design, and differentiated instruction.

Curriculum and Content-Specific Learning

  • Develop engaging STEM and science lessons with digital project ideas and anchor charts.
  • Foster literacy skills through digital escape games, leveled readers, and interactive images.
  • Reinforce math concepts with stations, fractions, and digital math tools.

Creative and Hands-on Learning Approaches

  • Enhance storytelling, creative writing, and publishing through podcasts, FigJam, and stop-motion animation.
  • Gamify classroom learning for reading, social studies, and blended learning.
  • Blend art and technology with activities like emoji puzzles and digital citizenship.

Networking and Collaboration

An elementary educator speaks with an ETC exhibitor, asking questions about their product.

You’ll have opportunities to network with like-minded educators and exhibitors who will be showing off their products, tools, resources, and services at ETC. You might just find exactly what you need to solve that one issue that’s eluded you this year! While enjoying a delicious breakfast, lunch, or enticing snack, you can mingle and chat while exchanging ideas and strategies to double your takeaways. Comfy chairs are scattered around for those who want to group together and strategize, brainstorm, and share. And, if you are more of an introvert like me, you can always network via the TCEA app and the TCEA Community by joining one of the many groups offering extended conversations.

Innovative Approaches to Teaching

Colorful supplies sit on a black table in preparation for an ETC hands-on activity with Bee-Bots.

One of the many great things about ETC is that you will hear first-hand experiences from educators who are doing amazing things in their classrooms. They’ll be sharing their best practices, tips, and tricks for how to go further faster. Plus, ETC is a great time to formulate a back-to-school strategy for putting new ideas and resources in place, starting on day one of the new school year! Educators will also share real examples of how integrating technology enhances classroom engagement. And, you’ll hear about new instructional approaches that might be a perfect fit for you and your students. 

How to Sign Up for ETC

Two random ETC attendees take a break between sessions to play a friendly game of giant Jenga.

Besides leaving with beach hair and sand in your shoes, you will also have ideas to transform the way you teach. Think of collecting new strategies to share with your peers and additional activities to spice up your teaching and directly impact student success. 

So, what are your next steps? Here is a practical list that you can use to get you on the fast track to join us in Galveston this June:

  1. Check out the session listing and ETC exhibitors!
  2. Download the flyer and Letter of Support to share with your supervisor or administrator. These attendee resources offer reasons why ETC is a smart investment in you and your school.
  3. Register for ETC with a P.O. or using a credit card. Be sure to check out the pre-conference sessions! You’ll have the option to add one for just $39 when you register.  
  4. Pack your bags and prepare for relevant and impactful learning! And don’t forget your sunscreen, beach hat, and summer reading for those evening beach visits!

If you have any questions, contact us at registration@tcea.org, leave a comment below, or start a live chat! We look forward to having you join us for ETC— the summer conference of the year!

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Elementary Technology ConferenceProfessional Learning

Why Attend a Beachside Conference for Elementary Teachers?

by Emily Horn
written by Emily Horn

If you’re an elementary educator and you’ve not been to the Elementary Technology Conference (ETC), you’re missing out on a beachfront conference that’s the only one of its kind. But you’ve still got time to sign up for the lowest price. Early bird pricing ends at midnight on April 6!

Not only is it one of the most fun conferences around, but it’s also completely geared to elementary educators in any role (which is why it’s so fun, am I right?). It’s right off the beach in Galveston, Texas and, an attendee favorite perk, breakfast and lunch are included. But I digress. Let’s look deeper into what makes ETC is so popular.

Top-Notch Speakers and Quality Sessions

photographs of engaging ETC sessions with numerous educators in attendance.

Sessions are truly meant for elementary educators, so each one is applicable to you. And all our speakers understand why elementary is so unique! The Session Listing is posted, so go ahead and take a look at what’s offered. You’ll find sessions focused on:

  • Content areas like math, literacy, science, computational thinking/coding…
  • Skill-building for specific roles like coaches, librarians, administrators, teachers…
  • Technology tools and strategies to pair with subject areas to boost learning…
  • And more.

We’ve assembled a team of leading educators to speak and teach, providing you with guidance, tips and tricks, knowledge of useful tools, and insights into what’s worked for them. And you will be able to apply what you learn directly to your work.

Networking and Collaboration

four photos of teachers collaborating and networking at ETC

ETC also offers plenty of opportunities to meet new people. You’ll get the chance to interact with some of the friendliest and most supportive speakers around. You can mix and mingle with other ETC attendees during sessions and activities to brainstorm, idea swap, discuss sessions, and more. Since breakfast and lunch are provided, there’s extra time to chat over delicious meals in a casual and relaxed setting. Then, when the day is done, you can head to the beach with your new ETC friends to relax, unwind, and enjoy some fresh air and sunshine. There’s no bonding like beach-time bonding!

Fun in the Sun

Photograph of pleasure pier in Galveston, Texas
Pleasure Pier in Galveston, Texas

Speaking of beach-time bonding, you’ll have time to explore or relax in Galveston. Sure, it’s PD during the summer, but it’s not all work and no play! With 32 miles of beaches, you can kayak, surf, enjoy more than 500 species of birds, fish, and more – or lay back and read that new book in your beach chair. Plus, there are many options for dining, shopping, touring, and cruising in addition to fun attractions like museums and the historic Pleasure Pier.

Research on the Impact of Professional Development

All this sounds great, but what does the research say about the connection between professional development and student achievement? Does it really make an impact? Yes.

An article by Learning for Justice explains that one wave of research in the 1960s focused on teaching skills. The results showed that student acquisition of basic skills was minimally to moderately impacted. However, a second wave of research in the 1990s that focused more on student learning and content areas indicated that student achievement was “consistently higher,” showing growth in both basic and advanced skills.

“Extended opportunities to better understand student learning, curriculum materials and instruction, and subject-matter content can boost the performance of both teachers and students.”

Learning for Justice concludes that professional development directly – and positively – impacts student learning when it is focused on content, student thinking about the content, and aligns with actual work experiences.

Why not take the opportunity to attend quality sessions that positively impact your work AND relax at the beach? Join us June 11-13 in Galveston, Texas for the elementary educator event of the year! Hurry and register by midnight on April 6, for an early bird discount of $40 off!

Register Now!
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Elementary Technology ConferenceProfessional Learning

A One-of-a-Kind Conference for Elementary Educators

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

With the increasing demands for enhanced and interactive curriculum and the need to prepare students for online testing, effectively integrating the use of technology in the elementary grades is more important today than ever before. But what should that integration look like? How can teachers best use technology to foster greater student achievement and retention?

Four Ways Technology Boosts Learning

Research adapted from Cohen and Ball (1999) has identified four ways that technology can be used to accelerate student learning:

  • Provide more effective instruction through the use of prerecorded lessons.
  • Facilitate differentiated instruction through software that offers one-on-one tutoring or skills practice.
  • Offer more and expanded opportunities to practice critical skills.
  • Increase learner engagement through videos and games.

With these four goals in mind, the next step is to decide how to implement them. And that’s where the hard work really begins. How in the world is an elementary educator with limited time supposed to research the best ways to accomplish these goals?

How ETC Supports Elementary Educators

The good news is that TCEA is here to help with the Elementary Technology Conference (ETC), held June 11-13, 2023 in fabulous Galveston, TX. Workshops and sessions at this interactive and fun learning event will focus on giving you ways to integrate technology to boost learning, so you don’t have to spend time searching. And everything applies to you because this conference is just for elementary educators!

Jeannine Freeman, TCEA’s Partnerships and Events Manager, was an elementary digital learning coach prior to joining TCEA in 2022, and she’s been attending ETC since 2013. “My background is in primary education and to go to a conference where everyone speaks the same language I do gives me life!” she says. “The biggest benefit is a schedule full of sessions that speak directly to elementary educators. You can find something in every single session that will benefit you in your role and enhance your work.”

At ETC, experienced presenters offer ready-to-use lessons and resources that you can easily integrate into your teaching this fall, all while you enjoy the beach and fun of Galveston. The included continental breakfast, full lunch, and an afternoon snack make the learning even more delicious!

Sign up for one of the four deep-dive workshops and take your own learning to the next level:

  • Put the TEAM in STEAM (grades K-2)
  • Teach in Style: Elevate Your Materials with Canva (all grade levels)
  • How STAAR Librarians Support Teachers and Students (grades 3 and up)
  • Applying the Latest Research to Improve Instructional Coaching

Register today for just $259 before the price increases on April 7. There’s no better way to learn and grow than with TCEA!

Register for ETC!
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Announcements/Important DatesElementary Technology ConferenceProfessional Learning

ETC Is the Conference That Feels Like Summer

by Emily Horn
written by Emily Horn

It’s the end of April, which means we are getting close to the end of the school year. This is that time of year when, if we’re being honest, everyone is counting down the days to summer. Professional development is probably the last thing on any teacher’s mind at this point in the year. But at TCEA, we’re counting the days (There are 48 to be exact.) to our Elementary Technology Conference (ETC). ETC is one of the events we all look forward to, and this year, it’s back in person. So while you may be thinking more about summer than PD, let me convince you to think about– both!

What Is the Elementary Technology Conference (ETC)?

It’s a fantastic, fun, and relevant conference JUST for elementary educators. And it’s practically on the beach in Galveston, Texas. So basically, it’s professional learning that feels like summer fun. And it’s June 12-14.

ETC summer conference
Register NOW for Summer!

TCEA has been around for more than 40 years, and ETC has been a well-loved TCEA event since 2011. It all started because we wanted to create a conference that was exclusively catered to the unique work of elementary educators– because, well, there just weren’t a lot of elementary-specific professional learning opportunities out there. And we also wanted a conference relevant to elementary educators in any role. From librarians, classroom teachers, gifted and talented, special education, instructional coaches, administrators, classroom assistants, and interventionists, we’ve had every kind of educator represented at ETC. And we LOVE it.

Why Attend ETC?

There are many reasons to attend ETC. In fact, we’ve compiled a list of seven BIG benefits. Here they are in a nutshell:

  1. Save your vacation time! You won’t spend your valuable vacation searching the internet for ideas. You’ll get them handed to you at ETC.
  2. It’s teachin’ by day and beachin’ by night. The beach is just across the street. Bring your beach bag and head on over when your sessions are done. Summertime is guaranteed at ETC.
  3. Swim in self-confidence. Build skills and add to your collection of tools, methods, and strategies that WORK with elementary learners. There’s nothing like seeing good results.
  4. All sessions are relevant. I know I mentioned it before, but everything is curated for elementary. So no session you attend will be irrelevant. That’s good news, right?
  5. Meet your new BFF. You’ll have plenty of time for interaction during meals, hands-on sessions, and interactive activities (like a GooseChase). You’re bound to meet some new besties for sure.
  6. It’s a worry-free trip! You deserve to be spoiled. And this is the royal treatment. We get tons of positive feedback on the amazing hotels, food, and location. Leave your worries behind!
  7. Be ready for the new year. With all these benefits combined, you’ll be equipped with the resources, knowledge, energy, and good vibes for starting out the new school year.
Elementary Technology Conference

But here are the top benefits according to some fantastic presenters and attendees.

Peggy Reimers, Director of Professional Development (TCEA)

“All the content is really relevant for elementary educators. You also get a great breakfast and lunch, you’re pretty much right on the beach, and it’s a super easy conference to navigate. Basically, you don’t have to worry about anything!”

Jenalee (Jeni Long and Sallee Clark), Instructional Technologists with Eagle Mountain Saginaw ISD

“EVERY elementary educator needs to be at ETC because this conference was made for YOU! Sessions are designed to empower the elementary teacher to take learning to the next level. You’ll see how other educators are using ed tech in their elementary classrooms and be inspired to transform your lessons! See you there!”

Jeni and Sallee will be presenting a pre-conference workshop and several great ETC22 sessions. They’re fantastic. Don’t miss them!

Dr. Bruce Ellis, Director of Professional Development (TCEA)

“The learning is fun, everyone is full of energy, and practical ideas are freely shared. It’s common to even hear exciting conversations at lunch and in the hallway between folks from different districts sharing how they are going to use what they learned on their campus.”

Dr. Bruce Ellis is a must-see presenter. He will be presenting a pre-conference workshop and a few ETC22 sessions.

We hope to see you in Galveston this June 12-14 for a great time learning near the beach.

Register: Learn (but Don’t Sunburn!) at ETC
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