Fort Lauderdale Campus
Sign in at the registration desk and collect your resource bag for the event. The conference organizers (Dr. Lisa Ockerman, Vice President of Academics and Strategic Initiatives; Jessie Metzger, Executive Director of Educational and Technology Design and Upper School Dean of Faculty Services; and Dr. Wendy Swanson, Director of Faculty Learning and Recruitment Coordinator) will provide a welcome presentation and overview of Day 1 events for the Innovation Institute.
Artificial Intelligence is not just the next big technology; it is the defining force that will shape the lives, careers, and communities of today’s students. For Generation Alpha, the first cohort to grow up never knowing a world without AI, this transformation will redefine education, work, and family life.
In this keynote, Matt Britton, author of Generation AI, will unpack:
- The Student Experience: How AI will replace rote memorization with personalized learning and creativity-driven education, while also creating new challenges like shorter attention spans and rising mental health concerns.
- The Educator’s Role: Why teachers will evolve from knowledge providers to mentors and critical thinking coaches in an AI-enabled classroom.
- The Parent Perspective: How to guide children in a world where AI shapes their social, political, and cultural environments from birth.
- The World Ahead: What families and schools must do to ensure AI enhances, not diminishes, human potential in the decades to come.
Many teachers lose valuable time on routine tasks—writing feedback, summarizing parent emails, or generating starter questions—that AI can easily streamline. Google Gems, custom AI assistants within Gemini, capture detailed instructions and workflows as reusable, shareable chatbots. In this 90-minute hands-on workshop, participants progress from exploring Gemini to practicing precise prompting and ultimately build their own Gem—a personal expert agent ready to plan lessons, draft communications, create quizzes, and handle everyday classroom workflows.
(Repeated Day 2 Session 5A)
Step into The Factory Experience — Participants will brainstorm and prototype forward-thinking lessons, engaging in a hands-on build using components produced with laser cutters, 3D printers, and CNC machines. This creative challenge will demonstrate how digital fabrication tools can bring student ideas to life and be integrated into any curriculum. Join us for a dynamic, design-centered experience that merges imagination, technology, and teaching for the learners of tomorrow.
In this interactive session, teachers will explore the fascinating architectural principle of tensegrity through a blend of history, theory, and hands-on construction. Participants will learn about the origins of tensegrity, its unique balance of tension and compression, and its applications in modern design and engineering. Using essential woodworking tools such as a saw, ruler, drill, and a doweling jig, teachers will develop practical skills by measuring, cutting, drilling, and assembling a wooden desktop tensegrity model with dowel pins, wood glue, and string. This workshop not only reinforces structural concepts but also empowers educators with engaging strategies and tactile experiences to bring complex STEM principles to life in their own classrooms.
.jpeg?width=90&height=90&length=90&name=unnamed%20(4).jpeg)
This session provides lower school educators with a practical framework and toolbox of hands-on activities to teach foundational Artificial Intelligence (AI) concepts. Teachers will leave with ready-made lessons that support two key aspects of student AI usage in lower school classrooms: understanding how AI works and using AI tools within the classroom.
(Repeated Day 2 Session 5)
.png?width=90&height=90&length=90&name=Erik%20Swanson%20Photo%20(1).png)
Explore practical strategies for integrating AI into classroom makerspaces with minimal preparation. Participants will leave with ready-to-implement, grade-appropriate project templates that foster creativity, engagement, and hands-on learning.
Students learn to code much like they learn to read and write, do math, draw, and play musical instruments. In this hands-on workshop, participants will explore coding with .p5, a simple computer language based on JavaScript. The software .p5 was created for artists and musicians to create interactive experiences. Participants will use a set of tools to improvise with code in a “live” setting - where small code changes can immediately transform the results even when the program is currently running. In this fun and challenging workshop, we will use .p5 to experiment, create and perform for each other.
.jpeg?width=90&height=90&length=90&name=Kris%20Swanson%202%20(1).jpeg)
What if your students' stories could leap right off the page? Dive into the future of literacy and computer science as we transform classic storytelling into a hands-on, digital adventure! In this session, you'll discover how to merge the physical world of robotics with the magic of Augmented Reality (AR) to create lessons that will captivate your youngest learners. Get ready to design, code, and bring a story to life in a way you've never seen before.
.jpeg?width=90&height=90&length=90&name=Afiha%20Waite%20(1).jpeg)
Are your science labs feeling more like recipes than revelations? This session is designed for educators ready to shift from step-by-step “cookbook” experiments to dynamic, student-driven inquiry. Participants will explore practical strategies to redesign lab activities that foster curiosity, critical thinking, and authentic scientific exploration.
.jpeg?width=90&height=90&length=90&name=unnamed%20(2).jpeg)
During this session, attendees will learn about Pine Crest School's commitment to social entrepreneurship, reflecting our mission to foster entrepreneurial thinking with a strong emphasis on global collaboration and impact. Attendees will learn about Pine Crest School’s pre-kindergarten through grade twelve social entrepreneurship curriculum. They will learn best practices for fostering intentional communities and collaborative teams among adults, essential for building life-impacting student experiences and programming. Most importantly, participants will hear from students enrolled in the three-year Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship Program as they describe their paths toward creating positive social change.
Explore creative coding using the Turtle library in Python. Attendees will learn how to use age-appropriate AI tools to create stunning designs. The Turtle library is an excellent tool for understanding fundamental programming concepts and visualizing code execution, particularly for those learning to code. Everyone, from beginners to experienced coders, can join in the experience in this hands-on session.
.jpg?width=90&height=90&length=90&name=Myrielle%20Badio%20(2).jpg)
Shift your students from tech consumers to creative problem-solvers. This session offers a look into how our PreK-5 teachers connect computer science with our iLab's engineering process. Attendees will explore and learn how to implement our favorite integrated projects, such as Minecraft and Hummingbird Kits. Participants will walk away with actionable ideas, a fresh perspective on student-led projects, and a mini-project of their own.
(Repeated Day 2 Session 5)
Learning dimensions help assess and document learning by focusing on the holistic development of skills, knowledge, and group collaboration. This hands-on session begins with a set of team challenges for attendees to experience project-based learning in the classroom setting. The presenters will model effective teacher behavior and language to support learning during group work. Strategies for assessing projects and challenges using learning dimensions as a rubric for reflection on the teaching and learning processes.
Learn about the insights into the intentional decisions that have shaped our future-ready learning spaces in response to the evolving educational landscape. The presenters will share how their teaching environments have transformed over time. Attendees will leave with tips and advice on designing and transforming learning spaces, regardless of where your school is in the process of creating spaces for the new era of education.
.jpg?width=90&height=90&length=90&name=Jordanna%20Court%202%20(1).jpg)
Boca Raton Campus
The conference organizers (Dr. Lisa Ockerman, Vice President of Academics and Strategic Initiatives, Mrs. Jessie Metzger, Director of Educational Design and Technology and Upper School Dean of Faculty Services, and Dr. Wendy Swanson, Director of Faculty Learning and Recruitment) will provide a welcome presentation and overview of Day 2 events for the Innovation Institute.
In an age of rapid technological shifts and evolving student needs, educators face a critical challenge: how to remain relevant in a world that often feels increasingly disconnected from traditional models of teaching and learning. This INSPIRE session explores what it means to be an educator in today’s world, where relevance is not just about curriculum alignment, but about adaptability, resilience and personal reinvention.
Participants will engage in a thought-provoking dialogue about:
- Honoring the foundation of education while embracing the possibilities of the future
- Strategies for adapting curriculum to meet the needs of a new generation
- How educators can reimagine their own professional identity to stay connected, impactful, and inspired.
- Navigating the risks of irrelevance in a time when forces outside the classroom are redefining education.
.jpeg?width=90&height=90&length=90&name=Wendy%20Swanson%20(1).jpeg)
How can we empower students to explore, understand, and protect ecosystems to inspire environmental stewardship? This interactive session highlights how fifth-grade students combined hands-on fieldwork with FlinkK12 AI tools such as image recognition, sound classification, and digital modeling to investigate habitats, track species, and model environmental changes. The case study features Florida’s Everglades, coral reefs, and red tide. This work can be easily scaffolded, from guided exploration for younger learners to more independent, research-driven inquiry for older students. Participants will experience a hands-on design sprint, ideate AI-powered solutions, prototype projects, and share insights.
This hands-on session will equip educators with practical strategies for teaching students how to become analytical users of generative AI across various subject areas. Attendees will explore essential AI Literacy skills, including prompt engineering and critical analysis, to help students move from passive consumption to active collaboration. Some key concepts covered will include algorithmic bias analysis, data synthesis, and the ethical use of AI. Participants will leave with lesson ideas designed to empower students to leverage AI as a sophisticated research and thinking partner, developing crucial critical thinking and discernment skills for the new era of education.
During this session, attendees will connect computational thinking and robotics to the curriculum in elementary grades. Participants will receive a one-on-one consultation with experts on tool choices, have time to play with various devices, and interact collaboratively with other educators. Samples will include Intelino Smart Train, Pixel Art Sponge Cubes, Pixel Art Magnet Cubes, Sphero Indi, and more at our interactive testing table. Attendees will leave with the feeling that there are “doable” creative coding projects available at the elementary level.
Many teachers lose valuable time on routine tasks—writing feedback, summarizing parent emails, or generating starter questions—that AI can easily streamline. Google Gems, custom AI assistants within Gemini, capture detailed instructions and workflows as reusable, shareable chatbots. In this hands-on session, participants progress from exploring Gemini to practicing precise prompting and ultimately build their own Gem—a personal expert agent ready to plan lessons, draft communications, create quizzes, and handle everyday classroom workflows.
(Repeated Day 1 Session 1)
This session provides Lower School educators with a practical framework and toolbox of hands-on activities to teach foundational Artificial Intelligence (AI) concepts. Attendees will leave with ready-made lessons that support two key aspects of student AI usage in lower school classrooms: understanding how AI works and using AI tools within the classroom.
(Repeated Day 1 Session 1)
Shift your students from tech consumers to creative problem-solvers. This session offers a look into how our pre-kindergarten through grade 5 teachers connect computer science with our iLab's engineering process. Attendees will explore and learn how to implement our favorite integrated projects, such as Minecraft and Hummingbird Kits. Walk away with actionable ideas, a fresh perspective on student-led projects, and a mini-project of your own.
(Repeated Day 1 Session 3)
Dive into the exciting world of artificial intelligence (AI) and electronics! In this hands-on session, participants will explore how AI tools can help brainstorm and design simple electronics projects. From generating basic circuits to step-by-step builds, participants will learn how to combine digital creativity with real-world tinkering to bring their electronics projects to life.
Immersive technology offers interactive and immersive three-dimensional environments that extend learning beyond the physical classroom to engage students in an unprecedented way. During this session, participants will discover how the cutting-edge technology of Virtual Reality (VR) can seamlessly integrate into various subject areas to enhance student learning and engagement. Attendees will hear about our successes and challenges when implementing VR integration school-wide. During the hands-on workshop, participants will:
- Explore the VR tools and platform.
- Discuss best practices for integrating VR into lesson plans.
- Learn real examples of VR applications used for an array of learning subjects.
Get ready to take off with "Flight Club," a high-energy session where we explore how drones are changing the world and how you can use them to bring learning to life in the classroom! We'll start with the basics of aerodynamics and programming, teaching you the foundational STEM skills needed to safely fly and navigate a drone. Then, we'll put your knowledge to the test by tackling real-world challenges, using a flight simulator, designing a drone delivery route, or capturing aerial photography. This hands-on workshop is perfect for curious minds eager to blend engineering, coding, and problem-solving while having a blast flying the coolest gadgets in education.
Wrap up learning at the institute with an interactive reflection closing session. Attendees will reflect on their conference experience and make plans to take the learning back to their school communities. Learn how you and your colleagues can partner with Pine Crest neXt to support your school’s innovative initiatives with unique in-person professional development offerings, online learning, and consulting services. Make plans to continue learning with Pine Crest School as you think about “What’s neXt?”
