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Northern Quest is perfect for getting out of the busy city and into a luxurious space. Breakout rooms and a large expo hall are all in one place, making it easy for you to learn from your peers and see the latest technology!
Join us for this spectacular FREE event! Breakfast and lunch provided.
Present at TechFest 2024
Showcase how your work has had a transformative impact on technology integration in education. Your insights and innovations will be shared with and applied by educators and tech leaders across schools and districts.
TechFest 2024 Schedule
Show Schedule
08:30AM Breakfast & Check-In
09:00AM Opening Keynote - "The Power of Possible" - Mark Sparvell
10:30AM Morning Sessions
12:00PM Lunch & Exhibitors (Buffet)
01:00PM Exhibitors
01:30PM Afternoon Sessions
02:30PM Closing Keynote - "Technology Lessons Learned as a Mariners Fan" - Mark Vetter
03:00PM Social Hour
Session Schedule (At A Glance)
09:00 Orca Ballroom I Keynote: "The Power of Possible" - Mark Sparvell
10:30AM Chinook I Keynote Q&A
10:30AM Chinook II "Unencumbered by Experience - Growing You Tech Career in K12" - Kathi Etchemendy
10:30AM Chinook III "Cultivating Creativity in a Digital World" - Edward Alexander
10:30AM Chinook IV "The Power of the Prompt: Using Copilot to Support Your Work" - Becky Keene
11:30AM Chinook I “From Whiteboards to Touchscreens: A Journey of Interactive Panel Integration" - Leslie Snyder
11:30AM Chinook II "Code without Shadows: Illuminating AI Equity" - Jennifer Styer
11:30 Chinook III "Cybersecurity Basics for Educators: A Day in the Life of a Hacker" - Jon Woofter
01:30PM Chinook I "Lessons Learned for the Annual Tech Survey" - Bre Urness-Straight
01:30 Chinook II "Cybersecurity: Playing Whack-A-Mole or Intentional Work" - Mark Vetter & Jeff Hinkle
01:30 Chinook III "Optimizing AI Prompts to Enhance User Interaction" - Trinh Pham & Shannon Thissen, Ph.D.
01:30PM Orca Ballroom Round Table Discussions - District Leads
02:30PM Orca Ballroom I "Technology Lessons Learned as a Mariners Fan" - Mark Vetter
*session details below
Hotel Information
Wednesday and Thursday night bookings available*
Room Rate: From $129/night
Reservation cut-off date: September 26th
Check-in: 4:00PM
Check-out: 12:00PM
*Additional dates can be added on, attendees must call to make the reservation.
Keynote Speaker - Mark Sparvell, B.Ed, M.Ed.
Education Consultant at Microsoft
Mark Sparvell is an award winning education leader with over thirty years experience supporting transformation globally. Mark is particularly interested in how we leverage technology to humanize learning and not simply to digitize the curriculum content. Mark is a recognized expert in emotional intelligence, is an advisor to Goldie Hawn's MindUp Foundation, Free the Mind, and ambassador for the Emotional Intelligence Society. He founded and leads the SElinEdu community with over 30K educators. Mark is a Worldwide Director of Education marketing for Microsoft and had led work around Equity and AI. A frequent keynote speaker, influencer, podcaster and blogger, Mark is driven to ensure that ‘good news travels fast in education.
Keynote: "The Power of Possible"
In this practical, inspiring and energizing keynote, Mark will draw upon success stories and, share the root-cause-of-success, from AI Navigators’; schools and districts just like your own that are exploring the power of possible with Generative AI while navigating challenges and mitigating risk.
Breakout Sessions
Chinook II
10:30 AM
Unencumbered by Experience - Growing Your Tech Career in K12
Growing your career and life with knowledge transference >early career - getting started >Mid career - finding your niche >Late career - un-teaching experienced dogs new tricks
Chinook III
10:30 AM
Cultivating Creativity in a Digital World
Educational institutions, both K-12 and Higher Education, are continually asked to deliver engaging, professional, and high-quality content for our students, but are also hindered by dwindling funding and an audience that has their attention drawn to an endless number of other items. This presentation seeks to help both administrators and educators break both themselves and their teams out of a possible rut and become better equipped to generate creative solutions to budget issues, content delivery, and student engagement.
Chinook IV
10:30 AM
The Power of the Prompt: Using Copilot to Support Your Work
Learn how Microsoft's AI-powered assistant safely and securely supports all roles in education: teachers, administrators, office staff, and IT administrators. Tasks from providing student feedback to internal data analysis are more efficient and stay within the data protected environment. This session will empower attendees to optimize productivity, build processes, and enhance student engagement.
Chinook I
11:30 AM
From Whiteboards to Touchscreens: A Journey of Interactive Panel Integration
Join me for an enlightening session that traces the evolution of classroom technology from traditional whiteboards to cutting-edge touchscreens. This journey will explore the process of selecting interactive panels and the transformative impact they had on teaching and learning. Discover how these tools enhance student engagement, foster collaboration, and streamline lesson delivery. Whether you’re a tech novice or a seasoned educator, this session offers valuable insights and practical tips for integrating interactive panels into your educational environment. Don’t miss this opportunity to revolutionize your teaching methods and embrace the future of education!
Chinook II
11:30 AM
Code Without Shadows: Illuminating AI Equity
AI is here and tech educators need to get on board with how to address all of the equity issues. The last year of learning about AI has been a whirlwind. In December I went to the White House to speak about Inclusive AI education. We know AI is here to stay but we need to embrace that it is our responsibility to figure out how to use it.
Chinook III
11:30 AM
Cybersecurity Basics for Educators: A Day in the Life of a Hacker
Do things like data protection, privacy, and security leave you wondering why it is all important to you as an educator? Or are you trying to find ways to help educators in your school unravel these concepts? If so, join us for a session to help you work safely with digital tools protecting you, your school, and students.
Chinook IV
1:30 PM
What's New in EdTech: Top 10 Innovations for the 2024 Classroom
Get ready for a fast-paced, informative session that dives into the top 10 educational technologies shaping the future of the 2024 classroom. From immersive virtual learning environments to AI-driven personalized instruction, this session will showcase the latest tools and trends designed to enhance student engagement, improve learning outcomes, and streamline teaching workflows. Whether you’re an educator, administrator, or tech enthusiast, you’ll walk away with actionable insights on how to integrate these cutting-edge tools into your learning spaces. Discover what’s new, what’s next, and how these innovations are transforming education for both students and educators alike.
Chinook I
1:30 PM
Lessons Learned From the Annual Tech Survey
The OSPI Ed Tech Annual Technology Survey was revamped this year. This session will provide an overview of the state-wide responses, collective insights and an opportunity to discuss lessons learned with your fellow technology directors.
Chinook II
1:30 PM
Cybersecurity: Playing Whack-A-Mole or Intentional Work
Join us in building an actionable plan for reviewing and building upon your cybersecurity stance. Don't wait for the bad actors, build a plan to stay ahead of trouble.
Chinook III
1:30 PM
Optimizing AI Prompts to Enhance User Interactions
In this session, our objective is to empower educators with the skills and knowledge necessary to leverage AI prompt engineering effectively, thereby enhancing both learning and teaching experiences. We will navigate through a variety of prompts with differing complexities, explore case studies, and use practical tools for an immersive learning experience.
Chinook IV
1:30 PM
AI & The Future of Education
Discover how Google is harnessing its power to revolutionize the world of education. We'll delve into the fundamental principles of AI, explore Google's ethical and responsible approach to AI development, and showcase three groundbreaking generative AI products: Gemini, Gemini for Workspace, and Vertex AI.
Closing Keynote - Mark Vetter
"Technology Lessons Learned As a Mariners Fan"
In baseball and technology we have to learn to laugh at our challenges and enjoy our successes. As all Mariners fans know, there’s always next year!
Post-Show Social Hour
Wrap up TechFest with a relaxed social hour! A perfect chance to network and connect.
Previous Attendees
- Cataldo Catholic School
- Central Valley School District
- Cheney Public Schools
- Chewelah School District
- Coeur d'Alene School District
- Colville School District
- Cusick School District
- Davenport School District
- Deer Park School District
- East Valley School District
- Ephrata School District
- ESD 101
- Freeman School District
- Garfield-Palouse School District
- Genesee Joint School District 282
- Holy Family Catholic School
- Kendrick Joint School District 283
- Kennewick School District
- Mary Walker School District
- Mead School District
- Moses Lake School District
- Mt Adams School District
- NCESD 171
- NEWESD 101
- Newport School District
- Nine Mile Falls School District
- Omak School District
- Post Falls School District 273
- Pullman Public Schools
- Reardon Edwall School District
- Republic School District 309
- Soap Lake School District
- Spokane International Academy
- Spokane Public School
- Spokane School District 81
- Valley School District 070
- Walla Walla Public Schools
- Wapato School District
- Warden School District
- Wellpinit School District
- Wenatchee Valley Technical Skills Center
- West Valley School District
- White River School District
- Wilson Creek School District
- Yelm Community Schools
- And more...
Sponsors
Hotel Rooms
Thursday and Friday night bookings available
Reservation cutoff Date: Monday, March 24, 2025
Room Rate: Thursday, April 24th: $129 - Single or Double Occupancy
Friday, April 25th: $249 - Single or Double Occupancy
Guest room rates are subject to a $2.00 per room night Kalispel Tourism Fee (KTF), and 9.1% lodging fee. Room rates quoted are for single or double occupancy. Additional persons in the room (up to 4 persons) will be at the rate of $10.00 per person, per night. All taxes and fees are subject to change based on prevailing rates.
To make reservations, please call 1-877-871-6772
Request the MicroK12 TechFest rate and booking ID 31778 when booking.