What I learned in three weeks of keynotes and conferences
I had a whirlwind three weeks for my work at i2e, and I felt a bit overwhelmed trying to capture it all in a series of posts to all the different social media platforms. Then I started thinking about potential topics for my blog, and this one came to mind.
Journey with me from March 22 to April 10, 2025: 6 events, 6 plane rides, 6 badges, and a lot of reflection along the way.
1. AI Empowered Summit
March 22: I was honored to keynote the AI Empowered Summit for educators in Washington and Oregon. Ten team members from i2e were onsite to facilitate workshop sessions, and it was an absolute blast to have so many of us together.
“The keynote message was excellent. She had a marvelous flow with great use of real-life examples that simplify what could be a complex topic. Inspiring!”
In my keynote, I referenced another keynote that I gave in Brussels just a few weeks before ChatGPT launched globally. I don’t consider myself a futurist, so I was shocked to realize the predictions I made at that event in late 2022 came true. I also talk about InstantPots. You had to be there. (Or, invite me!)
Big idea: Educators will give up their Saturday and drive to learn. Some sponsors support from afar—but don’t show up. That difference matters.
2. University of Texas – Austin
March 25-26: Nathan Wells and I flew to Austin and delivered two days of Copilot workshops for hundreds of staff at UT. Ahem. Nathan delivered two days of workshops.
“Each session feels like bite-sized pieces of information so it’s not so overwhelming. Easy to follow, tons of support and very interactive.”
Big idea: Always be prepared—whether it’s leading workshops or fighting pollen. (Also: shout out to teammates who can carry the load when you’ve lost your voice from coughing.)
3. Skills USA Video Game Competition
March 28: I was invited to judge the Washington state finals for Skills USA’s game and interactive app design again. I really enjoyed it last year, and this year was just as wonderful. The students work so hard on their projects, and there is an amazing range of games. We get to play each one, spend time with the teams, and score them on a rubric.
“Our teacher paired us up, but then we realized that we were going to be great partners because we’re each good at different things.”
Many of the students work in teams with people they weren’t friends with before the project – but they had an idea, so they recruited people with different skill sets to help. A team might have a coder, an artist, and an editor. At the end of the project, they’re speaking like business partners.
Big idea: Find something you’re passionate about, and people who can complement your skills and support your journey.
4. CoSN Conference
March 30 – April 2: I attended and presented at the CoSN Conference in Seattle. I’ve never attended CoSN, and I thought it was a great event for school leaders, IT professionals in education, and instructional technology roles. I got to attend a tiny bit of Ken Shelton’s techquity workshop and share about AI in Action in the playground.
The Women in Tech Networking Summit was outstanding. It was great to be surrounded by 200 other women in the same field. We practiced using strategies from the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance initiative and learned how to be an echo for other women in leadership roles. And I think this is where I noticed a trend for this and the next two events: women standing out in technology and AI, surfacing boldly and consistently.
Big idea: Be the type of person who will stand up for others, even and most especially when they’re not in the room.
5. ASU+GSV The Show
April 5-7: I attended the ASU+GSV AI Revolution show in San Diego. Highs include meals with women who inspire, support, and advocate for best practices in education. Lows include poor audio in the session rooms, repetitive apps on the show floor, and a lack of decent food nearby.
Vendor: “What’s the biggest concern you hear from schools you support, about bringing AI into their classrooms?”
Me: “Data privacy.”
Vendor: “Really? We never hear that.”
Me:
I enjoyed learning about Human2Human.ai, and I think it has interesting potential in higher education. I talked to many presenters at the Learning Fair, and was really impressed with a student-created video game that teaches about AI, called Jumper. I came home and tested a math app called Smart School, which had cool potential, but it failed miserably at coaching me through a geometry problem (currently still arguing with the chat bot whether the pyramid has a square base or not – it doesn’t) so I’m going to shelf it for now. Likely it’s best for algebra.
Big idea: True innovation is rare right now. Most apps wrap the same GPT-powered tech in flashier dashboards. Expect companies like Microsoft, Google, Canva, OpenAI, and Anthropic to drive the major changes that smaller companies will build on.
6. Canva Create
April 9-10: I went home for a day, then flew back to Los Angeles for Canva’s biggest and only annual event. i2e is a Canva for Education partner, and it’s a fabulous event. We kicked off Wednesday night with an educator happy hour followed by a creator community meet up. Thursday was a full day of Canva awesomeness, including phenomenal updates, excellent speakers, and colorful playfulness everywhere. It is truly like no other event I’ve ever attended.
Educator: “Did you see teachers can make games now, in Canva AI?”
Me: “Students. Students can make games in Canva AI.”
I jumped in the Dive into Data pool with my friend Sabba, attended an educator feedback session, met with Canva team members, enjoyed the sunshine, and got incredibly excited about the potential of the new tools for education.
I came home and tested the same prompt in Claude and Canva AI side by side. Since Canva is using Anthropic, I figured the results would be fairly similar. Nope! Canva AI took longer to generate a simulation, but the results were better – clearer, more detailed, more colorful. And I pay for Claude. I’ve been showing off how to make interactives for students for a while now, and I may have to switch platforms. I’ll be testing this out more for sure.
The biggest part of Canva Create is granting wishes. They have an entire team dedicated to making customer dreams a reality, and they are crystal clear in communicating how they’ve delivered on those ideas. It’s wonderful to watch.
Big idea: Listen to your customers. Make action plans based on their needs. Follow up with completion. Tell them the story. Win hearts.
(Have you ever wondered what i2e stands for? It’s insight to execution… as in, listen, plan, act. Got it!)
What’s next?
I’m headed back to Texas at least five times in May and June. Oh, and I’m sneaking in a quick trip to Santa Barbara in June as well. There’s a third LinkedIn course on the way, and this one explores the journey from facilitator to mentor.
I can’t wait for ISTE Live in San Antonio. I was selected as an Ignite speaker this year, plus I have three sessions, an exploratory lab, a poster session, and a playground. Come find me if you’re in town – it’s going to be an exciting week!