WA-ACTE 2026 Summer Conference

10:00am PDT

AI Empowered Presentations That Don’t Suck

Sunday August 2, 2026 10:00am - 10:45am PDT

Scott’s presentation guru, Garr Reynolds, stated it best at his site, presentationzen.com: “We are a storytelling animal. We are not a bullet-point-memorizing animal. We are wired to be attracted to story and to learn from them and to spread them.” “The best stories infuse wonder,” says Pixar’s Andrew Stanton. Come learn how to tell better stories, engage, and not enrage your students. Resources at Scott's website, https://scottleduc.org/2007/12/06/creating-presentations-that-dont-suck/

Speakers

Scott Le Duc

CTE Arts and Technology Teacher, Capital High School

I help students develop context-based learning grounded in student agency. What? I help students focus on the end in mind. What? Think problem-based learning. What? Try this … ask yourself, ‘what problem(s) are we trying to solve?’ Start with that, then build the learning... Read More →

Sunday August 2, 2026 10:00am - 10:45am PDT
Meeting Room #12 Second Floor Davenport Grand

Multiple Sections

11:00am PDT

Get Kids Hooked on The Right Drugs

Sunday August 2, 2026 11:00am - 11:45am PDT

Meeting Room #12

Learning should feel good, or better stated, gratifying. The stronger the emotional response, the better the retention of learning. Let’s take a look at what chemically happens in the brain when we struggle, succeed, and enjoy what we are doing. Resources at Scott's website, https://scottleduc.org/2017/08/07/get-kids-hook-on-the-right-drugs/

Speakers

Scott Le Duc

CTE Arts and Technology Teacher, Capital High School

Sunday August 2, 2026 11:00am - 11:45am PDT
Meeting Room #12 Second Floor Davenport Grand

Multiple Sections

1:00pm PDT

What happened to the 3rd R (Rigor)???

Sunday August 2, 2026 1:00pm - 1:45pm PDT

Meeting Room #12

Rigor seems to be the forgotten lost child of the 3 R's - and it's causing problems all the way up to lawsuits for districts not preparing kids. How can we bring this back *while* still maintaining equity? If we don't - why are we even bothering?

Speakers

Jim Flatmo

Teacher, AMES / Everett SD

Jim is a veteran game development teacher who also runs a development studio and the Advanced Media Entertainment Society: A nonprofit dedicated to increasing educational opportunities for media creator students. He believes that it's possible to engage students more by bringing the... Read More →

Sunday August 2, 2026 1:00pm - 1:45pm PDT
Meeting Room #12 Second Floor Davenport Grand

Multiple Sections

2:00pm PDT

Framing Failure to Facilitate Future Fruition

Sunday August 2, 2026 2:00pm - 2:45pm PDT

Meeting Room #12

We're observing a remarkable decrease in student resiliency - which has a cascade effect on future learning, college success and ultimately workplace/life success. How can we rebuild this critical foundational ability? In this session we'll learn how to turn the table and create a Culture of Failure in your classroom.

Speakers

Jim Flatmo

Teacher, AMES / Everett SD

Sunday August 2, 2026 2:00pm - 2:45pm PDT
Meeting Room #12 Second Floor Davenport Grand

Multiple Sections

3:00pm PDT

Stukent CTE - Courses, Simternships, Certification Prep, & Certifications

Sunday August 2, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm PDT

Meeting Room #12

Stukent CTE provides access to world-class courseware, simulations, cert prep, and certifications.
Business Content Areas: Business, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Finance, & Accounting
Agriculture Content Areas: Intro to Ag, AgBiz, Plant Science, Animal Science, Ag Mechanics, & Floral Design
Hospitality Content Areas: Principles of Hospitality and Tourism Management, & Culinary Arts
All CTE: Generative AI, Personal Finance, Career Readiness, & Public Speaking

Courseware (Learn): Standards-based, interactive curriculum with full-year courses. The courses include lessons based on standards, video content from a group of young, diverse professionals, formative & summative assessments, projects, discussions, & exams (auto-graded). The platform also includes a bellringer video resource based on current events and case studies.
Simternships (Simulate): Stukent CTE offers 15+ cutting-edge simulations, called Simternships, which give students hands-on learning, work-based experience, and robust application.
Cert Prep (Practice): The platform also aligns with third-party Cert Prep offerings from Certiport and iCEV.
Certifications (Certify): Stukent CTE offers 10+ Industry-Recognized Certifications that help teachers certify student understanding.

The Teacher Dashboard provides real-time measurement and monitoring tools, standards-based analytics, group management, tracking of student leader efficacy, and custom rubrics.
The platform is fully integrated with Google Classroom, Canvas, Schoology, and MS Teams.

Speakers

Conner Jones

Teacher Success Manager, Stukent CTE

Conner is a Teacher Success Manager at Stukent CTE. Prior to joining Stukent, he worked with startup founders at an accelerator program in Lexington, Kentucky, providing them with the resources they needed to succeed. Currently, Conner is passionate about nurturing a new generation... Read More →

Sunday August 2, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm PDT
Meeting Room #12 Second Floor Davenport Grand

Multiple Sections

1:00pm PDT

CTE Dual Credit Transformation & Alignment Initiatives

Monday August 3, 2026 1:00pm - 1:45pm PDT

Meeting Room #12

CTE Dual Credit is evolving across Washington State. Join leaders from K–12 and higher education to learn about current statewide efforts to strengthen consistency, improve student access, and streamline implementation. Participants will receive updates on emerging policy and practice, regional pilot initiatives, standardized processes and resources, and strategies for building high-quality CTE Dual Credit programs that expand opportunities for students.

Speakers

William Belden

WorkForce Education Policy Associate

My career has included more than thirty years of community college leadership experience, managing and coordinating higher education programs and services, including strategic planning, community partnerships, policy development, risk-analysis, compliance, and change leadership. I... Read More →

Kimberly Ingram

Workforce Education Program Administrator

Will Follow up

Tim McClain

Dual Credit Program Supervisor

Will follow up.

Sinead Fitzpatrick Plagge

Career Connect NW Director, NWESD 189

Will complete later.

Monday August 3, 2026 1:00pm - 1:45pm PDT
Meeting Room #12 Second Floor Davenport Grand

Multiple Sections

2:00pm PDT

CTE Dual Credit Transformation & Alignment Initiatives

Monday August 3, 2026 2:00pm - 2:45pm PDT

Meeting Room #12

Speakers

William Belden

WorkForce Education Policy Associate

Kimberly Ingram

Workforce Education Program Administrator

Will Follow up

Tim McClain

Dual Credit Program Supervisor

Will follow up.

Sinead Fitzpatrick Plagge

Career Connect NW Director, NWESD 189

Will complete later.

Monday August 3, 2026 2:00pm - 2:45pm PDT
Meeting Room #12 Second Floor Davenport Grand

Multiple Sections

9:00am PDT

AI That Thinks With Students, Not For Them

Tuesday August 4, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am PDT

Meeting Room #12

“AI That Thinks With Students, Not For Them” explores how educators can move beyond simple prompting and begin using AI as a true thinking partner in the learning process. This session focuses on building student voice, ownership, reflection, and deeper engagement through conversational AI practices that support learning rather than replace it. Participants will see real classroom examples from photography, business, and CTE programs where AI helps students brainstorm ideas, refine projects, personalize learning, overcome creative blocks, and document growth. The session introduces practical frameworks and prompting strategies that encourage critical thinking, curiosity, and collaboration between students and AI tools. Attendees will experience live demonstrations showing how AI conversations can adapt to student interests, learning needs, and creative goals while reducing teacher workload. Educators will leave with ready-to-use strategies, classroom workflows, and prompt structures that help students think more deeply, create more authentically, and take greater ownership of their learning.

Speakers

Paul Warrick

CTE Instructor, Clover Park School District

Paul J. Warrick is a CTE educator, media arts instructor, and department lead at Lakes High School in Washington State. With a background spanning education, manufacturing, software, and instructional technology, he specializes in helping educators use AI as a thinking partner to... Read More →

Tuesday August 4, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am PDT
Meeting Room #12 Second Floor Davenport Grand

Multiple Sections, Leadership

10:00am PDT

Chatting with Stacy: Build Your Own AI Assistant for Planning, Communication, and Classroom Workflow

Tuesday August 4, 2026 10:00am - 10:45am PDT

Meeting Room #12

Learn how to build your own AI assistant to support daily teaching tasks. In this hands-on session, participants will create a working assistant that helps with lesson planning, drafting emails, and generating student feedback. Walk away with ready-to-use prompts, clear workflows, and a practical tool you can use immediately to save time and improve communication in your classroom.

Speakers

Paul Warrick

CTE Instructor, Clover Park School District

Tuesday August 4, 2026 10:00am - 10:45am PDT
Meeting Room #12 Second Floor Davenport Grand

Multiple Sections

11:00am PDT

From Light to Image: Build and Use a Digital Pinhole Camera in Your Classroom

Tuesday August 4, 2026 11:00am - 11:45am PDT

Meeting Room #12

Engage in a hands-on session where you build a working pinhole camera designed for use with a smartphone to capture images. Learn how to guide students through light, exposure, and image creation using simple materials. Participants will leave with a completed camera, a ready-to-use lesson plan, and strategies to implement this project across multiple subject areas.

Speakers

Paul Warrick

CTE Instructor, Clover Park School District

Tuesday August 4, 2026 11:00am - 11:45am PDT
Meeting Room #12 Second Floor Davenport Grand

WE-BAM, STEM

2:00pm PDT

Getting to Know Your Students and Their WHY: With the Help of AI

Tuesday August 4, 2026 2:00pm - 2:45pm PDT

Meeting Room #12

Help students go from apathy to passion. Help students identify their WHY to give PURPOSE to their WHAT. “When you know your WHY, your WHAT becomes more impactful because you’re walking towards or in your PURPOSE.” – Michael Jr. This content especially helps in project-based learning, where students need to know what they are doing and how to do it. Use AI tools to engage students efficiently and effectively and help them build their own learning experience. Essentially, do what Eric Belgau, one of our advisory members, stated best: “Know your lane, stay in it and drive fast.” Resources at Scott's website: https://scottleduc.org/2023/10/26/getting-to-know-your-students-student-personality-cards/

Speakers

Scott Le Duc

CTE Arts and Technology Teacher, Capital High School

Tuesday August 4, 2026 2:00pm - 2:45pm PDT
Meeting Room #12 Second Floor Davenport Grand

Multiple Sections

9:00am PDT

Redesigning Career Connected Learning: Moving from Programs to Systems

Wednesday August 5, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am PDT

Meeting Room #12

Career-connected learning often exists across strong but disconnected efforts between K–12, postsecondary, and industry. This session explores how districts and partners can reduce fragmentation by aligning career exploration, classroom learning, and work-based experiences. Participants will examine strategies for onboarding industry partners, strengthening collaboration across systems, and creating clearer pathways that connect education to meaningful workforce opportunities.

Speakers

Jim Kindle

CCL Coordinator, ESD 123

Jim Kindle is the Chief Innovation Officer and Founder of Why3Works Education & Workforce Consultants, where he helps education, workforce, industry, and community partners design sustainable systems that connect learners to meaningful career pathways. His work focuses on aligning... Read More →

Wednesday August 5, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am PDT
Meeting Room #12 Second Floor Davenport Grand

Multiple Sections

10:00am PDT

Expanding Opportunity: Ensuring All Students Access Career-Connected Learning

Wednesday August 5, 2026 10:00am - 10:45am PDT

Meeting Room #12

Access to career-connected learning opportunities can shape students’ engagement, confidence, and future pathways. This session explores strategies for expanding equitable access to career exploration, CTE programs, and work-based learning experiences. Participants will examine how K–12 schools, postsecondary partners, and industry can collaborate to ensure all students—regardless of background or location—can develop professional skills, academic knowledge, and technical competencies connected to real career opportunities.

Speakers

Jim Kindle

CCL Coordinator, ESD 123

Wednesday August 5, 2026 10:00am - 10:45am PDT
Meeting Room #12 Second Floor Davenport Grand

Multiple Sections

11:00am PDT

What Got Me Here: Using Career Stories to Strengthen Mentorship

Wednesday August 5, 2026 11:00am - 11:45am PDT

Meeting Room #12

Career paths are rarely linear. Mentors, experiences, and unexpected opportunities often shape the journey. This session invites participants to reflect on the stories behind their own careers and explore how those insights can support mentorship and student engagement. Participants will examine how storytelling can help students connect interests, skills, and experiences to potential career pathways.

Speakers