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Welcome to URSA 2026 at Southern Utah University! All sessions will be in buildings on the upper campus (east end). Here’s the Campus Map (PDF) if needed. 
Subject: EdTech Coach / Digital Teaching & Learning Specialists clear filter
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Wednesday, July 15
 

1:30pm MDT

Craft Your Digital Teaching Assistant: Building Custom AI Assistants with Google Gemini Gems
Wednesday July 15, 2026 1:30pm - 2:30pm MDT
ED 202 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 202
Come discover how to move beyond basic prompting and start building your own specialized AI team. Using Google Gemini Gems, you will learn how to "program" custom AI assistants tailored to your specific classroom or administrative needs—no coding required. You'll also learn about an existing library of pre-made Gemini Gems you can easily copy and start using right away! Make sure to bring your own laptop or Chromebook to this session and leave with a personalized digital assistant ready to tackle your unique tasks.

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: Mac Laptop; Windows Laptop; Chromebook

Speakers
avatar for Rob Bentley

Rob Bentley

Instructor and Adobe Product Manager, UEN - Utah Education Network
Rob taught secondary Spanish and Language Arts for 6 years. For the last 19 years, he's been teaching teachers how to integrate technology effectively into their curriculum. During his time at UEN, he's presented at URSA,  UELMA, UCET, ISTE, FETC, UFLA, SUMS, and the CTE conferences... Read More →
Wednesday July 15, 2026 1:30pm - 2:30pm MDT
ED 202 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 202 351 W. University Blvd., Cedar City, UT 84720
  Educational Technology - including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Beginner - limited to no experience; no prerequisite skills required.

1:30pm MDT

Build the Ramp: AI Tools for Differentiation, Engagement, and Reporting in Rural Middle Level Classrooms
Wednesday July 15, 2026 1:30pm - 3:50pm MDT
GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106
💻 Format Alert: This is an extended, 2-hour hands-on session—please bring your own laptop or tablet to fully participate!

Rural middle level teachers are doing the impossible math every day: one classroom, five reading levels, thirty-two needs, and a planning period that disappeared somewhere around October. This session doesn't talk about AI — it puts it in your hands and lets you build something you'll actually use Monday morning.Bring your device (something with a keyboard and screen, make and model not important) and a real problem from your real classroom—the more specific, the better.The first 90 minutes: Choose your build based on your most urgent challenge.The Bridge Text — generate accessible, grade-level-rigorous versions of a complex text for every reader in your roomThe Narrative Hook — re-skin an existing assessment around your students' actual interests; same cognitive demand, different entry pointThe Lab Report Surgeon — isolate precisely where a student's scientific reasoning broke down and generate a targeted repair scaffoldThe Math Concept Bridge — reframe a word problem in a familiar context, then distinguish conceptual errors from procedural onesThe final 30 minutes: Everyone runs the Diagnostic Audit together — the highest-leverage practice in the room. Feed student work through a structured AI prompt and identify exactly where and why reasoning broke down. Surgical, same-day intervention for every student, regardless of subject.No new software. No budget required. No prior AI experience necessary. Skeptics especially welcome.You will leave with something you built, not something you were handed.

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: Mac Laptop; Windows Laptop; iPad / iPhone; Windows Tablet / Smartphone; Chromebook

Participants MAY FIND IT USEFUL to have one or more of the following platforms/devices during this session: Any of these
Speakers
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Wednesday July 15, 2026 1:30pm - 3:50pm MDT
GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106 351 W. University Blvd., Cedar City, UT 84720
  Educational Technology - including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Intermediate - basic core competency; some prerequisite skills required. |   Instructional Coaching, Intermediate - basic core competency; some prerequisite skills required.

2:50pm MDT

Want to make a Canvas Quiz in three minutes? You can.
Wednesday July 15, 2026 2:50pm - 3:50pm MDT
CC Yankee Meadows - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Yankee Meadows Room (100 Level)
Putting a few tools together, you can use AI and sites such as the New York Institute of Technology to help you create a a QTI file (which...five people have ever heard about) to drop it into Canvas and make a quiz in just a few minutes. I timed myself. Where was this when I was teaching for years?

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: None

Participants MAY FIND IT USEFUL to have one or more of the following platforms/devices during this session: Any of these
Speakers
avatar for Steve Weller

Steve Weller

Technology Coach, South Sanpete School District
An English teacher for 17 years at Ephraim Middle School and now a district tech trainer, Steve has seen a few things and learned a few tips and tricks along the way.
Wednesday July 15, 2026 2:50pm - 3:50pm MDT
CC Yankee Meadows - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Yankee Meadows Room (100 Level) 351 W. University Blvd., Cedar City, UT 84720
  Educational Technology - including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Beginner - limited to no experience; no prerequisite skills required.
 
From $50.00
2026 Utah Rural Schools Conference
From $50.00

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  • Assessment & Data Management
  • Break
  • Conference Info
  • Digital Citizenship & Media Literacy
  • Educational Technology - including Artificial Intelligence (AI)
  • Instructional Coaching
  • Keynote
  • Keynote Breakout Session
  • Leadership
  • Other
  • Presenter Workspace
  • Professional Learning Communities (PLCs & PLNs)
  • School-based Mental & Behavioral Health
  • Tech Support
  • Technology & AI
  • Utah Core Curriculum
  • Session Format
  • 1 hour BYOD (Bring Your Own Device): Hands-On-Activities
  • 1 hour traditional lecture/audience participation
  • 2 hour BYOD (Bring Your Own Device): Hands-On-Activities
  • 2 hour In-Depth exploration workshop
  • 2 hour Playground - hands on activities and discussions with various small groups during a 2-hour window
  • 2 Hour Poster Session - informal discussions with various small groups during a 2-hour window
  • 20 minute focus on specific solutions or tools (Over The Shoulder)
  • Break
  • Conference Info
  • Keynote
  • Keynote Speaker Session
  • Presenter Workspace
  • Tech Support
  • Grade Level
  • 3-4
  • 46085
  • 46148
  • 5-6
  • All Grade Levels
  • Elementary - grades K - 6
  • High School - grades 9 - 12
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  • Not Applicable
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  • All of the above
  • Conference Speakers
  • Counselors or School-based Ment
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  • Counselors or School-based Mental/Behavioral Health Professionals
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  • EdTech Coach/Digital Teaching & Learning Specialists
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  • ESL
  • Health and Physical Education
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  • Not Applicable
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