2026 Utah Rural Schools Conference

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.

WiFi: eduroam or SUU-Conference, password "summertimefun"

PLAN AHEAD - Tentative Future Conference Dates
July 7-9, 2027 - Price, UT
July 17-19, 2028 - Richfield, UT

arrow_back View All Dates

1:30pm MDT

Digital Citizenship and Safety: Preparing Students for a Digital World

Wednesday July 15, 2026 1:30pm - 2:30pm MDT

CC Red Hills Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Red Hills Room (200 Level)

Students today are growing up in a digital world filled with incredible opportunities and unique challenges. From social media and online predators to cyberbullying, AI, digital footprints, and excessive screen time, educators play a critical role in helping students develop the skills needed to navigate technology safely and responsibly.

This session will provide an overview of the most common online risks facing children and teens, current trends impacting student well-being, and practical strategies educators can use to promote healthy digital habits both in and out of the classroom. Participants will gain insight into how digital experiences affect student behavior, relationships, learning, and mental health, while exploring ways to foster critical thinking, online safety awareness, and positive digital citizenship.

Attendees will also be introduced to free, research-based resources that can support digital citizenship education, including materials from the Net Positive program. Resources available through BenetPositive.org offer ready-to-use lessons, parent engagement tools, and educational materials designed to help schools, families, and communities work together to create safer and more positive online experiences for students.

Whether you are a teacher, administrator, counselor, or youth-serving professional, this session will equip you with valuable tools, resources, and actionable ideas to help prepare students to be safe, responsible, and empowered digital citizens.

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: Not Applicable

Participants MAY FIND IT USEFUL to have one or more of the following platforms/devices during this session: Not Applicable

Speakers

Nicole Cherrington

Net Positive Director, Boys and Girls Clubs of Utah County

Nicole Cherrington is a Social Media Presenter with the Net Positive program, an initiative of the Boys & Girls Clubs dedicated to helping students build healthy relationships with technology. She has presented digital citizenship, online safety, and media literacy lessons to thousands... Read More →

Wednesday July 15, 2026 1:30pm - 2:30pm MDT
CC Red Hills Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Red Hills Room (200 Level) 351 W. University Blvd., Cedar City, UT 84720

Digital Citizenship & Media Literacy, Beginner - limited to no experience; no prerequisite skills required.

Session Format 1 hour traditional lecture/audience participation
Grade Level All Grade Levels
Audience Library Media Specialists, All of the above
Subject Area Media Literacy

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

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.

Session Format 1 hour BYOD (Bring Your Own Device): Hands-On-Activities
Grade Level All Grade Levels
Audience Teachers, Library Media Specialists, EdTech Coach / Digital Teaching & Learning Specialists
Subject Area Any Subject Area

1:30pm MDT

Sing It. Draw It. Learn It!

Wednesday July 15, 2026 1:30pm - 3:50pm MDT

GC 201 - General Classroom Building, Room 201

🧠 Format Alert: This is an immersive, 2-hour deep-dive workshop designed for intensive, uninterrupted coverage of this topic.

Discover engaging, practical strategies for integrating visual art and music into the elementary classroom to deepen student learning and creativity. This interactive session will explore hands-on activities, cross-curricular connections, and standards-aligned lessons that blend sound, color, movement, and expression. Participants will leave with ready-to-use ideas that foster collaboration, critical thinking, and joyful learning while supporting academic content across subjects. Perfect for K–5 educators looking to bring meaningful arts integration into their teaching practice.

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: None

Speakers

Liz Brown

BTS Arts Integration Coach, NUES - Northeastern Utah Educational Services

Liz Brown is a BTS Art Integration Coach for NUES. She was the 2025 Utah Art Educator of the Year for the National Art Education Association and the 2024 Art Educator of the Year for the Utah Art Education Association. She is passionate about arts integration and children getting... Read More →

Kim Montano

Beverley Taylor Sorenson Program Manager, Westminster University

Kim Montano has been teaching music for 20+ years, with experience in public school, private studio, university, and Montessori settings, and has a wide range of experience from preschools to drumlines. She currently works as the Program Director for Arts Education at Westminster... Read More →

Wednesday July 15, 2026 1:30pm - 3:50pm MDT
GC 201 - General Classroom Building, Room 201 152 South 300 West, Cedar City, UT 84720

Other, Beginner - limited to no experience; no prerequisite skills required.