Name: Your Custom AI Toolbox: Save Time by Building Reusable Gemini "Gems" - USBE + Google Sponsored Session
Start: 2026-07-16T15:10:00-0600
End: 2026-07-16T16:10:00-0600

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

Your Custom AI Toolbox: Save Time by Building Reusable Gemini "Gems" - USBE + Google Sponsored Session

Thursday July 16, 2026 3:10pm - 4:10pm MDT

ED 104 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 104

🎉 Get $200 for your classroom! Just attend any 3 of the 8 available USBE+Google sessions in ED 104 to qualify for a USBE-sponsored $200 DonorsChoose classroom credit! 📝🚀

Tired of copying and pasting the same long, detailed prompts into Gemini every day? Learn how to build your own saved, specialized AI assistants to handle repetitive tasks like lesson hooks, exit tickets, and differentiated reading levels in one click.

As a K-12 educator, your time is your most valuable resource. If you find yourself repeatedly typing the exact same instructions into an AI—like "Rewrite this at a 3rd-grade reading level" or "Create a 5-question quiz based on this text"—it's time to meet Gemini Gems. Think of Gems as custom, saved mini-assistants that remember your specific rules, classroom standards, and favorite teaching styles so you never have to start from scratch.

In this fun, practical session, we’ll show you how to build your own personal toolkit of Gems. We'll build a "Bell-Ringer Builder," a "Rubric Maker," and a "Parent Newsletter Editor." Best of all, we’ll look at how educators around the country are sharing these teacher-to-teacher so you don't have to reinvent the wheel. Note: We will also briefly cover how districts allowing student AI access can share Gems with middle and high schoolers to safely scaffold assignments—but the main focus is winning back hours of your own prep time!

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: Any web-enabled device is recommended.

Speakers

Chris McCaffrey

Google Certified Trainer & Coach, Google ~ Kiker Learning

Chris McCaffrey is a Google for Education Certified Trainer & Coach as well as the Coordinator of Innovation, while managing the virtual academy at Wilson School District in PA. Drawing from over 25 years in education—including experience as a school board director, adjunct professor... Read More →

Thursday July 16, 2026 3:10pm - 4:10pm MDT
ED 104 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 104 351 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
Subject Area Any Subject Area

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2026 Utah Rural Schools Conference

Chris McCaffrey

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2026 Utah Rural Schools Conference

Chris McCaffrey

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