2025 Utah Rural Schools Conference: Full Schedule

Welcome to URSA 2025 at Park City High School!

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9:45am MDT

How to Solve the AI Plagiarism Problem: Process over Product

Friday July 11, 2025 9:45am - 10:45am MDT

ChatGPT spawned the massive issue of "AI plagiarism." Research shows 44% of secondary students are likely to use AI to do their schoolwork instead of doing it themselves. AI detectors fail to reliably catch this problem. What to do? Assess writing as a process, not just the paper! Scrible prevents AI plagiarism by making the entire writing process visible to teachers. It does for writing what we've always asked students to do in math - show your work. Come learn how this pedagogically sound approach - “process over product” - safeguards authentic learning and academic integrity.

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

Emily Shank

Exhibitor Partner, Scrible

Shilpa has over 20 years of experience in education as a teacher, school leader, leadership coach, and a customer success leader in edtech startups. Shilpa met Victor Karkar, CEO and co-founder of Scrible, and helped pilot early versions of Scrible in her classes! She is now the Head... Read More →

AI Plagiarism Process over Product (URSA) pdf

Friday July 11, 2025 9:45am - 10:45am MDT
Room #233 1759 Kearns Blvd, Park City, UT 84060

1 hour traditional lecture/audience participation, Beginner - limited to no experience; no prerequisite skills required.

Learning Strand or Track Educational Technology, Leadership, Instructional Coaching, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs & PLNs), Digital Citizenship & Media Literacy
Subject Area Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, World Languages, Special Education
Audience All of the above
Grade Level Middle School / Jr. High - grades 6 - 8, High School - grades 9 - 12

9:45am MDT

Nearpod 2.0: Renaissance Next Connection

Friday July 11, 2025 9:45am - 10:45am MDT

Room #244

Discover the transformative potential of Nearpod's integration with Renaissance Next. This presentation explores how these powerful educational platforms combine to create a seamless learning ecosystem that enhances student engagement, provides real-time assessment data, and personalizes instruction. Learn how this integration empowers educators to deliver dynamic content while tracking growth through Renaissance's robust analytics—bringing together the best of interactive teaching and data-driven instruction for today's digital classroom.

Session repeats Session 8 in this same room on Friday morning, as well as Thursday at 1:40 pm in Room #244.

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: No

Speakers

Faith Smith

National Academic Advisor, Renaissance

Renaissance is a global leader in assessment, reading, math, early literacy, and data-driven solutions for pre-K–12 schools and districts. We are committed to providing teacher-facilitated instructional delivery with resources to help students build a strong foundation for succ... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 9:45am - 10:45am MDT
Room #244 1766 Kearns Blvd, Park City, UT 84060

1 hour traditional lecture/audience participation, Beginner - limited to no experience; no prerequisite skills required.

Learning Strand or Track Educational Technology, Assessment & Data Management
Subject Area Not Applicable
Audience All of the above
Grade Level All Grade Levels, Elementary - grades K - 6, Middle School / Jr. High - grades 6 - 8, High School - grades 9 - 12

11:00am MDT

Pedagogy First: Guiding Principles for Using AI to Empower Students

Friday July 11, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT

Room #137

Learn how to utilize AI in your classroom in ways that go beyond hype and truly foster deep learning. In this session, we’ll briefly review the underlying mechanics of large language models before proposing four guiding principles to help you implement AI strategically in your classroom: task alignment, cognitive awareness, digital literacy, and human-centeredness. Using these principles as a lens, we’ll workshop classroom scenarios and discuss the ways artificial intelligence can support and empower our students when implemented strategically.

NOTE: This session repeats on Thursday, July 10at 9:45 am in Room 244.

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: Mac Laptop, Windows Laptop, Android Tablet / Smartphone, iPad / iPhone, Windows Tablet / Smartphone, Chromebook

Speakers

Nicole Johnson

Academic Advisor & Content Specialist, UEN - Utah Education Network

Nicole is an educational technology specialist who equips school counselors with the tools they need to implement comprehensive school counseling programs and increase equitable student outcomes through technology. She also provides academic planning and advising for teachers looking... Read More →

Braxton Thornley

Senior Technology Trainer, Utah Education Network

Braxton specializes in using technology to personalize learning and utilizing artificial intelligence to promote student success. Before joining UEN’s professional development team, Braxton worked as a high school language arts teacher and digital learning coach in Jordan School... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Room #137 1750 Kearns Blvd, Park City, UT 84060

1 hour BYOD (Bring Your Own Device): Hands-On-Activities, Beginner - limited to no experience; no prerequisite skills required.

Learning Strand or Track Educational Technology
Subject Area Not Applicable, Other
Audience Teachers, EdTech Coach/Digital Teaching & Learning Specialists, Instructional Coaches
Grade Level 3 - 4, 5 - 6, Middle School / Jr. High - grades 6 - 8, High School - grades 9 - 12

11:00am MDT

Adventure Awaits: Guiding Students with Disabilities to Postschool Success

Friday July 11, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT

Room #135

Join us for an exciting session packed with valuable information and resources for educators, youth with disabilities, and families preparing for the transition to adulthood. Transitioning from in-school to post school settings can be a thrilling journey for students with disabilities. We'll dive into the positive predictors of postschool success and explore how these insights can pave the way for a bright future.
We'll break down the postsecondary transition process requirements as detailed in IDEA (2004) in a clear and engaging manner. One of the key steps in the IDEA process is connecting students to outside agencies. We'll highlight how transitioning to adulthood is a team effort, involving not just special educators but a whole community of support, along with a variety of community-based experiences to close gaps and provide robust services to prepare for further education, employment, and independent living.
Our discussion will also cover the specific skills students need to succeed in postschool settings, including education, employment, and independent living. We'll introduce a fantastic tool developed in collaboration with the Utah State Board of Education and local institutions of higher education, which identifies critical skills for success.
Finally, we'll share a treasure trove of resources to help stakeholders navigate the postsecondary transition process in productive and meaningful ways. Get ready to explore several padlets filled with local and national resources and Utah’s new postsecondary transition website designed to support educators and families alike.

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: Mac Laptop, Windows Laptop, Android Tablet / Smartphone, iPad / iPhone, Windows Tablet / Smartphone, Chromebook

Speakers

Crystal Emery

SSIP and Transition to Postsecondary Specialist for Students with Disabilities, Utah State Board of Education

Crystal Emery is a secondary transition professional with over 25 years of experience working with young children and adolescents. She is certified as an early intervention specialist, a Coach for Early Childhood Professionals, an Employment Specialist, and a Customized Employment... Read More →

Deanna Taylor

Secondary Transition for Students with Disabilities Specialist, Utah State Board of Education

Deanna Taylor is a Postsecondary Transition for Students with Disabilities Specialist at the Utah State Board of Education. Her public education career has spanned over 40 years as a music teacher, special education teacher, special education director and college instructor in three... Read More →

2025 Rural Schools Presentation Predictors Final pdf

Friday July 11, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Room #135 1750 Kearns Blvd, Park City, UT 84060

1 hour traditional lecture/audience participation, Beginner - limited to no experience; no prerequisite skills required.

Learning Strand or Track Other
Subject Area Special Education, Other
Audience Teachers, Counselors or School-based Mental/Behavioral Health Professionals
Grade Level Elementary - grades K - 6, Middle School / Jr. High - grades 6 - 8, High School - grades 9 - 12

11:00am MDT

Engendering Hope in Teachers and Students: Using the Skills of Improv and Storytelling in Education

Friday July 11, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT

Room #146

This presentation will cover the skills of storytelling and how research has confirmed the place of narrative in improving student hope levels. The concept of improv will also be presented as a means for students in any class to create stories with expression, and how these activities can also increase teacher self efficacy and PLC collective efficacy.

Experiences and research data from the presenters doctoral work will also be included.

It is anticipated that the presentation will be displayed through PowerPoint, lecture, and voluntary audience participation.

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

Jacob Earnest

Literature and Improv Instructor at American Heritage, Doctoral Candidate in Education at USU, American Heritage School, Utah State University

Jacob Earnest is a full-time teacher of literature and improvisational theatre in American Fork. He also is finishing his doctoral work in Education from Utah State University. His research focus is on the use of oral storytelling and its relationship to student hope and narrative... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Room #146 1750 Kearns Blvd, Park City, UT 84060

1 hour traditional lecture/audience participation, Beginner - limited to no experience; no prerequisite skills required.

Learning Strand or Track Leadership, Instructional Coaching, School-based Mental & Behavioral Health, Other
Subject Area Language Arts, Performing Arts / Visual Arts, Mental/Behavioral Health
Audience Teachers, Counselors or School-based Mental/Behavioral Health Professionals, Instructional Coaches
Grade Level All Grade Levels, High School - grades 9 - 12

11:00am MDT

Nearpod 2.0: Renaissance Next Connection

Friday July 11, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT

Room #244

Speakers

Faith Smith

National Academic Advisor, Renaissance

Friday July 11, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Room #244 1766 Kearns Blvd, Park City, UT 84060

1 hour traditional lecture/audience participation, Beginner - limited to no experience; no prerequisite skills required.

Learning Strand or Track Educational Technology, Assessment & Data Management
Subject Area Not Applicable
Audience All of the above
Grade Level All Grade Levels, Elementary - grades K - 6, Middle School / Jr. High - grades 6 - 8, High School - grades 9 - 12

11:00am MDT

Scrible: Elevate Student Research and Writing in Your K-12 Classroom

Friday July 11, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT

Room #235

In this 60-minute session, K-12 educators will discover how Scrible empowers students to conduct effective online research and streamline the writing process. Learn how to leverage Scrible's annotation, citation, and organization tools to foster critical thinking and academic integrity. We'll explore practical strategies for integrating Scrible into various subject areas and grade levels, helping students develop essential research and writing skills for success.
Links to slides

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: Mac Laptop, Windows Laptop, Android Tablet / Smartphone, iPad / iPhone, Windows Tablet / Smartphone, Chromebook

Speakers

Chris Haught

Media Specialist, SEDC - Southwest Educational Development Center

Chris Haught is the Technology/Media Mentor at Southwest Educational Service Center (SEDC), a regional Service Center that serves six district and seven charter ELA’s.Chris works closely with the region’s librarians providing support and training

Friday July 11, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Room #235 1750 Kearns Blvd, Park City, UT 84060

1 hour traditional lecture/audience participation, Beginner - limited to no experience; no prerequisite skills required.