Speaker: Rider Harris of GoBananas.ai 

Description:

This isn’t a technical deep dive or a cautionary talk about automation. Instead, it’s an accessible, real-world session designed for all experience levels, focused on clear examples and immediate application. Through live demonstrations of realistic workflows and a straightforward framework, participants will leave with the confidence and know-how to start using AI in their work right away.

Objectives:

Utilize AI tools better than 99% of people they know. Every single person will walk away with an elite understanding of how they can use AI in their day to day. 

Resources: GoBananas.ai

Speaker: Mariel Leon Lazcano, Andres De Santiago, Adriana Achuleta and Samantha Fisher of University of New Mexico

Description:

Current students at UNM will give a presentation regarding funding college, including information on the Lottery and Opportunity Scholarships as well as opportunities such as the DPTR Program offered at UNM. There will also be an extended period for HS students to ask UNM students about college life in general and other questions

Objectives: Participants will:

• Have more confidence in how to pay for an education degree at UNM

• Have knowledge about additional opportunities through the College of Ed. about funding and gaining field experience 

• Have a greater understanding of campus life here at UNM

Resources:

Speaker: Madeline Ferguson of the Eastern New Mexico University Chapter

Description:

This engaging, escape room–style session introduces students to the core roles, responsibilities, and skills of Special Education teachers while helping them consider whether the field is the right fit for them. Through collaborative challenges and hands-on activities, participants explore key concepts such as advocacy, instructional supports, differentiation, and the pathway to becoming a Special Education educator.

The experience concludes with guided reflection, discussion, and a Q&A with a Special Education professional, giving students both practical insight and a personal perspective on the profession.

Objectives: Participants will understand the importance of advocacy, understand how to use accommodations and modifications, differentiated instruction, and how to become a SpEd teacher themselves!

Resources:

Speaker: Guadalupe Estrada

Details:

In this presentation, we will talk about the process we take in our Bilingual Teacher Academy class to make a Puppet Show. You will hear the perspective from both, the students and the teacher leader. A description from the sketch, the script, the background stage, the puppets and ultimately our presentation at an Elementary school. In an effort to make Children’s Literature engaging for small students, teachers can use a Puppet Show in their classrooms to teach students social-emotional learning and help them fall in love with a story.

Speaker: Cammie LePlatt, Cori Brooks & Candise Forgue of the NM Universal Design for Learning - Central Region Educational Cooperative

Description:

Let your UDL Compass guide the way! In this hands-on escape room experience, you'll collaborate, solve puzzles, and uncover the power of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). From building engagement cairns to mapping representation and unlocking action & expression, each challenge will bring you closer to designing learning that works for all students. Ready to take the journey? Grab your compass, embrace the adventure, and become a UDL champion!

Objective: Participants will:

• Experience the three principles of UDL occurring and name them.

• Understand the value of a productive struggle for learner agency

• Form meaningful connections with your learning.

• Valuing each group members unique differences. 

• See the power of utilizing strengths in collaboration.

• Understand how to remove learning barriers proactively instead of reactively.

• Discover how unique learning styles can flourish in gamified learning.

Resources:

Speaker: Mishelle Jurado & Stephan Eiland of Highland High School Chapter

Description:

This interactive session is designed for high school and college students who are interested in becoming educators, with a particular focus on first-generation students navigating unfamiliar academic systems while carrying a strong desire to contribute to change in their communities. Grounded in storytelling, reflection, and practical strategies, the session centers mental health, resilience, and purpose as foundational to sustaining a career in education.

Participants will engage in guided reflection on their lived experiences and explore how personal stories, cultural wealth, and moments of adversity can become sources of strength rather than obstacles. The session also makes the “hidden curriculum” of education visible by addressing time management, goal-setting, and system navigation through a first-generation lens. Emphasis is placed on the idea that caring for oneself is not separate from becoming an educator—it is essential to the work.

Objectives: Participants will be able to:

Identify and affirm their personal stories as assets for building resilience, supporting mental health, and shaping their purpose as future educators.

Apply practical strategies for goal-setting, time management, and system navigation that support persistence through adversity and empower them to create change for themselves and others.

Resources:

Speaker: Selena Shepherd & Jennifer Armstrong of Central Region Educational Cooperative

Preparation: At the beginning of the session, participants will need access to their laptops to actively engage in the learning activities.

Description:

In this session, participants will explore Fast and Curious, a high-impact EduProtocol that increases student engagement, retention, and confidence across content areas. This short, repetition-based routine uses quick formative cycles with immediate feedback to help students internalize key concepts in just 15 minutes a day. Teachers gain real-time data to guide instruction, while students benefit from a fast, fun, and confidence-building learning experience. Participants will experience the protocol firsthand and leave with practical strategies, templates, and tips to implement Fast and Curious for inclusive, student-centered learning.

Participants will also learn how to incorporate the Frayer Model to deepen understanding of academic vocabulary and key concepts. This research-based strategy guides students to define terms, identify characteristics, and generate examples and non-examples, promoting critical thinking and stronger conceptual clarity. When paired with Fast and Curious, the Frayer Model supports multiple learning modalities, reinforces academic language, and helps all learners build meaningful, lasting understanding.

Objectives:

After this presentation, participants will be able to:

• Describe the purpose and key components of the Fast and Curious EduProtocol.

• Experience and facilitate a Fast and Curious learning cycle to increase student engagement and retention.

• Use formative data from Fast and Curious to provide timely feedback and adjust instruction.

• Integrate the Frayer Model to deepen student understanding of vocabulary and key concepts.

• Apply inclusive, student-centered strategies that support diverse learners across content areas.

Resources:

Speaker: Ethan Wright and Shae Devers of New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau

Description:

Agricultural careers sit at the intersection of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)—where innovation meets real-world problem solving. With the global population expected to reach 10 billion by 2050, agriculture must increase food production by 60% to meet future demand. Solving this challenge will require bold thinkers, scientific research, new technology, and creative solutions across every sector of agriculture.

New Mexico Agriculture in the Classroom (NMAITC) connects educators, students, and communities to the science behind agriculture—building agricultural literacy while inspiring the next generation of professionals to pursue careers in food, agriculture, and natural resources.

Workshop participants will take part in a hands-on, mini version of the popular Pumpkin Smash activity, applying engineering design, data analysis, and critical thinking in a fun, interactive setting. Participants will also gain access to classroom-ready resources and career-connected tools they can use immediately in education and beyond.

This experience is designed to spark curiosity, encourage innovation, and show students how STEM skills can shape the future of agriculture—and the world.

Objectives:

After this presentation, students will be able to:

• Identify the mission of the New Mexico Agriculture in the Classroom Program

• Explain basic agricultural challenges and the need for STEM solutions in ag

• Understand how the Agriculture Literacy Project functions to:

     - Cultivate agriculturally literate elementary students

     - Provide examples of challenges in Agriculture and the necessity of STEM

     - Empower high-school students to teach agriculture literacy project materials to elementary students

     - Interest students in pursuing agricultural careers

• Explore NMAITC’s online resources for use in college coursework (if applicable) and lesson planning

• Return to their chapters with a connection to NMAITC that can foster future collaboration in their chapter and school district, if desired

Resources:

Speaker: Lisa Faith of TEACH New Mexico/NMPED

Description:

Licensure 101: How to Become a Teacher in New Mexico. In this session, participants will learn about the steps and requirements to becoming a licensed teacher in New Mexico, and the free guidance and direct financial assistance available to all future NM teachers from NMPED. 

Objectives: Participants will be able to identify their pathway to becoming a teacher and the financial aid available to cover the costs, find free guidance and direct financial assistance for anyone interested in teachig in NM, and understand the benefits of becoming a teacher in NM. 

Resources:

Speaker: Lauren Butcher of Explora

Description:

Learn about STEAM in early childhood! We'll explore principles of STEAM play, investigate which items are attracted to magnets and which are not, and explore attracting and repelling with a wide variety of materials.

Objectives:

Describe principles of STEAM play in early childhood

Resources:

Speaker: Cleo Mow & Selena Enriquez of Eastern New Mexico University - Ruidoso Branch

Description:

This interactive session helps future educators connect their purpose with practical skills such as time management and goal-setting. Students will reflect on their “why,” identify habits that support success, and write a letter to their future teacher self—creating a tangible reminder to stay focused, organized, and committed as they pursue a career in education.

Objectives: Participants will:

• Clarify their purpose for becoming an educator

• Explore time-management strategies that support goal achievement

• Connect present habits to future success

• Create a personal letter to guide their journey into teaching

Resources:

Speaker: Taysia Baca, Ellanie Magana, Yareli Del Muro, Leia Girven, and Ava Herrera Anchando of the Ruidoso High School Chapter

Description:

Attendees will play up to 4 team building games from "Cup It Up"

Objectives:

Take team building strategies back to their chapters and schools.  Work together with students from other schools during conference

Resources:

Speaker: Justin Makemson & Michelle Lemons of the NMPED College and Career Readiness Bureau

Description: In this hands-on workshop, participants explore basic printmaking concepts and techniques and consider how printmaking can be used in the interdisciplinary inquiries of their own students. 

Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

• create impressions using different printmaking techniques.

• identify opportunities to use printmaking in interdisciplinary explorations.

• access teaching resources related to art-infused learning.

• recognize overlap in initiatives and opportunities available to preservice teachers through Educators Rising and the National Art Education Association. 

Resources:

Speaker: Casey Mariscal of Eastern New Mexico University

Description:

Using Math to create balance. Math helps us balance our lives the same way it balances equation. When one side is empty, the whole system is off. Unless you are a quadratic.

What if we approached personal well-being the same way we approach math by aiming for balance? This interactive session uses simple math concepts as a metaphor to help participants reflect on what drains their energy, what restores them, and how small, intentional choices can create a more sustainable daily rhythm. Through hands-on activities, reflection, and practical strategies, attendees will explore how to “add” supportive habits, “subtract” stressors, and build routines that prevent burnout. Participants will leave with a personalized plan and a fresh perspective on self-care as structured, necessary, and achievable, rather than selfish.

Objectives:

Participants will be able to understand how to fill their cups with their needs and thier wants, by using a math equation to understand how to use it throughout their weeks as a future teacher.

Resources:

Speaker: Kyle Gentile and Amoreena LaCour of the Eastern New Mexico University Chapter

Description: 

The presentation will explore the differences between ESL and Bilingual Education. It will be lead by two ENMU students with experience in their respective fields. We will be comparing the two fields, sharing the power of these career paths, and walking students through several different language teaching activities.

Objectives: After this presentation students will:

• Understand the core ideas of bilingual/ESL education.

• Identify new career paths in language education.

• Use specific bilingual/ESL teaching strategies.

Resources: