2026 Jeffrey Powell Mobile Learning Conference: Full Schedule

Welcome to the Jeffrey Powell Mobile Learning Conference! Grab your ticket today!

9:00am CDT

Future Ready or Future Reactive? Literacy, Learning, and AI by Design

Monday June 8, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

As many school systems strive to become “future ready,” including preparing students for their future, we must first clarify what we mean by literacy and meaningful, accessible learning. This session begins with a definition of literacy grounded in participation and empowerment. From there, we examine how literacy, digital, and artificial intelligence intersect with learning design: experience, feedback, assessment, and evaluation, and why those distinctions matter. Rather than adopting AI reactively or rejecting it outright, participants will explore how thoughtful learning design can ensure that technology strengthens rather than distorts accessible and instructionally effective practice.

Speakers

Ken Shelton

Educator, Author, Learning Designer

Ken is a multi-award-winning educator, best-selling author, and internationally recognized keynote speaker specializing in educational technology, leadership development, and learning experience design. He holds a Master’s degree in Education with a focus on Educational Technology... Read More →

Monday June 8, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

Featured Speaker, Monday

1:00pm CDT

Let Them Talk: Designing Classrooms Where Every Student Has a Voice

Monday June 8, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT

Student success begins when students feel heard, valued, and safe to share their thinking. During this session, we will discuss practical strategies that amplify student voice and increase engagement. Participants will experience low-prep discussion routines, purposeful edtech tools, and instructional frameworks that support diverse learners while keeping students actively engaged. Grounded in the science of learning, this session focuses on intentional lesson design and small, small shifts that motivate students to think deeper, talk more, and build understanding that actually sticks.

Speakers

Steph Sukow

Educator, CHSD 155

Steph Sukow is a high school English teacher in the suburbs of Chicago for 17 years, who has been adjuncting college-level speech communications courses since 2016. In addition to teaching, she advocates for digital literacy and is passionate about using educational technology to... Read More →

Monday June 8, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT

Featured Speaker, Monday

9:00am CDT

Your Brain on AI: Moving from Crutch to Catalyst

Tuesday June 9, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

When students use AI, are they learning or just offloading? As beneficial as AI can be, overreliance on it can hurt thinking skills, creativity, and understanding. How do we avoid this? This keynote offers the 'Wrestle, Rap, Reflect' framework, a powerful, practical solution that keeps the human in the loop by requiring learners to engage their own brains before and after the AI interaction. We will learn to move students from a passive 'crutch' mindset to an active 'catalyst' partnership, ensuring AI builds intellectual agency, not atrophy.

Speakers

Eric Curts

National Consultant and Speaker, ControlAltAchieve

With over 30 years of experience, Eric works as an EdTech Specialist in Ohio, and provides training to schools and organizations around the world. He shares all his EdTech resources for AI, Google tools, accessibility, and more on his websites at ControlAltAchieve.com and EduGems... Read More →

Tuesday June 9, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

Featured Speaker, Tuesday

1:00pm CDT

Replacing the Traditional Textbook: Student-Created, Continuously Revised Course Resources

Tuesday June 9, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT

Traditional textbooks are often expensive, static, and quickly outdated—especially in survey courses like Music Appreciation. In response, this session shares a practical model for replacing the traditional textbook with student-created, continuously revised course resources.

Undergraduate Music Appreciation students research musical periods, composers, and representative works, then author textbook chapters using iPad-centered workflows and Apple Pages. These resources include written explanations, listening guides, visuals, and curated media designed for future learners. Rather than functioning as one-time projects, each cohort begins the course using the previous edition of the student-created textbook. Students critically evaluate the material, identify gaps or inaccuracies, and revise or supplement the content, resulting in a “living textbook” that evolves over time.

The session will examine the instructional design, scaffolding, and assessment practices that support this work, including peer feedback, revision cycles, and alternative grading focused on growth and accuracy rather than points. Attendees will see examples of student-authored textbooks published on Apple Books and learn how this approach increases engagement, improves accountability, and significantly reduces costs for students.
Participants will leave with a transferable framework for implementing student-created course resources in their own disciplines, along with practical strategies for managing revision, quality control, and sustainability over multiple semesters.

Speakers

Donald Sorah

Professor of Music, The University of Virginia’s College at Wise

Donald W. Sorah is a Professor of Music at The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, an Apple Distinguished Educator, Apple Learning Coach, and ISTE Certified Educator. He is the recipient of the SCHEV Outstanding Faculty Award and a two-time Outstanding Use of Technology in... Read More →

Tuesday June 9, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT

Featured Speaker, Tuesday