2026 Jeffrey Powell Mobile Learning Conference: Full Schedule

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

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Traditional textbooks are often expensive, static, and quickly outdated—especially in survey courses like Music Appreciation.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

2026 Jeffrey Powell Mobile Learning Conference

From $26.46

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