ITEC Fall Conference 2026

Over 2,500 students across 43 Iowa schools are already engaged in invention education. Experience the invention process firsthand in this interactive, hands-on workshop where you'll become an inventor and discover how easy it is to integrate innovation into any grade, any subject. You'll leave with free, ready-to-use curriculum tailored to the grade you teach, practical strategies to launch student invention projects, and tools to help students participate in the Iowa Invention Convention.


Through invention education, students develop the skills that are often the hardest to teach—confidence, creativity, resilience, problem-solving, and real-world application. Join a growing network of educators bringing invention to life in their classrooms, and leave with the resources, support, and inspiration to do the same.

This session demonstrates how to transform middle school study hall into an active STEAM Learning Lab by pairing academic accountability with hands-on challenge stations. Students first complete their required academic work (classwork, homework, or late work) before earning access to self-directed STEAM exploration. Guided by PBIS "BARK" expectations (Be Safe, Act Responsibly, Respect Others, Keep Achieving), students engage in robotics, 3D design, stop-motion animation, and engineering challenges. 

I teach Digital Media and Production through our student-led Tiger Vision program at Carroll High School. My goal is to create authentic learning experiences where students use technology, creativity, and collaboration to produce work that has a real purpose and audience. Whether they're designing graphics, creating social media content, managing the Tiger Shop, or producing livestreams, students are telling the story of our school while building skills they'll use beyond high school.


In this session, I'll share how we've built a student-driven program that gives students ownership of their learning while helping them develop the communication, collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving skills that employers value. My hope is that educators leave with practical ideas and the confidence to create authentic opportunities where students use technology to make meaningful contributions to their schools and communities.

Ready to make something? Discover how a Maker Mindset empowers creativity, problem-solving, and innovation. CTLT staff from Iowa State University will showcase maker tools, share adaptable Maker Challenges, and guide participants through a hands-on project. Leave with classroom-ready ideas and inspiration to spark meaningful learning through making.

Participate in a student activity and then leave with a list to level-up your student engagement and curiosity in Computer Science 

Qweebi is an online makerspace platform that allows students to complete hands-on STEM projects directly on their computers. Designed for grades 3–8, it offers ready-to-use, standards-aligned projects that can be searched by grade level or topic. Each project includes complete Google Slide lessons with built-in teaching videos and instructional materials, making implementation simple for teachers.
Students can progress through projects at their own pace while teachers maintain classroom control by locking levels to keep students on track. The platform encourages testing, problem-solving, and improvement through virtual engineering challenges. I have used multiple Qweebi projects with different grade levels and have seen students actively engage in critical thinking and problem-solving throughout the process. Because everything is completed digitally, no additional supplies, setup, or cleanup are required.


I would be happy to run a session to introduce this STEM platform to teachers. I would have them be the "student" to work through a bit of a lesson and then show them how to manage it all from the teacher's view. 
I really enjoyed utilizing these lessons along with the other things I do in my STEAM class and wanted to tell others about it.  This virtual platform would be simple to implement in a regular classroom as well since it is all online. 

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Technology integration is about more than tools—it's about empowering students to think, create, collaborate, and solve problems. In this high-energy, football-inspired session, kindergarten teacher Beth Smith shares how computer science serves as the playbook behind meaningful technology integration. Through classroom stories, interactive activities, and real examples from a kindergarten classroom where students code robots, use AI for research, design prototypes with 3Doodlers, and collaborate with middle school engineers, participants will discover practical ways to embed computational thinking into any content area.
Inspired by the spirit of the New Heights podcast, this session blends humor, audience participation, and actionable strategies to help educators move beyond technology consumption and into innovation. Whether you're a classroom teacher, instructional coach, librarian, STEM educator, or administrator, you'll leave with ready-to-use ideas and a fresh perspective on how computer science can elevate learning for every student.
Attendees will learn how to:

• Integrate computational thinking into existing curriculum
• Use technology to foster creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving
• Connect computer science concepts across content areas
• Create engaging learning experiences that prepare students for the future

No football knowledge required—just a willingness to think bigger about what students can do.

What happens when students’ stories move beyond the page and become interactive robots? In this hands-on session, explore an interdisciplinary project that combines 7th grade ELA, storytelling, computer science, coding, and makerspace learning.


Learn how students transform their original published stories into robotic characters using Hummingbird Robotics kits, bringing elements of their writing to life through movement, lights, and technology. We will break down the project from start to finish, including the writing process, project design, coding, construction, and opportunities for student creativity and problem-solving.


Participants will see examples of student work and hear about what worked, what challenges arose, and what I learned along the way. If time and materials allow, participants will also have an opportunity to work directly with the robotics kits and experience a small piece of the project themselves.


You do not need to be a computer science or robotics expert to participate. This session is designed to show how hands-on technology can be integrated into an ELA classroom in a creative, accessible, and meaningful way.

In this session, participants will discover how engaging, hands-on STEM experiences were designed to spark curiosity, creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving for 6-12 learners. From robotics and engineering challenges to coding, digital creation, drones, makerspace activities, and emerging technologies, this session shares practical strategies for building a high-impact after-school program that students are excited to attend. Walk away with ideas for program structure, student engagement, funding opportunities, and scalable STEM activities.