The Jones County School System hosted its fourth annual Jones County Educational Technology Conference at Jones County High School, where educators from across the district participated in engaging professional development sessions, enjoyed lunch from food trucks, earned stipends, and won exciting door prizes while learning how to effectively incorporate technology in the classroom.
The event was organized by JCSS District Instructional Technology Coaches Karen Barnett and Carmen Binford, providing teachers with over 30 technology topics to explore and apply in their classrooms to benefit student learning.
Binford explained that the conference is built to offer educators flexibility and hands-on resources they can apply in their classrooms right away.
“JCETC provides a great opportunity for teachers and staff members to attend professional learning sessions on multiple tech topics. Our goal is for the participants to walk away with digital tools and tech tips to make learning more engaging for their students,” Binford said.
She said the format of the conference allows participants to tailor their experience to their instructional needs, which contributes to its continued success.
“JCETC has been a successful professional learning event because participants get to choose the sessions they attend based on the digital tools they want to integrate into their instruction. This year was no exception, with over 140 faculty members participating in the tech conference. Tech-savvy teacher leaders presented different tech topics throughout the day. Thanks to our sponsors, participants also received swag bags and the chance to win awesome door prizes,” she added.
Teachers who attended shared positive feedback.
“It was great to learn about all the new and upcoming AI technology and how to navigate the use of it in the classroom,” Alana Tiller said.
“You can choose which sessions you want to go to, and you can really gear it toward what you need in your own classroom. I would love to do this again. It is my third time participating, and I love it every year. It is super helpful,” Ashlyn Bloodworth said.
