Designing for Learner Variability in the Age of AI 2026
Join 亚洲免费网站观看视频 on Tuesday. Aug. 4, 2026 at Barnstable High School for Designing for Learner Variability in the Age of AI, a dynamic, hands-on summer mini-conference.
Every classroom is filled with learners who bring different cognitive strengths, background experiences, engagement patterns, accessibility needs, and learning differences.. The question is not whether learner variability exists — it’s how we intentionally design, acknowledging learning variabilities, so that all truly means all.
Participants will explore real classroom scenarios, practical tech adjustments (from formatting and readability to text-to-speech and voice feedback), and AI as a thought partner in instructional design — all grounded in the belief that good design benefits every learner.
This is not a sit-and-get day of workshops. It is an interactive design experience focused on breaking barriers, shifting mindsets, and building inclusive systems that last. Spend the day collaborating with forward-thinking educators, experimenting with meaningful tools, and leaving with ready-to-implement strategies that make learning more accessible, engaging, and empowering.
When we design for learner variability, we design for belonging.
About the Conference
Who Should Attend
This event is designed for k-12 educators, librarians, and instructional coaches.
What You’ll Take Away
This immersive day moves beyond theory into practical design strategies that help educators:
- Teach so every learner can access grade-level content independently
- Reduce barriers to reading, engagement, and expression
- Build learner-centered environments rooted in accessibility and inclusion
Use thoughtful technology and AI tools to support differentiation with ease Design feedback systems that increase clarity, agency, and growth
Event Details
Date: Aug. 4, 2026
Time: 8AM-2PM
Location: Barnstable High School, 744 West Main Street, Hyannis, MA 02601
Strand 1: Learner-Centered Practices
Design learning environments where students have voice, choice, and meaningful ways to engage with content. Sessions in this strand explore strategies that center the learner experience, support accessibility, and empower students to access grade-level learning independently. Examples may include flexible pathways for demonstrating learning, culturally responsive practices, student agency and goal setting, and using technology and AI tools to personalize learning while maintaining high expectations for all.
Strand 2: Instructional Design Basics
Great learning starts with intentional design. This strand focuses on practical strategies educators can use to design accessible, inclusive learning experiences that reduce barriers before they appear. Sessions may include designing clear and flexible assignments, improving readability and accessibility of materials, using text-to-speech or multimedia supports, building effective rubrics and feedback systems, and leveraging AI as a thought partner when planning lessons or differentiating instruction.
Strand 3: Executive Function & Social Emotional Strategies
Supporting learner variability also means supporting how students manage their learning. This strand focuses on strategies that build executive functioning skills and social-emotional capacity so students can engage, persist, and succeed. Sessions may explore tools and routines for organization, self-regulation, goal setting, and reflection, along with approaches that strengthen belonging, motivation, and student confidence in the learning process.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Looking to showcase your organization to school and district leaders? A $500 sponsorship includes:
- Table at the event
- 亚洲伊人情人综合网站 for two representatives
- Recognition on the event website and social media
- 30 Minute Session with attendees
Event Details
| Audience | Educators |
| Level | K-12 |
| Date | Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026 |
| Time | 8:30 A.M. - 2:00 P.M. |
| Earn | Participation Certificate for 6 Hours |
| Location | Barnstable High School, 744 West Main Street, Hyannis, MA 02601 |
| 亚洲伊人情人综合网站 Cost | $65/亚洲免费网站观看视频 Member $85/Non-Member |
Location: Barnstable High School, 744 West Main Street, Hyannis, MA 02601
Time: 8:00 a.m. – 2 p.m.
What to Bring: Please be sure to bring a fully charged laptop, as it will be used throughout the day.
Dr. Anne Katona Linn
Dr. Anne Katona Linn is an educational consultant, coach, and speaker who helps schools create safe, supportive environments where all students can thrive. With deep expertise in trauma-sensitive practices, behavior support, and resilient classrooms, she partners with educators and leaders to strengthen the conditions that help students feel safe, connected, and ready to learn.
Her work focuses on helping schools build the adult practices and student supports that improve self-regulation, executive functioning, and social-emotional growth. Through training, coaching, and practical tools, Dr. Anne helps educators create predictable routines, supportive relationships, and responsive learning environments that increase student confidence, belonging, and engagement.
Dr. Anne is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, certified coach in the Competent Learner Model, and founder of Katona Linn Consulting, LLC. She is also the creator of Building Resilient Classrooms, a coaching and training framework designed to help educators respond to learner variability with compassion, structure, and skill.
Drawing from both professional expertise and lived experience, Dr. Anne brings a warm, real-world approach to helping educators support the whole child while building classrooms where students can persist, reflect, and succeed.
Brett Pierce
Brett is the founder and Executive Director of Meridian Stories, a Digital Storytelling nonprofit for middle and high schoolers that challenges students to create digital narratives around core curricular goals. Meridian Stories is entering its 15th year. Brett recently authored his first book with Heinemann Publishing, Expanding Literacy: Bringing Digital Storytelling into Your Classroom, and wrote the National Geographic Storytelling for Impact course series in 2022 which won the Gold Anthem Award.
Brett spent much of his professional life at Sesame Workshop in New York City, serving as a Co-Executive Producer on media projects about literacy, math, science, global citizenry and conflict-resolution for youth around the world, including projects in China, North Macedonia, Indonesia, Poland, Iraq, and Ecuador.
Brett began his career teaching English in a high school in Virginia, and has continued teaching intermittently at Fordham University, University of Southern Maine, and Colby College. Brett has a BA from Kenyon College, and Masters Degrees from Middlebury College (English) and Columbia University (Education). He is married with two grown children and lives in Freeport, Maine.
Ed Jacques
Fadia Rostom
With over 30 years as an educational leader, consultant, and former principal/Associate professor, Fadia Rostom has driven innovation in K-12 education across the Berkshires and beyond. As founder of visionscholar.com, she specialize in AI integration, curriculum design, differentiated instruction, and digital equity initiatives for schools and nonprofits. Her expertise includes organizing regional AI summits, delivering teacher training workshops, and leveraging tools like Google Workspace, Canvas LMS, and Canva to enhance professional development.
Jacqui Finn
Jacqui Finn has spent more than 25 years guided by the same two questions: How do people learn, and what role does technology play in the learning process? An AI literacy coach, technology coordinator at The Accord School and co-founder of Bravance Learning, Jacqui brings deep SEL roots to every conversation about AI in education. Her experience with neurodivergent learners at Accord informs her professional practice. At Accord, Jacqui turned her attention to the impact of technology on social-emotional development in adolescents. That grounding in how learners actually experience technology, not just use it, shapes her work.
Prior to supporting The Accord School's mission of emotional growth and community belonging, Jacqui was a technology coach in the Plymouth Public Schools. Jacqui is a former curriculum, instruction and assessment specialist, and began her career in education as a computer science teacher in the Philadelphia, PA suburbs. She currently serves as an ambassador for AI Powered Women and holds several AI literacy certifications. She earned her BS in Secondary Education from Penn State and her MA in Educational Technology Leadership from George Washington University.
Her message: self-awareness is the greatest AI advantage.
Joshua Dickson
Drawing on over a decade of experience, Joshua’s approach is guided by his background as a one-to-one paraprofessional, special education teacher, and Assistive Technology Specialist across 亚洲免费人成在线视频观看 and Connecticut. Today, as the Director of Student Services for a school district in Western 亚洲免费人成在线视频观看, Joshua aims to use his frontline experience to execute system-level change and improve outcomes for students with disabilities. Joshua specializes in building robust multidisciplinary teams, overseeing comprehensive early childhood, pre-referral, special education, and English Learner programs, as well as ensuring that districts meet both regulatory standards and the diverse needs of their learners.
A strong proponent of continuing education, Joshua actively extends his impact beyond the district level through his independent consulting work. He facilitates professional development at state and national level, has served as a guest lecturer at ELMS College, and was an adjunct faculty member at Cambridge College. He holds a Master of Science in Education with a focus on AT from Simmons College, dual bachelor's degrees from the 亚洲免费人成在线视频观看 College of Liberal Arts, and multiple 亚洲免费人成在线视频观看 certifications, including Administrator of Special Education.
Additionally, Joshua serves as an Executive Board Member for the 亚洲免费人成在线视频观看 Administrators of Special Education (ASE) and as an officer for the Western 亚洲免费人成在线视频观看 SPED Directors Association. Whether leading a district or consulting, his ultimate goal is ensuring students receive the support they need to achieve academic success, realize their personal goals, and engage meaningfully in their community.
Karen Janowski
Karen Levin
Karen Levin is the founder of Math for Humans, a professional learning initiative supporting middle and high school educators to integrate AI strategically to deepen student reasoning, not replace it.
With 15+ years as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, and leading math initiatives across 20+ Boston schools, she understands the difference between EdTech that transforms learning and tools that collect digital dust.
Karen holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from Boston University's Noyce Scholarship program. Her approach focuses on meeting teachers where they are and cutting through technology hype to deliver practical strategies that save time while ensuring AI serves as a tool for supporting great teaching.
Kelly Houston
For the past twelve years, Kelly has served as Head of Operations at STEM Ed Innovators, a program of the Jhumki Basu Foundation. In this role, she leads the development and implementation of programs that support educators in delivering high-quality, standards-based instruction. Her work centers on equipping teachers with practical, effective pedagogical strategies that foster meaningful and transformative learning experiences for all students.
Kristen Provost
Kristen Provost, a special education teacher and co-teacher has been transforming learning by using Notebook LM to create resources for students to access grade-level materials leading to impactful outcomes in the classroom.
Melissa O'Neill
Melissa O'Neil is a co-teacher and special educator who has advocated for using AI tools as assistive technology to support specific needs and IEP goals. She has played an active role in Narragansett's Digital Equity Working Group and the AI Guidelines Committee.
Sarah Dully
Sarah Dully is Rhode Island's Teacher of the Year 2026! She is a High School English Teacher employing AI to support diverse learners in unique ways.
Sarah Hopson
Sarah Hopson is the K-6 Academic Supervisor for Agawam Public Schools. She supports math and literacy curriculum implementation, instructional coaching, and intervention programming across the district’s four elementary schools and middle school. A recent area of focus has been co-facilitating a professional development series on creating access for English Learners in the classroom, during which participants develop their own problem of practice, receive targeted suggestions of research-strategies to implement, and engage in observational feedback cycles to refine their practice. This work, along with new core literacy resources and a district focus on instructional equity, has led to an increased need to support teachers in building effective on-ramps to complex grade-level text for all students. Prior to her current role, Sarah has also been a math instructional coach, third grade teacher, and seventh grade math teacher.
Scott St. Denis
Scott St. Denis is a Spanish teacher at Westford Academy and the founder of Happy Cat, Ed., where he helps educators integrate AI in practical, sustainable ways. His work focuses on designing learning experiences that support student independence, executive function, and meaningful engagement, while also reducing teacher workload.
In addition to his work in education, Scott is the founder of Press Play Curation, a human centered music curation company that creates custom playlists for events, businesses, and everyday listening. This work reflects his broader interest in how thoughtful design, whether in classrooms or music, shapes experience and connection.
Scott brings a classroom grounded perspective to his sessions, emphasizing real strategies that educators can implement immediately.
Vanessa Miller
Vanessa Miller is the Tech Integration Coach for Narraganset Schools working with teachers to integrate technology purposefully into their classrooms. She leads the AI Guidelines Comittee for the district in developing a K-12 Policy, internal guidelines and an AI literacy pathway. Vanessa also works independently and in partnership with organizations like Throughline Learning, The University of Rhode Island, Sacred Heart University, The Sargent Center, The Kulowiec Group, EdTech Teacher, and Day of AI to deliver K-12 and Higher Ed-focused AI Professional Learning Workshops throughout New England and beyond.
| 8:00 A.M. - 9:00 A.M. | 亚洲伊人情人综合网站, Light Breakfast and Welcome |
| 9:00 A.M. - 9:30 A.M. |
Session 1: Exhibitor Spotlight |
| 9:35 A.M. - 10:35 A.M. | Session 2 |
| 10:40A.M. - 11:40 A.M. | Session 3 |
| 11:45 A.M. - 12:40 P.M. |
Session 4 |
| 12:50 P.M. - 2 P.M. |
Lunch, Networking & Smackdown |
Explore the Sessions
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Join 亚洲免费网站观看视频 on Tuesday. Aug. 4, 2026 at Barnstable High School for Designing for Learner Variability in the Age of AI, a dynamic, hands-on summer mini-conference. Every classroom is filled with learners who bring different cognitive strengths, background experiences, engagement patterns, accessibility needs, and learning differences.. The question is not whether learner variability exists — […]
Barnstable High School [email protected]