Professional Development Conference
2024 Professional Development Conference
2024 Keynote Speaker
Chris Koch
Renowned Motivational Speaker
Chris Koch doesn’t let limitations or obstacles stand in his way. Despite being born without arms and legs, Koch grew up like any other small-town kid — playing road hockey, causing mischief at school, and helping out on his family farm. Neither he or his family treated his disability like a tragedy, and instead used it to fuel his dreams. Today, Koch is a motivational speaker who inspires his audiences to continually challenge themselves and build the life they dream of.
Born in Lethbridge, Alberta, Koch was raised in the small farming and ranching community of Nanton, Alberta. Early on, he learned that he would not be raised with pity or sympathy. Sure, he had to do things a little differently and some tasks took him a little longer to complete than others, but he was determined to be just like the rest and was always treated just like the rest. After all, he still had a good head on his shoulders and with that, anything is possible.
Koch loves sharing his story and spreading his message of, “If I Can…” An avid traveler, marathoner, and farmer, his presentation reflects his full life. Simply put, Koch says, if I can do what I’ve done so far in my life, what’s stopping others from doing the same?
2024 Draft Agenda
Download a PDF of the Day 1 Agenda and the Day 2 Agenda.
Pre & Post Conference Activities
Pre-Conference Workshops, October 13
Session: Coding in Minecraft Certified Educator Course
HCC: ADVENTURE
8:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Coding in Minecraft’ is an immersive, easy-to-teach and standards-aligned CS curriculum that is FREE for all public schools in Alaska. In this workshop, come learn how to leverage ‘Coding in Minecraft’s’ Computer Science aligned curriculum and the familiar world of Minecraft Education to help your students’ progress from the basics of using MakeCode to advanced coding with JavaScript or Python. You will get hands-on with our curriculum and leave ready to bring ‘Coding in Minecraft’ to your students – all at no cost!
For this workshop you will need to bring a device with Minecraft Education installed.
Presenter: Jennifer Brown
Session: Discover the Future of Trades at Alaska Works Partnership!
Alaska Works Training Center, Anchorage
8:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Join us at our Anchorage training center for an exciting and hands-on event. Alaska Works Partnership is your go-to hub for trade-related pre-apprenticeship training and recruitment, with training facilities in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Mat-Su, plus mobile training options for rural areas.
Come explore Alaska’s building trade apprenticeships and get ready to roll up your sleeves and build your very own toolbox to take home. It’s a fantastic opportunity to learn, connect, and inspire the next generation of skilled tradespeople. Don’t miss out on this fun and informative experience!
Post conference Wednesday October 16
Session A: Alaska Career Coaching
HCC: BALLROOM FORE DECK
START TIME: 8:30 AM
This is an opportunity to learn about different resources and approaches for helping high school students prepare for what comes next. There will be presentations from several different organizations sharing their approaches to career coaching, as well as opportunities to learn about different programs and resources.
This is an opportunity to learn about RootEd, to learn about Sealaska Heritage Institutes career guidance through a cultural lens resources, hear from the Department of Education about a career guidance course, as well as spend time with Janelle Vanasse, APU’s president, in focused discussion regarding what is important to focus on and when for career guidance for youth in Alaska, as well as hear from the Department of Labor about their approach with Rooted on career guidance.
Session B: Tour of Alaska Vocational Technical Center
Bus departs Hotel Captain Cook at 8:30 and returns at 5:30.
Tour is limited to 15 participants.
Physical tour of AVTEC’s training and common areas.
Session C: Coding in Minecraft Certified Educator Course
HCC: ADVENTURE
8:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Coding in Minecraft’ is an immersive, easy-to-teach and standards-aligned CS curriculum that is FREE for all public schools in Alaska. In this workshop, come learn how to leverage ‘Coding in Minecraft’s’ Computer Science aligned curriculum and the familiar world of Minecraft Education to help your students’ progress from the basics of using MakeCode to advanced coding with JavaScript or Python. You will get hands-on with our curriculum and leave ready to bring ‘Coding in Minecraft’ to your students – all at no cost!
For this workshop you will need to bring a device with Minecraft Education installed.
Presenter: Jennifer Brown
2024 Vendors
Thank you to the vendors attending the conference!
- Northwest Technical Products Inc.
- Certiport, a Pearson VUE Business
- Prodigy Learning
- Klein Educational Systems
- Anchorage MEPS
- National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning
- Alaska Society of Technology in Education ASTE
- Alaska Hospital & Healthcare Association
- University of Alaska Southeast
- UAA Community and Technical College
- Western States Regional Council of Carpenters
- AVTEC
- Southern Educational Consulting and Training
- Paxton/Patterson
2024 Sponsors
