Heinemann Educator Summit

Meaningful Teaching in a Digital World

The Heinemann Educator Summit is a free virtual event designed to help educators keep learning meaningful. As AI, rapid digital growth, and new demands reshape classrooms—and as educators and districts navigate evolving expectations around technology use—this year’s theme, Meaningful Teaching in a Digital World, focuses on what matters most: helping students think critically, connecting ideas in lasting ways, and using technology strategically in your teaching practice.

This summit re-centers educators as the heart of effective instruction. Through thought-provoking conversations and practical sessions across literacy and mathematics, you’ll gain fresh ideas, actionable strategies, and renewed clarity about what meaningful teaching can look like in today’s classrooms.

What to Expect:

Practical strategies for effective teaching (with and without technology) that support meaningful, student-centered learning
Rebuilding deep reading, writing, and critical thinking in a digital world
Making math instruction more human, equitable, and grounded in student thinking
Using technology intentionally to strengthen great teaching, not replace it.

Who Should Attend:

K–12 classroom teachers
Instructional coaches and specialists
School and district leaders
Professional learning facilitators and educators supporting PLCs and collaborative teaching

Whether you're joining live or catching up later, register for the sessions you want to attend and access recordings at your convenience. All participants are eligible to receive a certificate of completion. Miss the 2025 Educator Summit? Revisit to watch old sessions.

Register for Individual Sessions Below!

Keynote Sessions

Opening Keynote

Read the World,
Center What Matters

Monday, September 28 at 4:00 pm Eastern

Presenter: Kristin Ziemke

In a world filled with devices, distractions, and constant streams of information, meaningful teaching requires more than access to technology. It requires thoughtful restraint. How do we ensure that digital tools enhance learning rather than overwhelm it? In this opening keynote, Kristin Ziemke will inspire educators to center humanity, curiosity, and purpose as they make intentional choices about when to use digital tools and when to step away from them. Participants will explore how using technology less, but more purposefully, can deepen literacy, amplify student voice, and create learning experiences that truly last.

Closing Keynote

Learning That Lasts: Preparing Students to Think Beyond the Digital Moment

Thursday, October 1 at 4:00 pm Eastern

Presenter: Antero Garcero

Learning, creating, and connecting largely occurs in digital spaces now, so how do we harness students' interests and teach for meaning? Antero Garcia explores how evolving technologies are reshaping literacy, identity, and participation, and why the choices educators make about digital tools matter more than ever. By tuning in to students' lives, cultures, and digital experiences, he challenges educators to move beyond consumption toward creation, agency, and more meaningful, connected learning.

General Sessions

Whole-Book Reading in a Digital World: Practical Moves for Deep Thinking

Tuesday, September 29 at 4:00 pm Eastern

With today’s digital environment, students are surrounded by short texts, rapid content, and quick answers. As a result, many struggle to sustain attention and develop deep understanding across longer, more complex reading. This session explores why whole-book reading is essential for building comprehension, critical thinking, and lasting engagement. Jennifer Serravallo will share practical, classroom-ready moves that help students stay focused, think deeply across a text, and make meaningful connections over time.

Presenter: Jennifer Serravallo

Beyond the Screen: Making Math Meaningful, Human, and Equitable

Tuesday, September 29 at 5:30 pm Eastern

What truly matters in math teaching today? Panelists José Luis Vilson, Sue O’Connell, and Wendy Ward Hoffer bring together perspectives on equity, identity, and classroom practice. They will examine how educators can center students’ humanity, thinking, and voice while navigating the opportunities and challenges of digital instruction. Together, they will discuss how meaningful math learning is built through rich tasks, discourse, and sense-making, and how intentional instructional choices, digital or not, can support deeper understanding and more equitable outcomes. Participants will leave with practical ideas for keeping math classrooms grounded in curiosity, connection, and understanding, beyond the screen.

Presenters: José Luis Vilson, Sue O'Connell, and Wendy Ward Hoffer

Meaningful Literacy Learning in Today's Classrooms

Wednesday, September 30 at 4:00 pm Eastern

Join a captivating (and fun!) discussion with literacy leaders as they explore how educators can nurture joy, engagement, creativity, and student voice in an increasingly digital world. Together, they will discuss how to keep meaningful literacy experiences and human connection at the center of learning. You won't want to miss this session!

Presenter: Surprise author and literacy leader lineup to come - stay tuned!

Meaningful Math for Every Learner: Practical Moves for Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3

Wednesday, September 30 at 5:30 pm Eastern

Explore practical ways to strengthen Tier 1, deliver targeted Tier 2 support, and understand how Tier 3 fits within a cohesive system. You’ll learn how to address every level of your Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) without adding to your workload. Through real classroom examples, you will learn high-impact moves that make whole-group and small-group instruction more effective and intervention more focused, helping every student access and succeed in grade-level math.

Presenter: Jennifer Lempp