UTC 2025

Let’s dive in and explore how to get ALL early childhood and elementary-age readers engaged with Novel Effect! Are you new to Novel Effect? Come and listen to what this technology can do to enhance the reading environment and to engage your readers! We will explore a variety of books and discuss how additional tech tools can be used to provide CREATIVE and COLLABORATIVE learning experiences.
Session Resources

Are you looking for new ways to integrate edtech into your classroom or school? Struggling with student engagement, tech management, or finding the right tools to support instruction? Sometimes, the best instructional strategies emerge from great collaborative conversations—and this session is designed to spark just that. Join Josh Shepard, a former elementary teacher, instructional technology coach, and K-12 Chief Technology Officer for Oconee County Schools, SC, who now serves as the Co-Founder and CEO of an edtech software company. With experience on all sides of education technology—from the classroom to district leadership to building innovative edtech solutions—Josh brings a unique perspective on how to maximize technology for teaching and learning. This interactive session is an open forum where teachers and administrators can bring their questions, challenges, and ideas related to edtech integration, student engagement, classroom management with technology, and more. Whether you need practical strategies, expert insights, or creative solutions, this session will help you walk away with actionable takeaways to implement in your school or classroom. Come ready to ask, share, and collaborate—because sometimes the best solutions come from simply talking through the challenges together!
X: @joshua_shepard
Session Resources

Let’s dive in and explore how to get ALL early childhood and elementary-age readers engaged with Novel Effect! Are you new to Novel Effect? Come and listen to what this technology can do to enhance the reading environment and to engage your readers! We will explore a variety of books and discuss how additional tech tools can be used to provide CREATIVE and COLLABORATIVE learning experiences.
Session Resources

Are you seeking SELF-CHECKING (Audio available) targeted literacy center activities, remediation or enrichment tools, review and practice opportunities, or ways to make those e-learning days easier? BOOM, it's here! Learn how to organize folders, find targeted activities, create assignments with a click, and instantly implement them in your classroom to use year after year. Some experience using Google Classroom and Google Slides is strongly encouraged.
Instagram: @_michelle.lynch
Session Resources

Are you seeking SELF-CHECKING (Audio available) targeted literacy center activities, remediation or enrichment tools, review and practice opportunities, or ways to make those e-learning days easier? BOOM, it's here! Learn how to organize folders, find targeted activities, create assignments with a click, and instantly implement them in your classroom to use year after year. Some experience using Google Classroom and Google Slides is strongly encouraged.
Instagram: @_michelle.lynch
Session Resources

Do you have folders or binders weighing you down? Reading groups, faculty meetings, or on-track meetings are much easier to navigate and arrive prepared for. Goodnotes makes your iPad a one-stop shop of information and resources that interfaces seamlessly with your phone, so you're only a click away. Use Goodnotes as a planner, create lifestyle journals, organize and use reading group lesson plans and schedules for groups, and take notes to share instantly. Experience with iPad, PDFs and images, and Google Slides encouraged. Although not required, please load the Goodnotes app onto your iPad to apply and practice simultaneously. Apple Pencil (or a compatible alternative) is not required but encouraged.
Instagram: _michelle.lynch
Session Resources

Are you looking for new ways to integrate edtech into your classroom or school? Struggling with student engagement, tech management, or finding the right tools to support instruction? Sometimes, the best instructional strategies emerge from great collaborative conversations—and this session is designed to spark just that. Join Josh Shepard, a former elementary teacher, instructional technology coach, and K-12 Chief Technology Officer for Oconee County Schools, SC, who now serves as the Co-Founder and CEO of an edtech software company. With experience on all sides of education technology—from the classroom to district leadership to building innovative edtech solutions—Josh brings a unique perspective on how to maximize technology for teaching and learning. This interactive session is an open forum where teachers and administrators can bring their questions, challenges, and ideas related to edtech integration, student engagement, classroom management with technology, and more. Whether you need practical strategies, expert insights, or creative solutions, this session will help you walk away with actionable takeaways to implement in your school or classroom. Come ready to ask, share, and collaborate—because sometimes the best solutions come from simply talking through the challenges together!
X: @joshua_shepard
Session Resources

Do you have folders or binders weighing you down? Reading groups, faculty meetings, or on-track meetings are much easier to navigate and arrive prepared for. Goodnotes makes your iPad a one-stop shop of information and resources that interfaces seamlessly with your phone, so you're only a click away. Use Goodnotes as a planner, create lifestyle journals, organize and use reading group lesson plans and schedules for groups, and take notes to share instantly. Experience with iPad, PDFs and images, and Google Slides encouraged. Although not required, please load the Goodnotes app onto your iPad to apply and practice simultaneously. Apple Pencil (or a compatible alternative) is not required but encouraged.
Instagram: _michelle.lynch
Session Resources