K–12 educators invited to learn and earn at free, online conference June 10

A trio of Purdue University Fort Wayne faculty and staff is the inspiration behind a free, online summit on June 10 for K-12 educators in northeast Indiana to help them earn Professional Growth Plan points required to renew their licenses.

INnovatED comes at an important time for Indiana school corporations looking for ways to replace lost teacher training opportunities in light of decreased funding. This professional learning summit hosted by PFW will take place between 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Teachers can hear from keynote speaker Graciela Miranda, the 2025 Indiana Teacher of the Year, and take part in two of seven hour-long breakout sessions.

James Cashdollar, PFW’s director of online learning and credit programs, introduced the idea in December during a lunch with Brad Oliver, chair of counseling and graduate education. Shane Conwell, clinical assistant professor of educational leadership, joined the discussion in April. Cashdollar, B.A. ’02 and M.A. ’04, said the hardest part was coming up with the name.

“With continuing studies, one thing that we always do is work with the community in different ways. This includes the online and credit team that works with PFW’s online and hybrid classes in addition to our graduate programs,” Cashdollar said. “Then we have our training outreach team that works with non-credit programs and community partnerships. This is something new and different that we haven’t done before. This was just an initial idea that kept building and building.”

Oliver recruited the seven speakers, including Conwell, who will discuss the educator’s role in school safety, and Isabel Nuñez, dean of PFW’s School of Education, who will welcome participants to the event. As Oliver said, the topics focus on innovation and also showcase PFW faculty scholarship.

“What excites me most about INnovatED is its focus on practical, classroom-ready innovation,” said Erin Hayden, clinical assistant professor, who will talk about rewiring reading instruction for content-area classrooms. “It’s not just about ideas—it’s about actionable strategies that empower educators to reimagine what's possible in their classrooms. The energy around this event is contagious, and I think that’s why Brad Oliver was able to gather such a strong slate of speakers so quickly.”

Holly Hullinger, clinical associate professor of elementary education and tutoring, will discuss championing the science of reading; Hanan Alyami, assistant professor for mathematics education, will talk about learning and understanding mathematics integration opportunities using STEM; Rama Cousik, associate professor of special education, will present on autism unpacked: insights for inclusive educators; Mary Encabo Bischoff, clinical assistant professor of linguistics, has chosen “Every teacher is a language teacher” as her topic; and Aileen Tierney, assistant professor of counselor education, will speak on infusing social and emotional wellness in education initiatives.

“It really helps that we have a lot of instructors who are experts in their fields,” Cashdollar said. “The great thing about the different topics is that they are really of the moment, so they pertain to what teachers are doing now and what would interest them and help them.”

The hardest part for the participants may be choosing only two breakout sessions in the Zoom format. Each session also has time allotted for questions.

Oliver will help close the conference by discussing PFW’s graduate education program.  

Cashdollar said if there’s a good response, it’s possible the seminar could be offered again in the near future. Potential speakers have already expressed interest in participating.

Click here to learn more. The deadline to register is 10:30 a.m. on June 10 when Nuñez begins her event introduction.