Conversation not Presentation – SITE Interactive 2026 Online Conference

SITE interactive is an online space to come together and build a community of cooperation and collaboration in educational technology through purposeful conversations across the broad spectrum of technology considerations, issues, and contexts in today’s educational landscape.  Instead of operating as a traditional delivery focused conference, SITE Interactive is an online opportunity to focus on the discussion of ideas across curricula, pedagogy, and technology with other scholars, students, and k12 practitioners in education. It’s digital dialogue with purpose.

SITE Interactive welcomes graduate students, K12 teachers, administrators, professors, and more to engage with each other to both spark new ideas, as well as elevate our current thoughts around educational technology in our purposeful conversation.  Attendees can network with peers who are dedicated to the integration of digital tools; build research and teaching connections; develop lines of inquiry; and ultimately come away revitalized for further research and practice moving forward.

SITE Interactive allows us to shed ourselves of the trappings of the slide deck and instead focus on the personal interactions that lead to great ideas – and their evolution further into new research, new publications and new pedagogical practice. Existing at the intersection of technology, curriculum, pedagogy, and context – SITE Interactive invites you to join the conversation.

FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS
This conversational conference offers an invaluable context for you to engage with other graduate students, as well as leading experts, researchers, and practitioners in the field. It provides a unique opportunity to talk about your interests, gain valuable feedback, and explore potential collaborations with professionals who share your interests. The conference’s emphasis on collaboration and interactive sessions encourages meaningful networking and mentorship opportunities, enabling you to build connections and expand your professional network. Join us to enrich your graduate studies through democratic dialogue, and embark on a rewarding journey of growth and learning online.

FOR TEACHERS
By participating in SITE Interactive, you will have the opportunity to engage in a rewarding conversation with a diverse community of educators, researchers, and technology experts, all focused on enhancing instructional practices through technology. The conversational platform offers a space for you to share your own experiences, innovative teaching strategies, and best practices with a global audience. Attendees will gain valuable insights from theme conversations, and panel discussions, providing inspiration and fresh ideas to implement in your classrooms. The collaborative environment encourages meaningful dialogue, allowing you to connect with like-minded professionals, expand your professional network, and establish long-lasting partnerships. Moreover, SITE Interactive will expose you to the latest thinking about technological advancements and educational tools, empowering you to create engaging and impactful learning experiences for your students. Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to gain new perspectives, discover innovative approaches, and enhance your teaching practices.

FOR HIGHER EDUCATORS

The SITE Interactive conversation is meant to benefit both early career and late career faculty in higher education. This conference offers a unique platform for you to engage with fellow educators, researchers, and professionals from around the world. It provides an excellent opportunity to share your research thoughts and expertise while receiving valuable feedback from a supportive community of peers. Participating in themed conversations and collaboration activities helps expand your knowledge, challenge your thinking, and inspire innovative approaches in your teaching and research. The conference’s emphasis on collaboration and networking will enable you to forge connections with colleagues, establish collaborative partnerships, and explore potential interdisciplinary collaborations. Additionally, SITE Interactive will expose you to cutting-edge trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in educational technology and teacher education. Whether you are an early career faculty member seeking mentorship and guidance or a late career faculty member looking to share your wisdom and contribute to the field, this conference offers a valuable platform for professional growth, knowledge exchange, and advancing your career.

SCOPE

SITE Interactive invites proposals for conversations at all levels and on all topics related to the lived experiences of digital technology in teacher education – improving policy, supporting instruction, furthering curricular considerations, infused experiences, mentoring students and peers, and more.  Specifically SITE Interactive would like to hear about your lived experiences with:

• In-person, online, and/or blended learning environments
• Undergraduate and graduate preservice and in-service teacher education
• Faculty & staff professional development
• K-12 and higher education
• Policy development and reform
• Curricular innovation and development
• Frontier technologies including AI, XR and More

All proposals should focus on engaging in a conversation about how best to improve our work and what we do in innovative ways.

THEMES/TOPICS

Submissions will not be directed to a Special Interest Group (SIG). Instead, we will offer a choice of themes for proposals.

1. Big Picture: Policy, Ethics, and Big Data in Educational Technology

• The advancing field of educational technology needs both scholars and practitioners who can lead the way in monitoring how policy, ethics, and big data impact both the classroom and society. Learning management systems, educational apps, AI, attendance and behavior tracking, assessment and more are being integrated digitally into educational systems. How should educators and leaders select and utilize these programs to the benefit of students? What considerations are needed to ensure faculty, students, families, and institutions are safe? Who should have control over what data is collected and how it is monitored and used? What inequities can big data surface, address, or exacerbate and how should policies consider the implications of its collection/use? This theme explores any and all of these questions with a focus on communication, advocacy, and ethical decision-making. Submissions should focus on the potential societal and classroom impact of practices related to educational technology policy, ethics, and big data.

2. Critical Pedagogy and Social Justice

• Education is socially constructed and so has the potential to improve upon or reflect society. Considering the power structures that drive education, gaining influence and control – how is educational technology being leveraged to impact education? Through the use of digital technology, can power be inclusive in educational arenas; to scrutinize, broaden, and change existing powers, including their decolonization? How can educational technology be used to empower learners to speak to- and potentially transform – those in control?  This theme invites critical inquiry into the role of educational technology in the relationship between power and education, specifically in shaping, challenging, and transforming societal structures. Submissions should engage with questions of influence, equity, and resistance—exploring how power could use technology to operate in educational systems to provide for more inclusive experience; and how learners and educators might use technology to question, redistribute, or decolonize that power. Emphasis will be placed on contributions that address these dynamics through the lenses of social justice, critical pedagogy, and transformative action that integrate digital tools.

3. Frontier Technologies

• Frontier technologies have the potential to support learning and teaching in a variety of academic levels, content areas and contexts when used with a learning intent. Considering new and emergent digital technology – how can this be leveraged to impact education?  What are the learning advantages and challenges of integrating emergent technologies including XR/AR and AI in our educational systems and what considerations need to be made related to cognitive load, pedagogy and overall integration and perception of these technologies?  What work has been done with frontier technologies informing future practices of teaching and learning?  This theme invites critical inquiry and conversation around emerging and rapidly evolving technology, frameworks, accessibility, issues, benefits and constraints when used in education. Submissions should focus on how frontier technologies are used with learners by teachers, administrators, and school systems while also considering the perspective of all educational stakeholders.  Take part in a discussion of the future of education technology and discuss the next frontier of digital technology integrated learning.

4. Professional Development: Leadership, Academia, and Teaching Practice

• Teacher education is at a crossroads in balancing the use of digital technology in a rapidly evolving 21st century context.  The advent of AI has led to quick adoption as well was pushback on use in the classroom – with many school systems and classrooms going “tech free.” What does educational technology need to become to address the concerns of educational stakeholders at the classroom and school level and how do we prepare our teacher candidates and peers to be advocates for the affordances of digital technology use in the classroom? This theme centers on nurturing and mentorship for emerging scholars and established professionals who are launching or evolving their careers in the academy and in educational practice. Inherent in this theme is the critical importance of leadership at all levels of education—both formal and informal—and the collaborative efforts needed to infuse educational technology in ways that support inclusive and innovative learning environments. Submissions should focus on professional growth, leadership development, mentoring practices, and the integration of educational technology into professional academy growth. Contributions that discuss best practices or emergent ideas, critical reflections, or research-driven strategies for thriving in academic and professional spaces are welcome.

As the focus of SITE Interactive is on Purposeful Conversations in Educational Technology and the big questions that guide our research, teaching, and professional endeavors- there are three types of sessions where these conversations will take place. The organizers will work identify common concepts and connections across submissions depending on your selected session below. There are three types of sessions to submit for, and please be sure to also identify which type of conversation you are proposing in your abstract and how it fits into the session type.

• Collaborative Conversations: A place to share your current efforts on large or small projects with other professionals.  Here, one can find valuable feedback and support from other conference attendees.  If you are seeking guidance, direction or looking for others to collaborate with and further an ongoing project – these sessions are for you!
• Catalyst Conversations: A place to initiate new research with the support and guidance of other professionals.  Here one can find fertile ground for new projects surrounding developing questions you are observing or starting to ask. If you are seeking to engage new ideas and find collaboration with others in the same space to develop into projects, these sessions are for you!
• Pedagogical Conversations: This is a place to share your current efforts in the k12 or Higher Ed space that may lead to research and new opportunities for evolving pedagogies of practice.  If you are seeking input or thoughts on potential practice and action research, these sessions are for you!

SUBMISSION & PRESENTATION TYPES

Abstract – Write a 550 words minimum– up to 2 pages maximum, proposal abstract.
In the abstract detail:

• • Describe the conversation you intend to engage
  • Identify the intended audience
  • Explain how it connects to the selected Theme/Topic
  • List conversational questions. Conversational questions are 2 to 3 questions essential and relevant to your selected Theme/Topic and the conversation you wish to engage with your peers at SITE Interactive for a response.

• A single slide for display

*Abstract submissions are required to be entered in BOTH the abstract field of the submission form AND uploaded in .docx format as a ‘proposal file’ for review. 

Review – All abstracts will be reviewed for acceptance through a peer review process. Accepted abstracts will be invited to join the conversation.

The Conference Review Policy requires that each abstract proposal be peer-reviewed by at least two reviewers for inclusion in the conference program.

Acceptance– After notification of a proposal acceptance one author must confirm by registering by the Confirmation Deadline.

*Visuals, Questions, and other media can be used during the conversation, but the focus is on dialog with peers and not direct presentation of research or ideas. 

After submitting your proposal by the deadline, use the menu at Submission and select “Add Files to Submission” to upload your PowerPoint file in PPT or PPTX format (without audio or video). Also, at least one author must confirm by registering by the Confirmation Deadline.

ONLINE PRESENTATION

SITE Interactive 2026 brings a different approach to the online conference, one that focuses on works-in-progress and questions related to professional practices of any kind in educational technology and teacher education – research, teaching, design, service, promotion and tenure, funding and more.

The focus of SITE Interactive is for people to come together for a conversation – to share and/or discover opportunities for collaboration. It is a conference for interacting more deeply with those who share your professional interests without the barrier of a formal presentation.

Each hour, 2-3 presentations will introduce their topic or question and then discuss and collaborate with those present. Presentations will be scheduled with similar topics.

Additionally the online format allows more participation by those who otherwise would be unable to attend due to funding, time constraints, or travel restrictions while still providing the same validity (publication, certification, etc.) as the traditional face-to-face conference. The online format also provides additional opportunities to interact with session presenters and participants.

MORE ABOUT SITE

SITE is a society of the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).SITE, known as the ‘The Friendly Society’, is unique as the only organization which has as its sole focus the integration of instructional technologies into teacher education programs. SITE promotes the development and dissemination of theoretical knowledge, conceptual research, and professional practice knowledge through conferences, books, projects, and the Journal of Technology and Teacher Education (JTATE).