Professional Development
Let’s level up teaching together.
Our professional development sessions are built by teachers, for teachers, blending hands-on creation, AI-powered workflows, creative lesson design, and real-classroom experience. Whether you’re looking to energize your staff, redesign instructional practices, or spark more student-centered learning, our PD is packed with strategies you can use the very next day.
From meaningful, interactive learning experiences to fresh ideas that make teaching feel exciting again, we help educators design lessons that spark thinking, making, and connection.
Whatever your school’s goals, we’ll help your teachers build a vision of learning that feels modern, practical, and interACTIVE.
Keynotes
Bring the energy, the storytelling, and the real-classroom spark.
Our keynotes are packed with classroom-tested strategies, creative lesson ideas, and practical takeaways your teachers can use the very next day. Perfect for district kickoffs, conferences, or leadership events, our sessions reignite passion, inspire innovation, and cast a clear, exciting vision for interACTIVE learning.
Professional Development
Let’s level up teaching together.
From hands-on creation to AI-powered workflows, our PD blends creativity, edtech, and real-world classroom experience. We help teachers design meaningful, student-centered lessons that spark thinking, making, and connection. Whether you need a half-day, full-day, or multi-session experience, our workshops deliver practical tools your staff can implement immediately.
Books
Interactive learning made practical, creative, and classroom-ready.
Our books—written by teachers, for teachers—are filled with strategies, templates, and lesson ideas that help students create, collaborate, and communicate in powerful ways. Perfect for book studies, PLCs, coaching cycles, or updating your instructional playbook, each title offers fresh, flexible tools for today’s classrooms.
Keynotes
View a sample of our keynote decks
Creativity: More Than a Buzzword
In an age of rapid technological change and the rise of AI, creativity is often labeled as a trendy skill—but it’s far more than that. Join as the Merrills explore why creativity doesn’t need to be redefined in this new era, but rather recognized in the many ways students already express it. Unpack how creativity itself hasn’t changed—just our understanding of it has—and how educators can adapt their classrooms to nurture it more intentionally. Get ready to rethink what creativity looks like, sounds like, and feels like in today’s classrooms—and how new tools can help bring it to life.
Using AI to Empower Minds: Transforming Obstacles into Opportunities
In this inspiring keynote, Joe and Kristin Merrill show educators how AI can shift classroom challenges into powerful opportunities for creativity, critical thinking, and meaningful learning. Through real examples, practical strategies, and classroom-tested workflows, they demonstrate how AI can support both teachers and students—not by replacing human thinking, but by expanding it. Attendees will walk away with a renewed sense of possibility and actionable ideas they can implement the very next day.
Workshops
View a sample of our workshop decks
Empowering Learning with AI: Hands On Approaches for Students
In this interactive workshop, educators and enthusiasts will explore practical ways to introduce AI concepts to students of all ages. Through hands-on activities, participants will learn how to harness AI tools to foster creativity and critical thinking.
Teaching AI: We’re Never Getting Back Together with Old Methods
Unlock Your Creativity ERA with Canva; From 'BLANK SPACE' to 'LOVE STORY'
'Sparks Fly' when working with Canva's creative power! 'Begin Again' in the classroom, crafting creative activities better than your 'Wildest Dreams' – posters, infographics, animations, and more. 'Shake It Off' and redefine how students demonstrate their learning today.
Inspired by Taylor Swift’s iconic anthem “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” we’ll SHAKE OFF into how AI is reshaping teaching practices, leaving traditional methods in the rearview mirror.
Sessions
View a sample of our session decks
Rethink traditional methods and empower students to create and innovate in the classroom! Learn ideas to harness the power of creation over consumption and how to promote a highly engaging classroom environment.
Pivoting Pedagogy: Six Principles for Pivoting your Pedagogy Into the Digital Age
Student learning will grow and engagement will increase as you develop your personal pedagogy for the digital age. Learn how to create a foundation for learning that supports student achievement through the integration of 6 key principles.
In this session, attendees will learn how to use AI and online tools to design a full unit of lessons in real-time. Starting from educational standards, participants will create engaging activities, projects, and assessments, leaving with practical strategies for classroom-ready, tech-enhanced units.
The InterACTIVE Class: Using Technology to Make Learning More Relevant and Engaging
Looking to make learning more relevant and engaging? Whether you're just starting out or already have some experience with EdTech, this session is for you! Join Joe and Kristin Merrill, teachers and authors of The InterACTIVE Class series, as they share practical techniques for transforming your lessons. Learn how to breathe new life into old lessons through gamification, project-based learning, and the integration of educational tools, no matter your level of expertise. This session will equip both beginner and intermediate EdTech teachers with strategies to make their classrooms truly interactive!
From Concept to Classroom: Build a Unit Together Using Online Tools
Creation Over Consumption: Reimagining How Students Engage with Content in the Classroom
Discover how to turn everyday standards into creative, student-driven learning experiences. We’ll share real classroom examples and tech-infused strategies that amplify student voice and boost engagement—plus ready-to-use ideas you can implement tomorrow.
Don’t Hold Your Breath, Let Student Voice Flow with Snorkl
Discover how Snorkl can transform learning through accessibility, collaboration, and AI-powered coaching. In this session, we’ll walk you through the platform’s most impactful features and show practical ways to use them to support student thinking and elevate classroom engagement. Leave with ready-to-use ideas for bringing Snorkl to life in any subject area.
Leveling Up Your Lessons with Student Voice
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TheMerrillsEDU @ Canva Create 2025
See how The Merrills use Canva to turn everyday lessons into student-powered creations — practical, fun, and ready to spark creativity in any classroom.