Deann Garcia, Thomas County Middle School Georgia History Teacher, organized the event. "The goal of the Techno Expo is to help teachers feel more comfortable incorporating technology to better connect with students,” Garcia said. 

“Allowing students to collaborate on projects using technology prepares students for high school, college, and for the workforce.  Thomas County has provided us with tremendous access to technology, and the Expo helps teachers utilize technology more effectively in their instruction," Garcia added.

The sessions were conducted by teachers from Thomas County Middle School and Upper Elementary School, Cross Creek Elementary, Thomas County Board of Education and Southwest Georgia RESA.  Sessions included strategies on Creating and Posting Tutorial Videos, Google Classroom, Interactive Notebooks, and SMART Notebook Features.  

“It is important to remember that integrating technology into instruction is only one aspect of the learning process," said Erin Rehberg, Instructional Technology Coordinator for the Thomas County School System.

"Technology cannot be a substitute for well-trained teachers. However, this event allowed teachers in our system to share their knowledge of various instructional technology tools so that fellow educators will be able to use more engaging strategies during instructional opportunities,” Rehberg said.

The event was open to all teachers in the Thomas County System.