About
Aaron Blackwelder
With over 25 years in public education, Aaron Blackwelder has taught middle and high school English, served as a Digital Learning Coach, and coached both boys’ and girls’ high school golf. He co-founded Teachers Going Gradeless, hosts the podcast Beyond the Curriculum, and contributes to Spectrum Life Magazine.
Aaron was a Washington State English Teachers Fellow, a 2019 Washington State Teacher of the Year nominee, and a five-time golf coach of the year.
As a Digital Learning Coach, Aaron encourages teachers to incorporate technology to promote 21st-century learning. He has also led professional development on the transformative power of AI in the classroom. In his teaching, he empowers students to leverage digital tools through student-centered, project-based learning.
Aaron is a husband and father of two boys on the autism spectrum, who inspire him to meet the needs of all students.
Jason Cowley
Jason is a National Board Certified ELA teacher and a former instructional coach with more than 18 years of experience in the classroom. He also worked as a National Board facilitator for eight years. In addition to his work on AI in the classroom, Jason has extensively studied how assessment practices impact student learning.
When Chat GPT became popular, Jason started using AI in his classroom with students. He conducted action research measuring how to improve student writing using Chat GPT. Jason has shared his findings with large groups and with smaller PLCs.
Jason has collaborated with educators on how to integrate Generative AI into classrooms and how teachers can use Generative AI to support their own work. Jason works as a high school ELA teacher.
He lives with his wife and children in Vancouver, Washington.