Empowering the Future: AI Integration in Education for Teachers and Students
This workshop is designed to explore the dynamic role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education, focusing on its dual impact: enhancing teaching methodologies and preparing students for AI-driven future careers. Participants will gain insights into the practical applications of AI in the classroom, understand the importance of AI literacy, and develop strategies to equip students with the skills needed to thrive in an AI-centric world. Through interactive discussions, case studies, and action plan development, educators will leave with a clear roadmap for integrating AI into their curriculum in a way that benefits both teachers and students.

About Janette Camacho
Janette Camacho, Ed.S., is a renowned educator and an enthusiastic advocate for transformative teaching and learning methods. With a career spanning over a decade in the field of education, she has devoted her life to aiding fellow educators in discovering innovative, sustainable techniques to enrich the learning experience for students globally.

Janette's unique skill set and unwavering dedication have allowed her to collaborate successfully with schools, districts, and educational organizations. She has led the development and implementation of pioneering programs and strategies, all aimed at bolstering the growth of both students and teachers. Known for her capacity to cultivate a community of collaboration among educators, Janette consistently fosters an environment that emphasizes continuous learning and enhancement.

She is a fervent believer in technology's transformative potential in enriching learning experiences. By consistently sharing her insights and expertise, Janette is helping educators leverage technology effectively to create engaging learning environments for their students. Her dedication to pushing the boundaries of educational practices affirms her commitment to excellence in the field of education.

Promoting Technology Acceptance of AI Innovations through Professional Development and Policy Alignment
This interactive session shares the application of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to innovative AI technologies, such as ChatGPT, in higher education. Examples of research-based professional development modules and policies are provided. Participants partake in active discussions on the transferability of policy concepts and professional development strategies to their institutional contexts.

About Abigail Dutcher
Abigail Dutcher, a proud mother of two beautiful children, has walked the path from a K-12 educator and instructional coach to a first-year college professor. Her unwavering love for technology, STEM, and artificial intelligence has been the driving force behind her academic journey. 

She completed her Ed.S. research in Artificial Intelligence and Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) reading strategies. She is currently writing her dissertation on Artificial Intelligence and Lesson Planning. Butler University published two of her lesson plans that taught educators and faculty how to integrate artificial intelligence into their classrooms.

Net(work) Hacks: Computer Network Security in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools gained increased attention in recent years and continue to create opportunities for educators to integrate technology into their classroom curriculum. This session focuses on using AI to enhance security in computer networks through guided demonstrations. Participants will benefit from discussions on emerging technology topics, such as ethical hacking, principles of cybersecurity, and best practices for artificial intelligence use in higher education. This research will contribute to the development of effective course materials and assessments for information technology pedagogy and practice.

About Cavwell Edwards
Dr. Cavwell Edwards, Associate Professor at Community College of Allegheny County chooses to work in post-secondary education because "there is nothing more satisfying than being part of something that will outlive you.” As an educator, Dr. Edwards provides positive educational experiences and learning outcomes that align with the interests and goals of students. The overarching goal of his scholarly work is to advance theories, tools, research, and practices for the effective integration of learning technologies into business education, teacher education, and evidence-based learning contexts. Dr. Edwards is enthusiastic about teaching and education that holistically supports learners and their success.

Ethical Decision-Making in AI-Enhanced Classrooms: Empowering Educators and Students with Critical Thinking Skills.
A.I has enhanced an influx of information and has left many frustrated to try and understand the principles behind the content created by AI. This has affected deep thinking practices from students and effective assessment for teachers, as in some cases A I is leveraged as the main driver of education by both students and teachers. This topic explores the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and education, focusing on the ethical considerations that arise when implementing AI in classrooms. The talk delves into the challenges and opportunities of using AI tools in education, and how they can be harnessed to enhance teaching and learning experiences. Additionally, the talk will emphasize the importance of equipping educators and students with critical thinking skills to navigate the ethical dilemmas that AI integration may present, as well as to allow for deep thinking that allows A. I to be a tool that allows for critical thinking to be enhanced

Kudakwashe Whitney Foya
Kudakwashe Foya is a youth empowerment enthusiast, with 7 years of experience in the educational and professional development space as a teacher, mentor, researcher, and co-founder. She started teaching at 19 years a career that spanned for four years. This translated into mentoring social impact entities at events like the MIT Grand Hackathon, Peace First and Merge Policython, mentoring impact projects solving global challenges in health and education. She co-founded a social impact entity called The LA Initiative which works to democratize educational and professional development opportunities through Open classes and training, and Mentorship opportunities through engaging experts from different parts of the world to allow young people to leverage their experiences to help establish themselves. As a young researcher she co-authored a book called ' ‘Empowering young voices'' through a research fellowship with Say What, a program funded by the Swedish Embassy in Zimbabwe. She researched the effects of sudden systemic changes like that caused by COVID-19 on the educational access and routines of students living with disabilities. This research is hoped to build a knowledge repository that will influence national policies in the future on how to better respond to sudden systemic changes . Consequently, she has received recognition as a social impact leader from The Emy Africa awards as a nominee for the youth change makers award, The Varkey Foundation as a Global Student PrizeFinalist, The Diana Award, UNICEF Innocenti, Aspire Institute, and Crisis UK. Ultimately, Kudakwashe has a new found passion in AI in education and the ethics that could govern effective use of AI and mitigate abuse. 

Generative AI and Writing Across the Curriculum - One District's Journey
In this engaging session, attendees will embark on an insightful journey through one district’s pioneering integration of generative AI into their writing curriculum across all subjects. This district, recognizing the transformative potential of AI in enhancing students’ writing skills, embarked on a mission to seamlessly weave AI tools into the fabric of their educational programs, spanning from the sciences and humanities to arts and technology. We will explore the initial challenges faced, including teacher training, ethical considerations, and ensuring equitable access to technology. The session will highlight innovative strategies employed to overcome these obstacles, fostering an environment where both educators and students could confidently navigate and leverage AI technology for educational enhancement. Key takeaways will include practical examples of lesson plans and assignments, insights into student engagement and improvement, and feedback from educators on the ground. Participants will also learn about the tools and platforms that proved most effective in facilitating this integration, alongside data on the impact of generative AI on student outcomes. Moreover, this presentation will address the critical topic of digital literacy and ethics, discussing how the district taught students to use AI responsibly, critically evaluate AI-generated content, and understand the implications of AI in academic integrity. Attendees will leave with a comprehensive understanding of how generative AI can transform writing education across various disciplines, equipped with actionable strategies and inspiration to embark on their own journeys towards integrating AI into their curriculums. This session is a must-attend for educators, administrators, and technology specialists eager to harness the power of AI in education, fostering a future where technology and human creativity intersect to enhance learning outcomes for all students. Intended Audience: K-12 educators, curriculum developers, educational technology specialists, school administrators, and policymakers interested in the integration of AI tools into educational practices.  

About Michael Marchionda
Michael Marchionda is at the forefront of the educational revolution, pioneering the integration of artificial intelligence into K-12 and higher education environments. As the CEO and founder of WisdomEDU, which encompasses WisdomK12 for K-12 education and WisdomU for college and university sectors, Michael has dedicated his career to enhancing educational outcomes through innovative technology.  His passion for educational reform is not just about implementing new tools but about reimagining the learning journey itself. Through WisdomK12.ai, Michael and his team offer cutting-edge solutions that make learning personalized, accessible, and more engaging for students across the globe. Michael is also the author of "From the Chalkboard to ChatGPT - Harnessing the Power of AI in the Classroom," a book that encapsulates his vision for AI in education. The book serves as both a guide and an inspiration for educators looking to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of educational technology. 

Learn AI with Mundo
Our daily lives are already deeply intertwined with AI-powered products and Learn AI With Mundo invites students, educators, and parents to experience using AI responsibly and safely. Our interactive session will guide participants to become a force for good when using AI with our AI assistant, Mundo, a learning tool for educators, students, and families. There is no login necessary and data is not collected to ensure that Mundo is COPPA and GDPR complaint. Come and join us as we build a digital citizenship mindset when using emerging technologies. Our proactive message, the resources, guiding questions, and prompts will provide opportunities to experience what it means to be alert, balanced, engaged, informed, and inclusive both on and offline. Our ultimate goal is a call to action to design IMPACTOR projects with a focus around solving problems and creating solutions in local, global, and digital communities while using our AI assistant to guide you. 

About Marialice B.F.X. Curran, Eugenia Tamez, and Javier Lombardi
Meet the global Digital Citizenship Institute (DCI) team, Dr. Marialice B.F.X. Curran (USA), Eugenia Tamez (Mexico), and Javier Lombardi (Argentina) who lead by hand, heart, and mind. The team is passionate about designing intergenerational learning experiences for school communities around the world on how to #UseTech4Good at school, home, play, and work. By promoting social good using social media and technology, they believes in a community-driven approach to educating and empowering digital citizens to create solutions in local, global and digital communities. Their mission is to turn negatives into positives and help to transform participants into designers, creative thinkers, global collaborators, problem solvers and justice-oriented digital citizens.

Using Mundo, our AI assistant, tutor, and digital citizenship guide, is just one way school communities can practice using AI safely and responsibly. There is no login necessary and our Mundo privacy policy is a wonderful way to introduce AI, as well as build a digital citizenship foundation. Discover new ways to create both digital literacy and citizenship skills where students can make a positive IMPACT in local, global, and digital communities.

Empowering Change: Harnessing AI for Social Good
Dive into 'Empowering Change: Harnessing AI for Social Good' as we navigate the positive influence of AI on education, address concerns about misuse, and explore environmental applications. Join the conversation on shaping a responsible and impactful technological future.

About Pareshi Midha
I am Pareshi Midha, a dedicated student based in India. Throughout my academic journey, I have achieved significant recognition for my all-around performance and academic excellence. I am proud to have been awarded the title of "Block All-Rounder" three times in my school, demonstrating my versatility in various extracurricular activities and academics. Additionally, I have consistently held the position of overall topper for three consecutive terms, showcasing my commitment to academic excellence. Over the years, I have amassed more than 20 awards, which reflect my passion for learning and personal growth. These achievements highlight my dedication to education and my desire to excel in all aspects of my school life.

It's Me, AI, I'm The Problem It's Me
Alternate title for non Swifties: Five Ways to Add Creativity and Increase Rigor and Engagement in Student Assessment: If our assignments are so easy to get around, maybe we need to rethink the assignments, not the cheating methods. Beat AI cheating byt increasing rigor and engagement with these 5 strategies. 

About Hedreich Nichols

Award winning author and consultant Hedreich Nichols is an Edunerd helping districts and organizations transform culture, practices and outcomes through student led learning, inclusive practices and digital literacy. Her award-winning book, Finding Your Blind Spots helps educators, parents and students create inclusive, equitable learning communities in a way that promotes unity across political and cultural lines.

In workshops and keynotes for Solution Tree, ISTE, CUE, etc., as well as in districts throughout the US, Europe and Asia, Hedreich further promotes unity and equity to inspire and instruct, so educators get the tools they need to create the kinds of learning environments that lead to academic success for every student.

Hedreich, who has additionally written 5 non-fiction books for grades 4-8 for Cherry Lake Publishing, also helps educators through coaching, courses and a weekly podcast, #SmallBites. Hedreich received her M. Ed. from Texas A&M in Educational Technology and can be seen watching animal videos on Instagram while drinking coffee, when not working.

Artificially Yours: The Increasing Power of AI Fueling Your Everyday Workflow
Most of us already rely on artificial intelligence every day without even realizing it. In this session, we’ll discuss the AI capabilities that power popular education tools like Canva, Grammarly, and Google Workspace. Learn how these platforms leverage AI to enhance and streamline workflows for educators through features like design automation, writing improvement, and time optimization. Participants will walk away with an understanding of how AI can save time and improve processes in your everyday EdTech capacity – from teachers to tech coaches and even administrators! Discover creative ways to enhance productivity by taking advantage of the AI already at your fingertips.

About Morgan Taylor

Morgan is an accomplished New Jersey educator and current Instructional Technology Facilitator. She leverages her expertise to integrate technology effectively into classroom learning.

Previously, Morgan taught 7th grade English for eight years for Edison Township Public Schools. Her proudest achievement was spearheading a passion project initiative with her students that included years of schoolwide showcases. This initiative raised substantial donations for the Edison Animal Shelter and launched ongoing schoolwide programs still active today.

Morgan earned a Bachelor's in Secondary Education and English Literature summa cum laude from Rider University. She also holds a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Teaching the Holocaust and Prejudice Reduction from Kean University, plus a Master's in English Education from Columbia University's Teacher's College.

AI in the classroom - Tips for teachers
AI has taken the globe by storm, as teachers using the tools or beginning to explore may be daunting or even scary. The tools we are using are globally accessible, so collaboration and sharing is very beneficial. In this session we’ll explore what is Artificial intelligence, we’ll investigate various AI solutions for learners to use to build content knowledge, and encouraging learner engagement such as Khan Academy, Duolingo, Read Along, and for teachers to use to save them time in creating lessons, marking work or finding teaching resources or creating teaching resources, such as Marking.AI, Gemini, InVideo.AI, Dall.e 3 We will investigate the role of AI in education in different geographical areas, and the bias’ that should be addressed from a global viewpoint, and the common challenges and best practices emerging from these global experiences. We’ll explore how to prompt AI to get the best results, what hallucinations are and how we need to be discerning when using AI. We’ll also delve into the ethics and use case of learners' engagement with AI and school projects, showcasing stories from different parts of the world and solutions teachers and schools are developing. To understand better and learn from each other, collaboration is key. If you have been using AI in your classroom, please consider sharing your assessment ideas that used AI on one share or form. Explore this deck to learn more.  This is an interactive session, download the notes, stop the video, play and learn. 

About Karen Walstra

I am, Dr. Karen Ann Walstra, a passionate EduChangeMaker and EduDisruptor. I work as an independent educational consultant promoting problem-solving, creative and critical thinking, incorporating digital tools, to address educational and learning transformation, and assisting schools to adapt to change: academics, technology, learning spaces, interpersonal relationships and environmental sustainability. From, a successful twenty-nine-year full-time career as a classroom teacher from Gr. R-11, across seven schools both government and private schools, and as a Director of Academics at St Stithians Boys’ Prep.

I coordinated, developed and trained on large scale outreach programmes namely St Stithians College’s Thandulwazi Teacher and Leader Development Programme from 2005-2015, was Acting Head of the Thandulwazi Maths and Science Academy from Aug. 2017-July. 2018, as well as the trainer and content developer of Click Foundation’s Learner Reading project from 2012-2015. 

I worked for Google from 2014 to April 2017 within the emerging markets “Education Go Digital” and Chrome OS Teams, both globally and across Sub-Saharan Africa. I’ve been a part-time lecturer at different South African universities. I worked with various government departments of education, both locally and globally. I’m an accredited Education, Training and Development Assessor and Moderator. 

I hold a Masters in Education,  from the University of the Witwatersrand, focusing on Educational Technology. 

I hold a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD‌ ) Computer-integrated Education - from the University of Pretoria, researched “The influence of Virtual Reality as an educational tool on teachers’ pedagogy” 

I am very product of  St Stithians College’s Thandulwazi Teacher and Leader Development Programme from 2005-2015, I ran this project alongside my teaching role. We had 1543 teachers in 2015 when I handed the project over, who attended workshops from pre-school to Gr 7 on 12 Saturdays of the year.                                                      

I am a teacher at heart, wanting to see effective educational transformation.  

Debugging Creativity and Imagination: The Fusion of AI, Computational Thinking, and Algorithmic Writing
This session will navigate the crossroads of generative artificial intelligence and ELA. Using prompt engineering, students can convert their written thoughts into astonishing AI-generated images and allow educators to view writing through the lens of computational thinking, providing a unique, algorithmic approach to the creative writing process. Students are guided to 'debug' their prompts, similar to how programmers optimize their algorithms, resulting in the best possible image representation of their written words. This journey provides an innovative and enriching exploration into the fusion of creativity, analytical thinking, and collaborative learning, set within the context of the increasingly digital and AI-driven world.

About Alana Winnick and Marina Lombardo

Alana holds key leadership positions as the Educational Technology Director and Data Protection Officer for Pocantico Hills Central School District in Sleepy Hollow, NY, and Hudson Valley Director for NYSCATE. She is the author of The Generative Age: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Education and host of The Generative Age podcast, which explores the rapidly evolving world of generative artificial intelligence and its impact on education. Alana has been a trailblazer in the field, spearheading innovation within her district, NYS, and beyond. From navigating the transition to cloud computing to confronting the challenges posed by the pandemic and the emergence of generative AI, she has consistently demonstrated her commitment to driving positive change.

Marina is a dedicated 3rd grade general education teacher at Pocantico Hills School in Sleepy Hollow, NY. Marina's innovative teaching philosophy centers on transforming traditional approaches to education. She believes in creating experiences that empower students to share their voices and showcase their skills. Motivated by her own experience presenting a personal story at the NYSCATE conference, Marina guided her 8- and 9-year-old students to take the stage with their ideas, leading to a successful writing unit culminating in public speaking presentations. Her forward-thinking attitude embraces new technologies as tools for learning and self-expression. This approach fosters a classroom environment filled with creativity, joy, and a deep love for learning.