Conversations about the implications of artificial intelligence are everywhere. They are in education, health care, law enforcement, the military, and the music and art worlds. AI’s potential to transform society is both promising and scary. Now, the emergence of ChatGPT this school year and related concerns about students using it to plagiarize assignments has put AI front and center in schools. Some districts have taken a hardline approach and banned the technology in classroom. Others are encouraging their students to learn how to use it in smart, ethical ways. How can schools put AI to use effectively but avoid the problems it poses, such as rampant cheating and breakdowns in student data privacy? Find out what the experts and your colleagues have to say.
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Agenda
2:00pm ET
Welcome and Introduction
We’ll review key takeaways from recent reporting on the use of AI in education.
Lauraine Langreo is an Education Week staff writer, covering education technology, student well-being, and college and workforce readiness.
2:10pm ET
Interactive Session: What Do You Know About AI in Education?
We will poll educators in the audience on their level of knowledge about artificial intelligence. How concerned they are about giving AI too much control over student learning? What kind of training, if any, have they received to integrate AI into instruction? We’ll ask these and other questions around the use of new technologies in schools.
Arianna Prothero covers technology, student well-being, and the intersection of the two for Education Week.
2:20pm ET
Industry Perspective: Advances in AI — Opportunities and Challenges in Education
Sponsor content provided by SAGA Education
AI is all over the news, but how will this impact education? Drawing on insights from using AI to improve the delivery of evidence-based high-impact tutoring, we’ll explore how recent advancements in AI are poised to influence education and the challenges and opportunities associated with using large language models in an educational context.
AI is all over the news, but how will this impact education? Drawing on insights from using AI to improve the delivery of evidence-based high-impact tutoring, we’ll explore how recent advancements in AI are poised to influence education and the challenges and opportunities associated with using large language models in an educational context.
Sean Kelly
Vice President of Engineering,
Saga Education
2:30pm ET
Presentation: How to Make AI a Teaching and Learning Partner
Khan Academy Chief Learning Officer Kristen DiCerbo will walk through how educators can teach students how to use artificial intelligence as a learning partner rather than just a tool to cheat; how artificial intelligence is already influencing instruction; and the steps schools should take to use AI in smart and ethical ways. DiCerbo’s background in educational psychology will bring a wealth of insights into this presentation and the Q&A session that follows.
Dr. Kristen DiCerbo
Chief Learning Officer, Khan Academy
Dr. Kristen DiCerbo is the Chief Learning Officer at Khan Academy, a nonprofit dedicated to providing a free world class education to anyone, anywhere. In this role, she brings her background in learning science to leading the content and product teams.
Dr. DiCerbo’s work has consistently been focused on embedding what we know from education research about how people learn into digital learning experiences. Prior to her role at Khan Academy, she was Vice-President of Learning Research and Design at Pearson, where she led a team of researchers and learning designers conducting new research in learning and assessment. She also previously served as a research scientist supporting teaching and learning in the Cisco Networking Academies and as a school psychologist in an Arizona school district. Kristen received her Bachelor’s Degree from Hamilton College and Master’s Degree and Ph.D. in Educational Psychology at Arizona State University.
Dr. DiCerbo’s work has consistently been focused on embedding what we know from education research about how people learn into digital learning experiences. Prior to her role at Khan Academy, she was Vice-President of Learning Research and Design at Pearson, where she led a team of researchers and learning designers conducting new research in learning and assessment. She also previously served as a research scientist supporting teaching and learning in the Cisco Networking Academies and as a school psychologist in an Arizona school district. Kristen received her Bachelor’s Degree from Hamilton College and Master’s Degree and Ph.D. in Educational Psychology at Arizona State University.
3:15pm ET
Industry Perspective: Redefining Rigor: Embracing Chat GPT in the Classroom
Sponsor content provided by Promethean
How can educators use Chat GPT to embrace – not undermine - academic rigor? During this session, we’ll explore how limited time, rather than the tool itself, hinders deep engagement in the classroom. Through an example lesson on haiku, discover how utilizing Chat GPT can increase productivity and provide opportunities for higher-order thinking, ultimately enhancing the learning experience and fostering academic excellence.
How can educators use Chat GPT to embrace – not undermine - academic rigor? During this session, we’ll explore how limited time, rather than the tool itself, hinders deep engagement in the classroom. Through an example lesson on haiku, discover how utilizing Chat GPT can increase productivity and provide opportunities for higher-order thinking, ultimately enhancing the learning experience and fostering academic excellence.
Beth Portree
Education Consultant at Highline Public Schools, ,
Promethean
Beth Portree has been a teacher and instructional leader across the country for over a decade. She is grateful for the ability to learn and lead in spaces that are committed to equity using technology as a focus for student advancement. With a background in Instructional Technology and Educational Neuroscience she loves examining where those concepts intersect. She is currently the Promethean Education Consultant at Highline Public Schools in Seattle, Washington and hosts a podcast about education – Altered Course - with her brother.
3:25pm ET
Panel Discussion: Are You AI Literate? See What It Takes
This session will examine what it takes to be AI literate in the age of ChatGPT, Character.AI, and other new technologies. It will build on extensive reporting by Education Week about AI literacy and the new ways in which schools are putting artificial intelligence to work, paying close attention to the potential downsides of AI in education. The discussion will feature educators who are already integrating AI into instruction in sophisticated ways, emphasizing the lessons they have learned about what does and does not work.
Alyson Klein is an assistant editor for Education Week.
Samantha Bart-Addison
Language Arts Teacher,
Seckinger High School, Gwinnet County School District
Samantha Bart-Addison is an 18-year veteran teacher with a Master of Education in reading instruction. She published lessons for use within her district and has led professional developments on quality instruction. Samantha has written numerous articles featured in a peer-reviewed journal and in an international reading instruction magazine. Samantha is passionate about sharing effective reading strategies with secondary teachers, and she has discovered the use of generative AI is an exciting way to strengthen effective teaching strategies while increasing student engagement in the Language Arts classroom.
Jason Hurd
Career Technical Education & Artificial Intelligence Teacher,
Seckinger High School, Gwinnett County School District
Jason Hurd currently serves as an Artificial Intelligence instructor and robotics coach at Seckinger High School in Buford, GA where he is developing the first Artificial Intelligence pathway in the state of Georgia. Jason earned a bachelor’s degree in Photojournalism from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master’s degree in Instructional Technology from Piedmont College. In his 15th year of teaching as his second career, he has served as an instructional facilitator for the Computer Science Endorsement program through Gwinnett County Public Schools and is the lead VEX robotics coach for the GCPS district. Jason’s contributions to AI education and commitment to fostering curiosity and innovation with his students has made him a respected figure in the educational community as he continues to inspire the next generation of creators and problem-solvers. When he’s not in the classroom, you can find Jason exploring the latest developments in AI or capturing captivating moments with his camera, combining his passion for art, food, travel, and music.
Scott Gaffney
Social Studies Teacher,
Seckinger High School, Gwinnet County School District
Scott Gaffney of Seckinger High School has 18 years of experience teaching Social Studies in High Schools. He believes in a student-center standards-based classroom and differentiation. A Gwinnett County STAR Teacher of the Year in 2006, Coach Gaffney is deeply interested in EdTech, Artificial Intelligence, integrating technology, and future trends and skills.
Memorie Reesman
Principal,
Seckinger High School, Gwinnet County School District
Memorie Reesman, a dedicated educator with over three decades of experience, serves as the first-ever Principal of Seckinger High School, the nation’s first AI-focused high school, launched in August 2022. Since joining Gwinnett County Public Schools in 1992, Reesman has worn many hats, teaching various subjects, coordinating technology in different middle schools, and earning the Teacher of the Year Award in 2003. She also served as an assistant and associate principal at Norcross High School and led Jones Middle as Principal before her current appointment. A proud graduate of Florida State University, Brenau University, and Lincoln Memorial University, Reesman now uses her extensive knowledge to guide Seckinger High School as a global pioneer in AI education. Under her leadership, students gain practical skills in programming, data science, mathematical reasoning, creative problem-solving, ethics, and applied experiences, thus preparing them for a future-ready landscape. Seckinger also is the first school in Georgia to offer AI courses.
3:55pm ET
Interactive Session: How AI Should Be Used in K-12 Education
How do educators think AI should be used in teaching and learning? We will encourage educators in the audience to share how their schools are integrating AI into instruction, how they think the new technology will help or hurt students, and the challenges ahead for training educators how to use artificial intelligence.
Arianna Prothero covers technology, student well-being, and the intersection of the two for Education Week.
4:05pm ET
Closing Thoughts
Hear the big takeaways from the Forum.
Lauraine Langreo is an Education Week staff writer, covering education technology, student well-being, and college and workforce readiness.
