Keynote & Featured Speakers
Monday, April 11, 9:00 AM
Integrating Artificial Intelligence Into Your Teaching
Christina Gardner-McCune, Associate Professor, Computer & Information Science & Engineering Department, University of Florida
Abstract: Artificial Intelligence is transforming the way we live, learn, and work both now and in the future. It is imperative that we provide the next generation of AI users, decision makers, and innovators with access to high quality K-12 AI education to help them understand how these technologies work, evaluate the societal impacts, and to empower them to be ethical and responsible with AI. Achieving this goal requires strategic initiatives and funding at the state and district levels as well as grassroot efforts from teachers and teacher educators. In this talk we will envision what K-12 AI education can look like in your country, state, district, and school. During this interactive journey, we will explore the Five Big Ideas in AI and freely available resources from browser-based demos, unplugged activities, curricula, and competitions that you can use to teach AI. You will leave with little and big ways AI tools can be integrated into your classroom instruction, teacher professional learning opportunities, and pre-service education.
Bio: Dr. Christina Gardner-McCune is an Associate Professor in the Computer & Information Science & Engineering Department at the University of Florida’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. She has a Bachelors of Science degree in Computer Engineering from Syracuse University, Master of Science and Doctorate of Philosophy degrees in Computer Science from Georgia Tech with specializations in Software Engineering and Learning Sciences and Technology.
Dr. Gardner-McCune is the co-chair of the AI for K-12 Initiative (AI4K12.org) and Director of the Engaging Learning Lab. As co-chair of the AI for K-12 Initiative, Gardner-McCune is leading the development of national guidelines that articulate what students should know and be able to do with AI, curating an AI resource directory, and developing a K-12 AI Education Community. Gardner-McCune and the AI for K-12 Initiative envision a world where all students will know and understand how AI works, the power of AI to solve problems, and how to use and evaluate AI responsibly. Nationally, Gardner-McCune is engaging with states and territories across the US including Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands to support the development of state-level K-12 AI Education Implementations plans that will ensure the equitable and wide-spread engagement of all students in AI. As part of UF’s AI Initiative, Gardner-McCune is actively involved in bringing AI Education to Florida’s K-12 students and teachers in order to power the state and local economies and workforce. Gardner-McCune developed Florida’s AI Career and Technical Education (CTE) Framework and hosts AI summer camps. As PI of a collaborative NSF funded grant – AI4GA, Gardner-McCune is leading a team of researchers and educators to develop a culturally relevant middle school AI curriculum for African-American, LatinX, and rural Georgia students.
As Director of the Engaging Learning Lab research group @ UF, Gardner-McCune and her students research and develop engaging hands-on learning experiences for K-12 students and teachers in the areas of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics, mobile app development, game design, and Introductory programming. Through these learning environments, Gardner-McCune aims to spark young people’s interest in computing, equip them with skills to develop technologies, and inspire them to envision their future as computational thinkers and computing professionals. Through her research on these environments, she is building theories and models of student learning in computing that help students and teachers better scaffold learning and identify common challenges that often prevent students from mastering computing concepts and skills.
Tuesday, April 12, 9:00 AM
What’s Everyone Watching? The Role of Technology and Media in Teaching & Learning
Kevin Clark, Children’s media producer and creative executive
Abstract: Because of the ubiquity of technology and digital media in children’s lives and in the practices of educators, this keynote will explore how issues of equity, social justice, content design, and storytelling are addressed and explored in teaching and learning.
Bio: Kevin Clark, PhD is a children’s media producer and creative executive. Kevin was previously a Director of Original Animation, Preschool at Netflix. Prior to joining Netflix, Dr. Clark was a professor and founding director of the Center for Digital Media Innovation and Diversity at George Mason University. Dr. Clark’s scholarly work focused on diversity and inclusion in children’s media and STEM in education. His work was recognized by the Obama administration as a White House Champion of Change. In addition to his academic experience, Kevin has worked with organizations like: PBS KIDS, Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Disney Junior, YouTube Kids, Netflix, and Amazon Studios. Some of Dr. Clark’s credits include: Creative Producer on Netflix’s, NAACP Image Award nominated, preschool children’s series, Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices (Lupita Nyong’o won an Emmy for Outstanding Limited Performance In a Children’s Program); Co-writer of Arthur on Racismshort; and Consultant on Amazon’s movie adaptation of Ezra Jack Keats’, The Snowy Day. Dr. Clark holds both a B.S. and M.S. in computer science from North Carolina State University, where he is a member of the Board of Visitors, and an inductee into the Computer Science Alumni Hall of Fame; and a Ph.D. in Instructional Systems from Pennsylvania State University.
Wednesday, April 13, 9:00 AM
How to teach in a Virtual World as a place with student choice in Higher Education
Sarah Prestridge, Associate Professor School of Education & Professional Studies, Griffith University
Absract: Increasingly, immersive and non-immersive virtual reality (VR) platforms are being used for student learning as they can actively engage students (Stavroulia et al., 2019). In comparison to other more frequently used platforms such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom, 3-Dimensional virtual world platforms allow students and teachers not only to see each other in real time and work together, but more importantly create a ‘place’ with greater ‘choice’ for learning engagement. Providing a place for student anytime conversations around learning is significantly important with the increase in online off-campus coursework offered in Higher Education where study-work balance remains a constant battle for time. But importantly, the use of a virtual world needs to be considered as a teaching space where learning must shift away from a teacher-centric lecture oriented model. Virtual worlds are not new in education and have a long history in the higher education context (see Bronack et al.’s, 2006 and Kluge & Riley’s, 2008 work). More recent investigation depicts the application of a virtual world where students’ pitch to industry as part of an assessment task (see Lee et al., 2016), or where they gain access to a situation that they cannot physically visit (see Freina & Ott, 2015). However, little is actually known about how to teach in a virtual world as a ‘place’ based on student learning ‘choice’ that drives engagement activity. Those finer more pedagogically framed questions are examined in this presentation through two explorations into virtual worlds: firstly, a study of pedagogical elements for teaching virtually (see Prestridge, et al., 2021); and secondly, the development of conceptual models and principles to guide pedagogical adaptation and practice. This work informs how to both understand and shift pedagogical ideals to design teaching and learning in a virtual 3D space.
Bio: Associate Professor Sarah Prestridge has been named the top scholarly researcher in Teaching in Teacher Education in Australia in 2020 and 2021. She has also been independently named the expert in Online Education by the Australian Institute of Teaching and Leadership (AITSL). Conceptualising what is considered effective teaching in a digital world has been a major part of her research. Since the completion of her PhD in 2007, she has investigated the integration of digital technologies through the relationship between epistemological and pedagogical beliefs. She has identified the process involved in shifting instructional practices for effective use of digital tools. Throughout her research into professional development she has explored the tension between face-to-face, online and self-generating professional learning, conceptualising how people learn online through social networks. These foundations have led to current research in the areas of online teaching, connected learning and online learning design with consideration of both the educator and the student.
Invited Panel
Tuesday, April 12, 11:30 AM & Wednesday, April 13, 11:30 AM
What Journal Editors Wish Authors Knew About Academic Publishing
Tuesday Live/Hybrid Panel:
Kara Dawson, Journal of Research on Technology in Education (JRTE), University of Florida; Chrystalla Mouza, Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE) Journal, University of Delaware; Albert Ritzhaupt, Journal of Research on Technology in Education (JRTE), University of Florida: Denise Schmidt-Crawford, Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education (JDLTE), Iowa State University; Richard Hartshorne (live moderator), Journal of Technology and Teacher Education (JTATE), University of Central Florida
Wednesday Live Virtual Panel:
Glen Bull, Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE) Journal, University of Virginia; Andrea Burrows, Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE) – Science Education, University of Wyoming; Vanessa Dennen, Internet in Higher Education (IHE), Florida State University; Lin Lin, Educational Technology Research and Development (ETR&D), University of North Texas; Natalie Milman, Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE) – Current Practice, The George Washington University; Som Naidu, Distance Education, Technology, Education, and Design Associates; Richard Hartshorne (live moderator), Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, University of Central Florida
Abstract: The pressure to play an active role in the academic publishing process is commonplace in institutions of higher education across the globe. However, navigating this world can be rather daunting, particularly for emerging scholars. Issues such as handling rejection, determining and reporting publication quality, engaging in the editorial process, approaches for effectively revising manuscript submissions, and aligning your publication goals with institutional values are but a few critical items to consider in both individual publications and as elements of a robust publication agenda. In an effort to address these issues and support authors, a collection of chapters from the editors of ten leading journals in educational technology was published as the open access book, “What Journal Editors Wish Authors Knew About Academic Publishing,” with each chapter providing the journal’s mission and purpose, an explanation of the submission and review process for the journal, and perhaps most importantly, advice and best practices for authors considering submission to the individual journals. This presentation will provide a discussion of a curated collection of tips, considerations, and useful approaches to take when submitting scholarly works mined from “What Editors Wish Authors Knew About Academic Publishing.” Areas of focus will include:
Thursday, April 14, 9:00 AM
Open-Source Learning: An Education Philosophy For Our Time
David Preston, Educator & Author of Academy of One
Abstract: The 20th century featured major growth in our thinking about education. Well into the 21st century, after more than 50 years of the internet and two years of pandemic-enforced remote education, we need an inclusive philosophy that supports learner-centered, interdisciplinary approaches and integrates technology to prepare young people for an increasingly complex, uncertain future. Disruptions in school and innovations in technology have highlighted the need for Open-Source Learning. Students have responded by co-designing their experiences and achieving extraordinary outcomes – they’ve flown planes, led trips to Yosemite, started businesses, and begun to create a new normal. The best part? Some of your school’s practices already align with elements of Open-Source Learning. We can all connect and create value through software that we build by learning. Join David Preston for a tour through the theoretical framework, history, and pilot programming in Open-Source Learning that is engaging educators and students of all walks of life. And get ready to participate: there is no back row on the internet.
Bio: David R. Preston, Ph.D. is an educator and author who has taught university and K-12 courses for 30 years. David has shared Open-Source Learning with organizations including school districts, professional associations, the MacArthur Foundation’s Digital Media & Learning Conference, Institute for the Future, the O’Reilly Open Source Conference, the M.I.T. Connected Learning Summit, TEDxUCLA, and the Royal Geographical Society in London. He continues to mentor teachers and high school students. In 2021 Rowman & Littlefield published David’s first book about Open-Source Learning: Academy of One. You can connect with David via his website at https://davidpreston.net.
