Keynote & Featured Speakers
Tuesday, March 18
Improving the Efficacy of AI Instructional Materials via Co-Design with Students and Instructors
Judith Uchidiuno, Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Interactive Computing
Abstract: Middle School students are exposed to an unprecedented number of AI-driven consumer products. This exposure demands that educators help students develop their personal understandings of these technologies to engage with them responsibly. Designing age-appropriate AI curricula for middle school students calls for collaboration and partnership between computer and learning scientists, computer science instructors, as well as middle school students. Over a 4-year period, I have facilitated co-designing AI education games and instructional materials with teachers and students, and successfully implemented them with students across 9 geographically and economically diverse schools in the US. Drawing from our analyses of the curriculum, designed artifacts, and teacher and student experiences, I will highlight the benefits of co-design and learning games to improve students’ AI literacy, uncover students’ AI perspectives and misconceptions, and incorporate diverse youth voices in the design of AI instructional materials.
Bio: Judith Uchidiuno is an Assistant Professor at Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Interactive Computing and directs the Play and Learn Lab. She designs culturally informed CS education technologies and increases access to computer science education in sustainable ways for students from low income and underserved communities. Her research has contributed to publicly available programmable video games co-designed with diverse groups of students, codesign of Georgia State’s Artificial Intelligence middle school curriculum, and active collaboration with several schools and organizations.
Wednesday, March 19
The Human-AI Collaboration: Redefining Professional Development in Education – A Social Entrepreneur’s Perspective
Leiselot Declercq, d-teach training, d-teach online school, ICONS
Abstract: In an era of rapid technological advancement, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education is reshaping how we teach, learn, and grow as professionals. This keynote explores the dynamic collaboration between AI systems and educators, with a particular focus on professional development in online and blended learning environments.
Bio: Lieselot Declercq is co-founder & director of d-teach online training, d-teach online school, ICONS (international community of online schools) & the international ‘AI awards for education’. Lieselot has over 18 years of experience in various sectors of education. She holds a teacher’s degree, a MSc in pedagogical sciences at Ghent University, a MSc in educational sciences at the Open University, certificates ‘digital transformation’ at Vlerick, ‘international relations & diplomacy’ at UA and ‘Artificial Intelligence: Implications for business strategy’ at MIT. She is industrial promotor for PhD-research and is PhD-student on ‘AI: Virtual and human teachers for professional development” in collaboration with Ghent University and Microsoft. Lieselot is member of the board of Directors of Agoria Flanders, Patron of Europe101, Fellow of Belgium’s 40 under 40 and Female Edtech Fellow Europe.
Wednesday, March 19
SICET @ SITE Spotlight: Learning Theories for the Age of AI
David Gibson, UNESCO Chair of Data Science in Higher Education Learning and Teaching, Curtin University
Abstract: Professor Gibson’s address will show how artificial
intelligence applications grounded in learning theories can promote individual learning, team productivity, and multidisciplinary knowledge-building. Recent advances in the learning sciences are beginning to integrate learning theory with computational biology and complexity, offering an updated learning mechanism that integrates previous theories, provides a basis for scaling from individuals to societies, and unifies models of psychology, sociology, and cultural studies. The talk will provide a model and road map for the development of AI that addresses the central problems of learning theory in the age of artificial intelligence, including:
- optimizing human-machine collaboration
- promoting individual learning
- balancing personalization with privacy
- dealing with biases and promoting fairness
- explaining decisions and recommendations to build trust and accountability
- continuously balancing and adapting to individual, team and organizational goals
- generating and generalizing knowledge across fields and domains
Biography: Professor David Gibson, UNESCO Chair on Data Science in Higher Education Learning and Teaching at Curtin University, received his doctorate in Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Vermont in 1999 based on a study of complex systems modeling of educational change. His research demonstrated the feasibility of bridging qualitative information to quantifiable dynamic relationships in complex models that tested and verified trajectories of organizational change. He provides thought leadership as a researcher, professor, learning scientist, and innovator. He is the creator of simSchool, a classroom flight simulator for preparing educators, and led the development of Curtin University’s Challenge, a mobile, game-based learning platform. He consults with project and system leaders, formulates strategies, and helps people articulate their vision for innovation; then helps connect people with the resources needed to fulfill their aspirations. His research has extended from learning analytics, complex systems analysis and modeling of education to application of complexity via games and simulations in teacher education, web applications and the future of learning. Dr. Gibson also advances the use of technology to personalize education via cognitive modeling, design and implementation.
Date TBA
Reciprocal Innovation in the Kenyan and American Educational Systems
Martin Oloo and LaNika Barnes
Under colonial rule, the British authorities established an educational system in Kenya that was a theory-based curriculum primarily taught through classroom lectures. However, 80 % of employment in Kenya consists of entrepreneurs and artisans known as Jua Kali. The phrase “Jua Kali” is Swahili for “fierce sun” (meaning that you earn your living by the sweat of your brow under a hot sun). This still leaves a large percentage of the youth unemployed. Because of this misalignment between the educational system and workforce needs, in 2017 the Kenyan government changed the curriculum to a “Competency-Based Curriculum” (CBC). However, Kenyan teachers are struggling because the changes in the new curriculum have not been reflected in the teacher education programs that prepare teachers.
The staff of FabLab Winam are working to fill this gap by creating a setting that provides a safe space where teachers can come and learn. They are establishing practical hands-on laboratories that serve as a model to enable teachers to implement the new CBC curriculum. They are collaborating with a school system in Virginia that is experienced with the implementation of the model that they plan to implement in Kenya. The two sites – Fablab Winam in Kenya and the Albemarle County Public School system (APCS) in Virginia – are jointly collaborating on development of open-source tools such a 3D-printed microscope and a microcentrifuge for use in these laboratories.
As part of this program, the Kenyan FabLab is collaborating with LaNika Barnes in Virginia. She is a faculty advisor to students in the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Jr. chapter at Albemarle High School. The NSBE Jr students participated in a Summer Engineering Academy in which they designed and fabricated a 3D-printed microscope.
FabLab Winam is in the process of replicating the microscope design developed in Virginia. Kenya is on the equator, so its biome is very different from the biome in Virginia. A Backyard Microscopy project under development will enable students in each site to compare plant and insect specimens that they find in their local neighborhoods. FabLab Winam is developing a 3D-printed microcentrifuge that the NSBE Jr students will attempt to replicate for use in Ms. Barnes biology class.
In this type of reciprocal innovation framework, each partner mutually benefits from the expertise that is shared across the collaborating sites. The ability to transmit “bits” rather than shipping “atoms”, to use the terminology employed by the M.I.T. Fab Foundation, makes this type of reciprocal innovation possible.
Bios: Martin Oloo is the founder of a Fabrication Laboratory (FabLab) Winam in Kenya. FabLab Winam is in Kisumu on the edge of Lake Victoria in western Kenya. He is a social worker by training. In 2018 he participated in training provided by the Fab Foundation at M.I.T. Sherry Lassiter, director of the Fab Foundation, also provided fabrication equipment used to establish the Kenyan FabLab. His role in FabLab Winam is to understand local social problems and explain these needs to engineers in the FabLab. He then translates proposed solutions from engineering language into language that the end users can understand.
As part of work in the promotion of STEM/STEAM in schools, Martin formed Global Kids Day (GKD) in collaboration with other FabLabs. GKD focuses on technology, education and culture. This initiative brings children from FabLabs in different countries together to work on a common project virtually.
LaNika Barnes is a science teacher at Albemarle High School in Virginia. She also serves as an advisor to the National Society for Black Engineers (NSBE) Jr. chapter at Albemarle High School. She served as the lead teacher for an initiative in which NSBE Jr students successfully designed and fabricated a 3D-printed microscope using an open-source microscope in the Educational CAD Model Library (www.CADLibrary.org) as the inspiration for their design.
Thursday, March 20
Creating Lifelong Learners in an Innovative World
Leigh Ann DeLyser, Executive Director, CSForAll, United States
Abstract: Teachers are challenged every day with preparing the next generation of citizens, workers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and leaders. While we always anticipated a changing world, in today’s age of leaping technological advancements, how do we think about the fundamental skills needed for the educators of the educators of the next generation (which includes some educators). In this interactive session, Dr. DeLyser will discuss some of the lessons learned from CSforALL, co-construct some of the future-ready skills needed to create lifelong learning educators, and consider what kinds of research we should be doing to best understand what success means in this endeavor.
Bio: Dr. Leigh Ann DeLyser has spent her career building the K-12 computer science (CS) field. As the Executive Director of CSforALL (csforall.org), she oversees programs and strategic planning and supervises research to build support for high quality CS education at all levels. A former high school and university CS educator, Leigh Ann understands challenges faced by teachers, administrators, and students developing their competency in the field and accessing high-quality learning opportunities and resources. Her influential “Running on Empty” report guides policies and research that support high-quality program implementation. Previously, Leigh Ann was Director of Research and Education at CSNYC, which built a foundation for CS in New York City public schools. She received a PhD in Computer Science and Cognitive Psychology, with a focus on CS education, from Carnegie Mellon University.
Dr. DeLyser also serves on the ACM Education Advisory Committee. Her personal research focuses on systems change, building off her PhD studies in how feedback impacts behavior of learners, and thinking critically how we create feedback structures within our multi-tiered educational systems to incentivize and reinforce high quality and equitable CS education. Dr. DeLyser has written extensively about the CSforALL community, commitments, and strategic planning with local education leaders through the SCRIPT program. She enjoys questioning our explicit commitment to equity, the need to disaggregate data and consider intersectionality, and using mixed methods with rigorous statistical approaches to understand impact of our collective community efforts.
Friday, March 21
Empowering The Future: The Role of AI in K-12 Education
Ann Ottenbreit-Leftwich, Indiana University Bloomington, United States
Abstract: In an era where artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping industries and redefining the future of work, its integration into K-12 education is not just an opportunity—it’s a necessity. This talk explores the critical role AI can play in nurturing curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking among young learners. With a focus on the unique needs and potential of younger grade levels, we will delve into how AI tools can be leveraged to personalize learning, foster inclusivity, and prepare students for a technology-driven future. Through real-world examples and live testimonials from students who are already engaging with AI, this session will illuminate the tangible impact of AI on young learners. The presentation will showcase how AI can be a catalyst for deeper learning and engagement. Join us to envision a future where AI not only enhances education but also inspires the next generation of creators and innovators.
Bio: Anne Ottenbreit-Leftwich, Ph.D., is the Barbara B. Jacobs Chair in Education and Technology. She is a professor of Instructional Systems Technology within the School of Education and an adjunct professor of Computer Science at Indiana University Bloomington. She currently serves as the Associate Vice President for Learning Technology for all of IU’s campuses within the Office of the Vice President for Information Technology. Dr. Leftwich’s expertise lies in the areas of the design of technology/computer science/artificial intelligence K-12 curriculum resources, and development/implementation of professional development for teachers and teacher educators. Dr. Leftwich investigates ways to teach computing and ways to prepare preservice and inservice teachers to teach CS. Her research focuses on the adoption and implementation of technology and computer science at the K-12 levels, specifically seeking opportunities to broaden participation in computing at the K-16 levels.
