MEET OUR KEYNOTES

Are we driving learning in the age of AI, or are we the passengers?

There is enormous energy around AI skills and AI literacy, but are we so focused on AI that we've lost sight of education, of learning, and of growing together? The questions that we ask ourselves around AI in education have shifted and must continue to shift.

What do students lose when AI smooths away the struggle that builds capability and character? As we bring shiny AI tools into the classroom, are we and our students becoming passengers in learning, or are we still driving? And looking more deeply: are our institutions measuring and rewarding what we say we value, for learners and educators alike? Do we even know what we value in an increasingly uncertain world?

The pace of AI isn't slowing down. If we keep asking yesterday's questions, we'll keep getting yesterday's answers. This keynote challenges educators, leaders, and institutions to look beyond the ordinary and to ensure that in preparing for an AI future, we don't forget what makes education fundamentally human.

In this keynote, Danny will also help you to:

•  Critique whether their current approaches to teaching, learning, and assessment are developing and rewarding the capabilities and dispositions that are needed in an AI-infused world

•  Reframe the conversation about AI in education from one centred on technology adoption and literacy towards one centred on human purpose, agency and what we value in learners and educators

• Identify practical shifts in curriculum, incentives and culture that position educators and institutions as drivers rather than passengers in the age of AI

Leading the middle ground in AI – navigating between rejection and uncritical adoption

Despite its transformative potential, AI in Education (AIEd) carries real risks to teaching and learning in terms of cognitive offloading in students and deskilling in teachers, as well as broader ethical risks in terms of data privacy, student-teacher relationships as well as holistic development. Responses from systems and schools have ranged from complete bans to widespread but uncritical adoption of general AI tools in education settings.

This keynote will share how Singapore’s Ministry of Education (MOE) has adopted a third way, by intentionally introducing, monitoring and iteratively refining AIEd interventions involving principles of use, people development and product design in a systemic and differentiated manner.

It offers learning points for policy makers, educators and EdTech developers interested in pursuing a middle path when adopting AIEd that will bring about the greatest benefits while mitigating the worst of its harms.

In this keynote, Hai Siang will also help you to:

•  Understand some of the pedagogical and ethical risks posed by poor AIEd use

•  Use the RISK framework to understand how student self-regulation, teacher skill, systemic safeguards and tool design work together to mitigate these risks

• Appreciate how Singapore’s MOE implements AIEd in K-12 in a systemic and differentiated manner through principles, people and products, including the Singapore Student Learning Space

The million-dollar question: how do we know if our EdTech actually works?

Schools and universities are investing more in technology than ever before. Yet amidst the excitement around AI, digital platforms and emerging tools, one fundamental question remains surprisingly difficult to answer: how do we know whether any of it is actually improving learning?

So how can educators, institutions, policymakers and developers make smarter decisions today?

Alison Clark-Wilson explores a growing global movement towards EdTech Testbeds - collaborative ecosystems where schools, universities, researchers and technology providers work together to test, evaluate and refine innovations in authentic learning environments.

Drawing on emerging initiatives across the region and around the world, she’s here to challenge traditional approaches to EdTech evaluation and offers a fresh vision for evidence informed innovation.

In this keynote, Prof. Alison will also help you to:

•  Explore new and agile approaches to evaluating the impact of EdTech and AI beyond traditional research studies

•  Identify opportunities to participate in or establish collaborative evaluation partnerships within their own institutions and networks

• Challenge existing assumptions about "what works" in EdTech and adopt a more evidence informed approach to innovation and investment.

The future of AI and learning

Unlock the future of education with Google! As artificial intelligence redefines classrooms across the globe, how can school leaders and educators harness cutting-edge technology while preserving the irreplaceable magic of human connection? Join Felix Goh, Google's Gemini Adoption Lead, for an inspiring keynote showcasing how Asia-Pacific is leading the world in AI-powered learning and digital transformation.

Be among the first to explore game-changing Google product updates designed specifically for K-12 and higher education! Discover skills in Gemini—a powerful new way to automate routine administrative work, personalize lesson plans, and streamline research. Experience Guided Learning in Google Classroom, where AI acts as an adaptive, step-by-step tutor that sparks active learning rather than providing easy shortcuts. Plus, get an inside look at Read Along’s new mobile capabilities and local languages support.

Grounded in learning science, robust privacy safeguards, and regional inclusion, this session from Google delivers actionable insights to elevate teaching, boost student engagement, and close the literacy gap. Attendees will also learn how to access no-cost AI literacy training through the Google AI Educator Series. Don't miss this opportunity to see how responsible, human-centered AI can empower your educators, inspire your students, and transform your institution for the AI era.

In this keynote, Felix will also help you to:

•  Evaluate strategies for implementing safe and secure AI tools in education that safeguard user privacy and foster institutional trust

•  Understand how Google AI solutions, designed specifically for education, can elevate learning and reduce routine administrative tasks

• Leverage inclusive AI resources and professional development programs to bridge digital equity gaps and enhance student engagement

Individualised learning at scale: how technology can personalise learning without losing the human touch

For 30 years, the Hunter Writing System has tackled one of education's toughest questions: how do you lift every pupil's writing, at every year level, without losing what makes learning human? Dr Ian Hunter spent 20 years as a university academic across four institutions, delivering invited lectures at Oxford and York before founding Writer's Toolbox in 2011. What started as research into why his own pupils could not write clearly has become the longest serving digital writing programme in the world, now working with schools across Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Europe, South East Asia and Africa.

In this keynote, Dr Hunter shows how Writer's Toolbox has cracked the problem governments have chased for decades: individualised learning delivered at national scale. Built on thirty years of writing pedagogy research, the platform's diagnostic assessment engine goes further than any system in the market. It shows what has gone wrong for a pupil’s writing, why it happened, and what to do next, for every learner, every time they write. Governments and educators get unparalleled transparency into the writing and thinking skills of their nation.

This is the model governments need to meet the UN's 21st century skills agenda. Writing becomes the tool that develops young people into better problem solvers and more creative thinkers. They are more engaged, more resilient, think critically and can work independently.

In this keynote, Dr Ian will also help you to:

•  A deep look into the data within the tool, showing how individual learning assessment reveals not just what a student needs, but why, and how to fix it

•  How metacognition is engineered directly into every writing task, so self-directed learning becomes a habit rather than an add-on

• Why the teacher, armed with the right data, can give every pupil the personalised teaching that opens up the life possibilities they deserve