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.