An Enoch Turner Schoolhouse Program on the State of Public Schooling

A free, two-part program at the Enoch Turner Schoolhouse and on ZOOM.

Wednesday, May 1 and 8, 2024

7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

ChatGPT erupted into the world of education in November, 2022. Defenders hailed this innovation as a great leap forward for teaching, learning and research. Critics, including some leading names in the field of artificial intelligence, were far more cautious about ChatGPT and related AI inventions. Will these developments enhance or stifle creativity? Will they free students’ imaginations or deepen their dependence on technological tools that are not widely understood?

The Enoch Turner Speakers’ Series, AI and the Future of Education, takes up these questions in a two-part program in the spring of 2024. Panelists from the K-12 and post-secondary educational sectors will be asked to discuss if, and how, AI can be used creatively in schooling and higher education. As teachers and students grapple daily with these new digital systems, this program will raise important questions and provide preliminary guidance as to how educators can grapple effectively with one of the major educational challenges of our time. 

This special event is designed for teachers, professors, parents, students and the general public. 

PROGRAM MODERATOR Clare Brett, Professor Emerita, Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, OISE/University of Toronto, has taught and written widely on the integration of technology into the classroom. 

AI and the Future of Education– K-12 Panel 

May 1, 2024 at 7 p.m.

Panelists:

Dr. Eunice Eunhee Jang, professor of Applied Psychology and Human Development at OISE-University of Toronto, is a distinguished researcher at the forefront of language and literacy assessment, specializing in the innovative application of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance formative and diagnostic assessment methods. She has led research teams that have developed AI-infused digital assessment tools designed to improve academic outcomes and boost student motivation and well-being. She is the recipient of a number of academic awards, including a prize for the most outstanding article in the Journal of Language Learning.

Presentation: The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly: Navigating and Advancing the Frontier of Education through AI

Dr. Mary Ott is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education, York University, with a focus on literacy education. Dr. Ott’s research exploring how elementary teachers adapt their literacy pedagogies in response to new curricula and technologies was awarded the Bombardier Canada Doctoral Scholarship. Her current study investigates the impact of generative AI on writing development and how junior and intermediate teachers are working with, around, or against student use of AI in writing.

Presentation: “It’s a Problem and Opportunity”: How Teachers are Thinking about Generative AI in the Writing Process”

Dr. Robyn Ruttenberg-Rozen, a former classroom teacher and administrator, is an assistant professor at Ontario Tech University. Her research explores the tensions and possibilities of belonging and inclusion in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) learning environments for historically marginalized learners. Her work sits at the intersection of STEAM identity, disability, gender, learning, technology, belonging, and agency. Dr. Ruttenberg-Rozen is interested in the ways agentic strategies can be nurtured to support belonging for historically marginalized learners in STEAM education. At the center of her research is the study of change, innovation, inclusion, and equity.

Presentation: The Potential of AI to Create Spaces of Belonging in K-12 Education

AI and the Future of Education – Post-Secondary Panel 

May 8, 2024 at 7 p.m.

Panelists:

Dr. Peter Lewis holds a Canada Research Chair in ‘Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence’ at Ontario Tech University, where he is an associate professor and leads the Trustworthy AI Lab. His research advances aspects of trust, self-awareness, and socially intelligent systems. Drawing on extensive experience applying AI commercially, he is interested in where AI meets society, and how that relationship can work well. He holds leadership roles in various international research communities, including being Associate Editor of IEEE Technology & Society Magazine.

Presentation: Learning and Researching with AI: Engaging Critically as Individuals and Society

Dr. Ian Milligan (he/him) is professor of history at the University of Waterloo, where he also serves as Associate Vice-President, Research Oversight and Analysis. In his administrative role, Milligan provides campus leadership for research oversight and compliance, and is the campus research integrity lead. Alongside this portfolio, Milligan is an active researcher, exploring the impact of digital sources and workflows on historical research. He is currently finishing a new book, “Averting the Digital Dark Age,” which will appear in December 2024 with Johns Hopkins University Press.
 
Presentation: Generative AI and Research: How Can Researchers Responsibly Harness this New Technology

Dr. Ron Owston is Research Associate AI in Higher Education at Ontario’s Contact North-Contact Nord where he is leading the development of a suite of innovative AI based tools to support teaching and learning. A pioneer in educational technology research since the early days of the web, Dr. Owston is University Professor Emeritus, former Dean of Education, and founding Director of the Institute for Research on Learning Technologies at York University.

Presentation: Tutoring Reimagined: How AI is Revolutionizing Learning