ATLE Convergence 2024

Does AI have a place in the elementary school landscape? Do students need exposure to it in the early years or are they simply too young? Join me as we explore what Generative AI can look like in an elementary school and how you can use it with your staff and students to empower them and set our youngest learners up to thrive and succeed in a quickly evolving world!

MagicSchool AI is quickly becoming a huge hit in schools across North America. With over 60 tools for teachers and 40 more for students, this tool allows teachers and students to work with AI in a safe guarded environment. Every learner can benefit from using the tools in MagicSchool AI and every teacher can benefit from the time saving tools they have access to. In this session, we will dive into the teacher tools and the student tools to demonstrate how your life at school and the learning your students do can be enriched by AI.

In an era where artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming education, how do we create assessments that withstand the relentless advances of AI? Join us for an electrifying session, "Outsmarting AI: Crafting Resilient Assessments and Revolutionary Courses in the Age of Artificial Intelligence," where we delve into the art and science of developing AI-resistant assessments.

Discover practical techniques and proven methodologies for designing assessments that emphasize critical thinking, originality, and deep reflection. Learn how to safeguard academic integrity in a world where AI tools are readily accessible to students.

But that's not all! In this session we will also showcase the groundbreaking Intro to AI course developed in just a few weeks using AI technologies. Witness firsthand the remarkable responses and feedback from students, and explore how AI can be harnessed to create engaging, high-quality educational experiences.

Don't miss this opportunity to gain insights from a leader in the field of eLearning. Equip yourself with the knowledge and tools to help you outsmart AI and elevate the standards of your assessments and courses. This is a must-attend session for educators, instructional designers, and anyone passionate about the future of education.

Get ready for some hands-on learning and learn how to build your own design thinking kit! Explore curriculum connections, review design protocols, access experts, and prototype using high and low tech options including Minecraft Education, 3D printing, and loose parts. Whether you are building curriculum resources at the District level, providing instructional leadership to staff, or looking for ways to augment your existing approach to design thinking, this session will broaden your perspective through hands-on, interactive learning!

Have you been dabbling with AI tools and want to take your prompts to the next level? For this session, I’ll talk about the basics of AI tools, key components of a prompt that can help you with any AI tool (with a focus on ChatGPT and Gemini). We’ll work through demos together, and you’ll get a chance to try prompting yourself, as well as network with other prompt enthusiasts! Whether you’re just starting or looking to sharpen your skills, we’ve got you covered - in this session, you’ll gain some new insights and strategies that spark inspiration in your prompting!

Fear is the mind killer. Trying to teach subjects that cause fear in students is an impossible challenge, but immersive simulations offer an approach that leverages 'respawn and retry' gaming culture to put a pin in that fear balloon and get students into the zone of proximal development. Instead of scared and unengaged, tackling subjects like cybersecurity or quantum technologies, that many find overwhelming, through immersive simulation brings iteration and fear free experimentation into the equation in an emotionally empowering manner.

2020 changed how education was delivered to students across the province. The fall of 2020 saw districts creating programs to address students learning from home. I was one of the teachers in my district that built this airplane while flying it. Four years later, this program has only grown in our little corner of the province. Remote Learning has evolved and taken hold in Alternative Education and it is not just for pandemics and homeschooling. We now have students and families who seek out Alternative Education programs because it works for them but also allows students who are in rural areas to access courses they might not be able to due to a variety of reasons. But how do you engage students from all around to not just learn the content, but also engage with teachers and other students to form community in a virtual world? How do we navigate the world of synchronous vs asynchronous learning? How do we address attendance issues? And what about credits for high school? Can students really learn if they are online? Answers to ALL of these questions and more will be addressed in this session! I will show some tools that I use in my virtual space to help engage. I will address the expectations and communication with parents and students that help with course completions. Also the scheduling that is needed to meet the needs of a synchronous online program. We need to revolutionize remote learning to provide students with creative and innovative education opportunities.