First and foremost, our gratitude extends to all those who have supported and guided us on this journey – from faculty and staff to parents and mentors. Your dedication and tireless efforts have laid the foundation for the success of our graduates and the continued prosperity of our institution.

Yet, as we reflect on the achievements of the past, we cannot afford to ignore the looming challenges of the future. The rise of AI presents a myriad of opportunities, but with these opportunities come equally daunting challenges that will test the mettle of leaders at every level.

One of the most pressing challenges is that of ethical AI governance. As AI systems become increasingly integrated into every aspect of our lives, from healthcare to finance to education, leaders must grapple with thorny ethical questions surrounding privacy, bias, and accountability. How do we ensure that AI algorithms are fair and unbiased? How do we protect individual privacy in an age of ubiquitous surveillance? These are questions that demand thoughtful and principled leadership.

Moreover, the rapid pace of technological change poses a significant challenge for leaders tasked with navigating uncertainty and complexity. As AI continues to disrupt traditional industries and business models, leaders must embrace a mindset of continuous learning and adaptation. This means fostering a culture of innovation and experimentation, where failure is seen not as a setback but as an opportunity for growth.

At the same time, leaders must reckon with the socio-economic implications of AI-driven automation. While AI has the potential to drive unprecedented levels of efficiency and productivity, it also threatens to exacerbate existing inequalities and widen the gap between the haves and have-nots. As stewards of society, leaders have a moral imperative to ensure that the benefits of AI are equitably distributed and that no one is left behind in the march towards progress.

In the face of these challenges, we must draw inspiration from the resilience and determination of our graduates. Just as they have overcome obstacles and adversity to reach this milestone, so too must leaders summon the courage and conviction to confront the challenges of the AI age.

In closing, let us remember the timeless lessons of humility, compassion, and integrity that have guided us thus far. Let us embrace the opportunities of the AI age with open minds and compassionate hearts. And let us, above all, lead with courage and conviction as we chart a course towards a future defined not by fear and uncertainty, but by hope and possibility.

Together, we can navigate the challenges of the AI age and build a future that is worthy of the generations yet to come.

The initial question posited to the conference panel that I’ve been asked to address:

Information Technology in school – Does it improve  learning?

Gathered some resources to begin to address this question and related topics:

https://www.evernote.com/pub/chinazurfluh/technologyitems

The key issue associated with answering the question revolves first around how you define improving learning.  The learning targets that are currently accepted often revolve around norm referenced test scores because of our reliance on these measures to show growth or performance against a larger data set.  There is some validity to this because of the large data set available after decades of using these measures and the large body of experience with these measures.

However, these kinds of measures are ill prepared to measure 21st century skills.  They effectively measure math, reading, writing, and core knowledge competency, but they do little to measure attitudes, intellectual processing skills, and skills revolving around independence, collaboration, and innovation.  We have scores of examples of students who are truly gifted as leaders and complex thinkers that routinely scored below average on the accepted measures.

So, if you are asking me whether information technology improves learning, I would have to answer “No”.

There is no clear empirical evidence that information technology as an independent variable has a correlation to improved student learning as a dependent variable in the traditional, measured definition of the term.

I would suggest that addressing this question from a quantitative point of view is faulty at the outset.  This is the same logic that has led to American ignorance of the impact of poverty on education and learning.  We’ve spent more than a decade comparing our results to international measures only to ignore how poverty has impacted our bottom line.  A recent AASA blog entry highlights the fallacy of the standards movement to address educational reform while ignoring this poverty gap between the countries (e.g. Finland with 4% in poverty vs. U.S. at 21%).  Quantitative measures are insufficient in addressing complex issues.

Logic confirms that If we want to address what technology enables, we need different goals for education.  In the truest tradition of backward design, it begins with this question:

What world are we preparing kids to live in?

Addressing that question and looking at essential skills for a 21st century world is where we truly should be focused.  In regards to this question, the next logical qualified questions is:

Does the use of information technology in schools prepare kids for a technology rich world we can scarcely describe in the current moment?

Then the answer would be a resounding and passionate — YES!!  Now let’s design and build measures for addressing skills that emerge from this backward design and use measures that are meant to really test whether students are developing 21st century skills.  Let’s get beyond the issue of technology as an entity and look at how we create technology rich environments that eminently prepare students for the world of their future.

Hattie research:

and one recently reported danger from CNET:

AAS 5th Grade from Jon Zurfluh on Vimeo.

Erin and her classmates entertain parents at recent gathering.

BTW – All video done with iPhone and edited with iMovie on the iPhone. Amazing…

This changes everything…