#278 – AI as a Tool for Equity of Learning (AI in Ed Miniseries)

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What’s in this episode?

Continuing our miniseries on AI in education with the fourth episode centred around a AI’s potential for equity of learning, host Professor Rose Luckin is joined by Richard Culatta of ISTE, Professor Sugata Mitra, and Emily Murphy of Nord Anglia Education.  This episode and our series are generously sponsored by Nord Anglia Education.

In our fourth instalment of this valuable series, we look at AI’s potential to address various challenges and bridge the educational gaps that exist among different groups of students around the world.  AI can analyse vast amounts of data, provide early interventions, and enhance accessibility, and as long as the deployment of the technology is appropriate to the unique context of the school, the learners, the location, and the access to devices, AI can transform education for those who need the most support.

Guests:

• Professor Sugata Mitra, Author/Professor of Educational Technology, Newcastle University
• Emily Murphy, Senior PD Lead, DNA Metacognition Project, Nord Anglia Education
• Richard Culatta, CEO, ISTE

Talking points and questions include: 

• What do we mean by equity of learning, and how can we understand context?  Is there a danger that AI will simply be used to reinforce or replace existing conventional methods of assessing learning, despite what it’s great potential?
• What needs to fall into place for AI to be the promise for education we know it could be?
• What needs to happen to have AI be the magic bullet for equity of learning from a teacher and headteacher perspective?  If the technology is there, and it has the potential it has, how can teachers build on that? 
• How have different practices and innovations in the classroom been adopted and rejected… is AI going to succeed where other initiatives and technologies have either failed to be adopted, or plateaued and fallen by the wayside?  How is AI different?
• How do we talk about getting school infrastructure in place to use AI?
• How we do we convince educationalists, and the budget holders and local governance that AI and other emerging technologies are worth their investment?
• There is some understandable fear about revolutionary technology disrupting existing practice in the classroom, but are we underestimating our students and teachers?

Guests

• Professor Sugata Mitra, Author/Professor of Educational Technology, Newcastle University

Sugata Mitra is a computer scientist and educational theorist. He is best known for his “Hole in the Wall” experiment, and widely cited in works on literacy and education. He is Professor Emeritus at NIIT University, Rajasthan, India. A Ph.D. in theoretical physics, he retired in 2019 as Professor of Educational Technology at Newcastle University in England, after 13 years there including a year in 2012 as visiting professor at MIT MediaLab in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. He won the TED Prize 2013.

• Emily Murphy, Senior PD Lead, DNA Metacognition Project, Nord Anglia Education

  

Emily Murphy is a passionate educator and lifelong learner with over 15 years of K-12 instructional experience. Emily originally trained as a teacher in the US and holds a master’s degree in elementary education from Stanford University. As the Senior PD Lead for the DNA Metacognition Project at Nord Anglia Education, Emily works with schools around the world to explore how teachers can support students’ metacognitive development. She is also the host of Nord Anglia’s Learning Explorations podcast. Prior to joining Nord Anglia, Emily taught primary school in international and state schools across Europe, and has also spent time working in EdTech, where she focused on curriculum development and design.

• Richard Culatta, CEO, ISTE

  

Richard Culatta, chief executive officer, brings vast experience in education policy, teacher preparation, educational technology and innovation to his role with ISTE.  Prior to joining ISTE, Culatta served as the chief innovation officer for the state of Rhode Island. In this role, he focused on developing partnerships to improve opportunities for students, including launching a program to make Rhode Island the first state to offer computer science in every K-12 school and creating a state vision for personalized learning.

Host

Rose Luckin – Professor of Learner Centred Design, UCL, Founder, EDUCATE Ventures Research 

 

Rosemary (Rose) Luckin is a Professor at University College London and Founder of EDUCATE Ventures Research (EVR) who has spent over 30 years developing and studying AI for Education. She is renowned for her research into the design and evaluation of educational technology and AI. She was named as one of the 20 most influential people in education in the Seldon List in 2017, the only non-US winner of the ISTE Impact Award, and one of Computer Weekly’s top 50 most influential women in technology for 2023. Rose regularly provides expert evidence to policymakers like the UK Parliament’s House of Lords and House of Commons select committees and the European Commission. Rose has published widely in academic journals, at international conferences, through books, and in news media (TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines). Her 2018 book, Machine Learning and Human Intelligence: The Future of Education for the 21st Century, has been translated into Mandarin and influenced many of China’s leading AI companies. Her most recent book, AI for School Teachers (2022), is an essential and accessible guide to AI for anyone in education.

Thanks and support

Thank you to the fans and educational community around the Edtech Podcast for their ongoing support and encouragement of our work.  Let us know how we’re doing below!

Sponsorship

Thank you so much to this series’ sponsor: Nord Anglia Education, the world’s leading premium international schools organisation.  They make every moment of your child’s education count.  Their strong academic foundations combine world-class teaching and curricula with cutting-edge technology and facilities, to create learning experiences like no other.  Inside and outside of the classroom, Nord Anglia Education inspires their students to achieve more than they ever thought possible.

“Along with great academic results, a Nord Anglia education means having the confidence, resilience and creativity to succeed at whatever you choose to do or be in life.” – Dr Elise Ecoff, Chief Education Officer, Nord Anglia Education

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