Artificial Intelligence (AI) has come to the forefront of the conversation with the release of ChatGPT at the end of November 2022. Since then, we’ve seen more and more AI tools being talked about, including those that create images, help write text, and make our lives easier.

This panel conversation is part two of the webinar we held on 18 May 2023. It is an opportunity for you to engage with our panellists and ask your questions. Like in the first session, we will look at the impact of AI on online, flexible, and distance learning from the perspective of diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and decolonisation.

This session is offered in partnership by EdTechNZ and FLANZ.

Our panellists

Evo Leota-Tupou

Evo serves on the EdTechNZ Executive Council and is Director of Pacific Kids Learning (PKL). She is mum to five who are the reason why PKL started. Evo is a social entrepreneur, content producer, and founder of Pacific Kids' Learning (PKL), an EdTech and Edutainment organisation dedicated to empowering children through digital stories and merging cultural practises, song and dance with technology.

Dr Rebecca Marrone

Rebecca is a Lecturer: Learning Sciences and Development for the Centre for Change and Complexity in Learning (C3L) at the University of South Australia Education Futures. Her research is primarily in the fields of creativity, educational psychology and human and artificial cognition across varying educational contexts. Rebecca serves on the organising committee for the Empowering learners for the Age of AI conference and the 1st International Conference on Change and Complexity in Learning.

Dr Mark McConnell

Mark is a Professional Teaching Fellow in the Department of Commercial Law at the University of Auckland Business School, where he also serves as the Department’s Director of Teaching and Learning. Mark has been involved in research projects relating to learning analytics to inform learning design, and vicarious learning through the use of videoed tutorials. Recently Mark has been leading his Department’s response to student use of AI tools such as ChatGPT.

Stuart Wakefield

Stuart is the Chief Digital Officer for the NZ Ministry of Education and was previously the Director of the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer. In the education sector, Stuart leads a comprehensive Programme of work that is helping drive transformation of education through the use of technology, with a focus on the key pillars of digital enablement, digital wellness, and digital equity. Stuart also undertakes a variety of governance roles, including external board roles at other public sector agencies, and is the current chair of NZ Tech Leaders.

Dr Truman Pham

Truman is the Postgraduate Director at academyEX (previously The Mind Lab). He also teaches and supervises the blended/hybrid Master of Contemporary Education. His current research areas are applications of Artificial Intelligence in education and teachers’ self-identification of leadership. His PhD research was about industrial intelligence control which has now been applied in electric vehicles, wind turbines, and robotics. Truman was chair of EdTechNZ and is currently a member of its Executive Council.

Feature image by Lanju Fotografie on Unsplash of a water drop dropping into water and dispersing droplets in front of a black background