“Generative AI presents opportunities for students and teachers, but there are also risks such as the privacy and safety of school children. Australian Minister for Education, Jason Clare As an educator for more than four decades now, I’ve witnessed the transformative potential of technology in a range of ways. Most recently, I’ve been watching how the use of AI is unfolding within our schools and classrooms. Its arrival brings both exhilarating opportunities and weighty responsibilities. Generative AI platforms like ChatGPT have ignited a new wave of possibilities, empowering students to explore, create, and learn in unprecedented ways. Yet, nestled within … Continue reading Guidance for educators on AI

This is the book I wish I’d had when I started my job as principal of a brand new school. Annette Thompson (School Principal)   I’m really excited to be able to announce in this post the release of our new book – “Agency by Design: An Educator’s Playbook!”, written in collaboration with a group of US educator friends, and available free to download from the Aurora Institute website. This newly released “Playbook” will help you transform your classroom from a traditional classroom to an agency-focused, energized place of learning! Learn about the conditions that you can create to promote … Continue reading Agency By Design – new book available

“I have a lot of concerns about it.” Dr Lisa Durragh, Auckland University A newspaper headline I read this morning reads: Researcher urges caution over use of online platforms: ‘I have a lot of concerns about it’. To add fuel to the headline’s impact, the report quotes Auckland University academic Dr Lisa Darragh as saying she was “quite stunned” by the widespread use of online platforms in New Zealand schools based on the research she had done. This journalistic endeavour aimed at capturing one’s attention certainly worked! I read it all – only to find that the bulk of the … Continue reading The Power of Concern

“He rangi tā matawhāiti, he rangi tā matawhānui”A person with narrow vision has limited ideas and views.Someone with wider vision is more embracing of new things and the world before them. Whakatauki from Connected Ako: Digital and Data for Learning. page 3 Last night I had the privilege of attending the official ‘release’ of the Ministry of Education’s new strategy: Connected Ako: Digital and Data for Learning – a strategy for education agencies for the next ten years. There were just a handful of mid-level MoE people in the room, along with the team who developed it, making it a … Continue reading The Power of Purpose

“When I choose to see the good side of things, I’m not being naive. It is strategic and necessary. It’s how I learned to survive through everything.” Waymond, from Everything, Everywhere, All at Once At last we’ve managed to produce a full analysis of the feedback received in response to the survey distributed via the FutureMakers website and social media channels earlier in the year. Our grateful thanks to everyone who contributed. The survey asked two simple questions about people’s perceptions about the change we’re experiencing in education: These two survey questions were intentionally broad, in order to generously capture … Continue reading Roadblocks and Drivers – Analysis

“ Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom” Aristotle In an earlier post I wrote about the 4Cs of Transformational Leadership. That post received a lot of feedback in the various forums I posted to to – and in the form of emails sent to me personally. Many suggested, very helpfully, a number of other characteristics added to my list – many starting with C. These included: I’m sure with a little more time even more words could be added here (particularly if we open up more of the alphabet 🙂 because all of these things are inarguably, characteristics … Continue reading All at Cs re Leadership