Teaching Generation AI-Z

Advancing Schooling, Skills, Relationships, and Learning in a Distracted, Uncertain AI Age

February 13 - 15, 2026

Fairmont San Francisco or Virtually via Zoom

Conference Pre-Conference Workshops Schedule Accommodations

Credits Registration

Program

Conference registration is open now for the annual Winter Learning & the Brain conference in San Francisco held at the Fairmont San Francisco February 13 - 15, 2026.

This conference will be run as a hybrid conference. Whether you attend in-person or remotely, recordings will be available for 45 days after the conference.

Teaching Generation AI-Z

ADVANCING SCHOOLING & LEARNING IN AN UNCERTAIN AI AGE

AI is reshaping education, jobs, and the world. For Generations Alpha and Beta, this uncertain AI world is the only one they've ever known. Recent research has found that while AI offers powerful tools for personalized learning, its overuse can lead to increased loneliness, stunted social skills, reduced critical thinking, and rising “technostress” on already struggling students. A 2020 Economic World Forum Report on “Schools of the Future” noted that students today will be entering jobs that don't yet exist and one’s that place a premium on both digital and social-emotional skills.

This interdisciplinary conference will explore the future of education, skills, and learning in this digital, AI age. The conference will examine AI’s impact on the brain, generational differences in learning, and ways to effectively engage students in a distracted world.

Learn strategies for teaching AI effectively and ethically; improving relationships and using social robots in school; fostering student critical thinking and creativity; building skills in robotics, STEM, and digital literacy; promoting reading and writing in a digital era; and preparing students for an uncertain AI future.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

You will gain knowledge about:

Rethinking schooling and skills for an uncertain future

Your brain on ChatGPT and promoting deeper, critical thinking

Strategies for teaching Generations Z, Alpha, and Beta in classrooms

Preparing students for a future of STEAM, makerspaces, and robotics

Engaging students in learning in an age of disengaged, digital distractions

AI/social robots on loneliness, as co-creators, and the need for relationships

Advancing learning with AI classroom strategies and educational design

Designing schools for thinking, creativity, and student-led learning

The potential of AI to treating stress, distraction, and addiction

Fostering reading, writing, and data literacy in an AI age

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Educators, Parents

Curriculum, Staff Developers

Speech-Language Pathologists

PreK-12 Teachers, Administrators

Psychologists, School Psychologists

Learning Specialists, Special Educators

Early Childhood Educators, Professionals

Mental Health, School, Career Counselors

Reading, Writing, STEM, Technology Teachers

Superintendents, Principals, School Heads

College, University Professors

Featured Speakers

Technology and Learning: Promise and Perils from Podcasts to Reading Text

David B. Daniel, PhD, Conference Chair

David B. Daniel, PhD, Conference Chair

Program Director, National Science Foundation; Professor Emeritus of Psychology, James Madison University; Former Executive Director and Founding Board Member, International Mind, Brain, and Education Society; Former Managing Editor, Mind, Brain, and Education Journal; Recognized in the “Top 1% of Educational Researchers Influencing Public Debate” in the US; Co-Author, “Toward an Ecological Science of Teaching” (2021, Canadian Psychology), “Seeing Self and Others On-Screen Does Not Negatively Impact Learning in Virtual Classrooms” (2021, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology), and “E-Textbooks at What Cost? Performance and Use of Electronic v. Print Texts” (2013, Computers and Education)

Preparing the Next Generation for an AI-Enhanced World

David M. Eagleman, PhD

David M. Eagleman, PhD

Guggenheim Fellow; Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Director, Laboratory for Perception and Action, Stanford University School of Medicine; Host of the Emmy-Nominated PBS Series, “The Brain”; Regular Guest on National Public Radio and BBC on both science and literature; Internationally Bestselling Author, Livewired (2021), The Safety Net: Surviving Pandemics and Other Disasters (2020), The Brain: The Story of You (2017), and Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain (2012); Co-Author, The Runaway Species: How Human Creativity Remakes the World (2017)

Gen Z and Gen Alpha: What Makes Them Different and What That Means for Education and the Future

Jean M. Twenge, PhD

Jean M. Twenge, PhD

Professor of Psychology, College of Science, San Diego State University; Researcher on Generational Differences; Author, 10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World (2025), Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents - and What They Mean for America's Future (2023), iGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy -- and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood (2017), The Narcissism Epidemic (2009), and Generation Me (2006)

The Revolution in Learning, AI, and Creation

Daniel L. Schwartz, PhD

Daniel L. Schwartz, PhD

I. James Quillen Dean; Nomellini & Olivier Professor of Educational Technology, Stanford Graduate School of Education; Director, Transforming Learning Accelerator; Director, AAALab, Stanford University; Member of the AI at Stanford Advisory Committee; Winner of the Jacobs Foundation Prize to fund research on the use of artificial intelligence in educational settings, focusing on the Teachable Agent, a technology he developed and has tested previously with promising result; Co-Host of the Stanford podcast and SiriusXM radio show “School’s In”; Co-Author, “Achieving an Adaptive Learner” (2025, Educational Psychologist), The ABCs of How We Learn: 26 Scientifically Proven Approaches, How They Work, and When to Use Them (2016), and Measuring What Matters Most (2013)

The Brain and AI: The Future of AI, Intelligence, and Learning

Terrence J. Sejnowski, PhD

Terrence J. Sejnowski, PhD

Pioneer in Computational Neuroscience who leads groundbreaking research in AI; Francis Crick Chair; Professor, The Salk Institute; Co-Director of the Institute for Neural Computation; Co-Director of the NSF Temporal Dynamics of Learning Center; Adjunct Professor, Neurosciences, Cognitive Science, Psychology, and Computer Science and Engineering, University of California, San Diego; Elected to Royal Society and American Philosophical Society; Member, La Jolla Group on the Origin of Humans; Author, ChatGPT and the Future of AI: The Deep Language Revolution (2024); Co-Author, “The Memory Paradox: Why Our Brains Need Knowledge in an Age of AI” (2025, arXiv), Uncommon Sense Teaching: Practical Insights in Brain Science to Help Students Learn (2021), and Learning How to Learn (2018)

AI: Stupefying Students or Supercharging Learning? - Six Essential Shifts in Education

Jonathan H. Bergmann, MA

Jonathan H. Bergmann, MA

Science Teacher and Staff Developer for AI-Infused Mastery Learning, Houston Christian High School; Educational Consultant, Flipped Learning LLC; Former Chief Academic Officer, Flipped Learning Global Initiative; Author, "AI Will Stupefy Our Students Unless We Do These Six Things" (2025, Educate AI), Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day (2023, Revised Edition), The Mastery Learning Handbook (2022), Solving the Homework Problem by Flipping the Learning (2018); Co-Author, The Operating System for the Future of Talent Development (2017), Flipped Learning for Elementary Instruction (2016), and Flipped Learning: Gateway to Student Engagement (2014)

Bridging the Gap: Aligning AI, Educational Fundamentals, and Collaborative Culture in Schools

George Couros, MEd

George Couros, MEd

Innovative Teaching, Learning, and Leadership Consultant, George Couros Consulting; Adjunct Instructor, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania; Former Division Principal of Innovative Teaching and Learning, Parkland School Division in Canada; Former Classroom Teacher; Author, “Learning From AI: Why Asking Why Might Matter More Than What” (2025, George Couros Blog), “10 Timeless Principles for Learning, AI, and Emerging Technologies in Education” (2024, George Couros Blog), and The Innovator's Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity (2015); Co-Author, What Makes a Great Principal (2024), and Innovate Inside the Box: Empowering Learning Through UDL and the Innovator's Mindset (2023)

Generation AI-Z and Education: ReThinking Schooling in the Age of AI

Yong Zhao, PhD

Foundation Distinguished Professor, School of Education, University of Kansas; Professorial Fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Health and Education Policy, Victoria University; Professor in Educational Leadership, Melbourne Graduate School of Education; Author, “Artificial Intelligence and Education: End the Grammar of Schooling” (2024, ECNU Review of Education) and Learners Without Borders: New Learning Pathways for All Students (2021); Co-Author, “Reconsidering Literacy in an AI World” (2025, KAPPAN), Learning for Uncertainty: Teaching Students How to Thrive in a Rapidly Evolving World (2022), Teaching Students to Become Self-Determined Learners (2020) and Never Send a Human to Do a Machine’s Job (2015)

Can Humans Adapt Along With AI?

Charan Ranganath, PhD

Charan Ranganath, PhD

Director, Dynamic Memory Lab and Memory and Plasticity Program; Professor, Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis; Affiliated Faculty, Center for Mind and Brain; Member, Future Directions in Human Machine Workshop, US Department of Defense; Author, “Why I'm Deeply Skeptical About Comparisons Between Humans and Machines” (2025, NewScientist) and Why We Remember: Unlocking Memory's Power to Hold on to What Matters (2024)

Cultivating a STEM Mindset in Students: Preparing Today’s Generation for an AI and Data-Driven Future

Talithia D. Wiliams, PhD

Talithia D. Wiliams, PhD

Award-winning Professor of Mathematics; Mathematics Clinic Director, Harvey Mudd College; Co-Host of the PBS Series “Nova Wonders”; Presenter of the popular TEDTalk on “Own Your Body’s Data”; STEM/STEAM Education Advocate; Mathematician and Big Data expert with research appointments at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the National Security Agency (NSA), NASA, and the World Health Organization; Author, Power in Numbers: The Rebel Women of Mathematics (2022)

Relational Intelligence in Education in an AI-Driven World

Isabelle C. Hau, MBA

Isabelle C. Hau, MBA

Executive Director, Stanford Accelerator for Learning, Stanford University, which leverages the latest advances in brain and learning sciences, data, and technology and creates more effective and equitable solutions in learning for all; Founding Partner, Imaginable Futures; Board Member, Advisor, and AI Expert for such organizations as Education Development Center, World Economic Forum, EDSAFE AI Steering Committee, Brookings Global AI Taskforce, EdSurge, Elevation, Handshake, Holberton School, Khan Academy Kids, ParentPowered, Reach Capital, Sonen Capital, Tinkergarten, Think Equal, and Wonderschool; Author, “Why Relational Intelligence Is the Key to Thriving in the AI Age” (2025, Hechinger Report) and Love to Learn. The Transformational Power of Care and Connection in Early Education (2025)

The Cognition Crisis: The Future of AI and Technology to Treat Stress, Distraction, and Addiction in Today's Generation

Adam Gazzaley, MD, PhD

Adam Gazzaley, MD, PhD

Director, Neuroscape; David Dolby Distinguished Professor in Neurology, Physiology, and Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco; Co-Founder and Chief Science Advisor, Akili Interactive Labs, a company developing therapeutic AI-video games; Co-Founder of JAZZ Venture Partners, a venture capital firm investing in experiential technology to improve human performance; Host of the PBS special, “The Distracted Mind With Dr. Adam Gazzaley”; Co-Author, “Enhancing Attention in Children Using an Integrated Cognitive-Physical Video Game” (2023), “Can Technology Mend Our Broken Minds” (2020, UCSF Science), and The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World (2016)

Education and Teaching for the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Charles K. Fadel, MBA

Charles K. Fadel, MBA

Founder and Chairman, Center for Curriculum Redesign; Past Visiting Practitioner, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Founder of Neurodyne, an ahead-of-its-time startup focused on Neural Networks and Artificial Intelligence; Chair Emeritus, Education Committee of the Business and Industry Advisory Committee, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Senior Fellow, Human Capital, The Conference Board and Partnership for 21st Century Skills; Co-Author, Education for the Age of AI: Why, What, and How Should Students Learn for the Age of Artificial Intelligence? (2024), Artificial Intelligence in Education: Promises and Implications for Teaching and Learning (2019), Four-Dimensional Education (2016), and 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times (2009)

1) THE FUTURE OF SCHOOLING: PREPARING SKILLS FOR AN UNCERTAIN AI AGE

Preparing the Next Generation for an AI-Enhanced World

David M. Eagleman, PhD

David M. Eagleman, PhD

Guggenheim Fellow; Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Director, Laboratory for Perception and Action, Stanford University School of Medicine; Host of the Emmy-Nominated PBS Series, “The Brain”; Regular Guest on National Public Radio and BBC on both science and literature; Internationally Bestselling Author, Livewired (2021), The Safety Net: Surviving Pandemics and Other Disasters (2020), The Brain: The Story of You (2017), and Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain (2012); Co-Author, The Runaway Species: How Human Creativity Remakes the World (2017)

Fix the Past or Invent the Future: Rethinking Schooling in the Age of AI and Uncertainty

Yong Zhao, PhD

Foundation Distinguished Professor, School of Education, University of Kansas; Professorial Fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Health and Education Policy, Victoria University; Professor in Educational Leadership, Melbourne Graduate School of Education; Author, “Artificial Intelligence and Education: End the Grammar of Schooling” (2024, ECNU Review of Education) and Learners Without Borders: New Learning Pathways for All Students (2021); Co-Author, “Reconsidering Literacy in an AI World” (2025, KAPPAN), Learning for Uncertainty: Teaching Students How to Thrive in a Rapidly Evolving World (2022), Teaching Students to Become Self-Determined Learners (2020) and Never Send a Human to Do a Machine’s Job (2015)

The Future of Education: Teaching Students to Think for Themselves, Embrace Challenges, and Love Learning in an AI World

Ana Lorena Fabrega, BS

Ana Lorena Fabrega, BS

EDUpreneur; Chief Evangelist of Synthesis, an Online, AI, Game-Based School; Former Third and Fourth Grade Teacher in Panama and the US; Host of the “Show & Tell” YouTube Series; Author, The Learning Game: Teaching Kids to Think for Themselves, Embrace Challenge, and Love Learning (2023)

Rethinking Education in the Age of AI

Rebecca E. Winthrop, PhD

Rebecca E. Winthrop, PhD

Director and Senior Fellow, Center for Universal Education, Brookings Institute; Member, Brookings Global Taskforce on AI and Education; Adjunct Faculty, Georgetown University; Served as the Chair of the U.N. Secretary General’s Global Education First Initiative’s Technical Advisory Group;Member, Board of Directors, Right to Play; Member of the Academic Committee at the Forum for World Education and the Global Education Leaders Partnership; Author, The Disengaged Teen: Helping Kids Learn Better, Feel Better, and Live Better (2025), “Generative AI is Coming for Our Students, and Now is the Moment to Shape It” (2025, Brookings), and Leapfrogging Inequality: Remaking Education to Help Young People Thrive (2018)

AI and the Future of Education: Promises, Perils, and Uncertainty

Priten Soundar-Shah, MEd

Priten Soundar-Shah, MEd

EDUpreneur; Chief Executive Officer, Pedagogy Ventures; Chief Technology Officer, ThinkerAnalytix; Faculty Instructor, College Unbound; Founder/Board Chair, Academy 4 Social Civics; Author, Ethical Ed Tech: An Educator’s Guide to AI, Cellphones, and Surveillance in K–12 Schools (Forthcoming), “AI May Be Making Teacher Burnout Worse” (2024, Education Week), “AI’s Transformative Role in STEM Education: Opportunities, Challenges, and the Future” (2024, Encorps), and AI and the Future of Education: Teaching in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (2023); Co-Editor, Chat(GPT): Navigating the Impact of Generative AI Technologies on Educational Theory and Practice (2023)

Preparing Generation AI-Z for the Future: Fostering STEAM, Robotics, Creativity, and Innovation in Elementary Schools

Jacie Maslyk, EdD

Jacie Maslyk, EdD

Literacy Consultant, Solution Tree; Instructional Coach; Google Certified Educator; Former Assistant Superintendent, Hopewell Area School District; STEM, Maker, and Robotics Advocate; Member, Maker Learning Collaborative Committee, Digital Promise; National Distinguished Principal Finalist in Pennsylvania in 2013 and 2014; Editorial Advisor for the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP); Author, Remaking Literacy: Innovative Instructional Strategies for Maker Learning (2019), Unlock Creativity Opening a World of Imagination with Your Students(2019), Connect to Lead: Power Up Your Learning Network to Move Your School Forward (2019), and STEAM Makers: Fostering Creativity and Innovation in the Elementary Classroom (2016); Co-Author, Makers in Schools (2018)

Reimagining Classrooms: Shifting to Student Led Learning for a Digital, AI World

Catlin R. Tucker, PhD

Catlin R. Tucker, PhD

Chief Executive Officer, Blended Learning; Curriculum Designer, Professional Development Designer, and Facilitator, Imagine Learning; Adjunct Professor, Masters of Arts in Teaching Program, Pepperdine University; Author, The Complete Guide to Blended Learning: Activating Agency, Differentiation, Community, and Inquiry for Students (2022), Balance With Blended Learning: Partner With Your Students to Reimagine Learning and Reclaim Your Life (2020), and Power Up Blended Learning: A Professional Learning Infrastructure to Support Sustainable Change (2018); Co-Author, Elevating Educational Design With AI (2024), Shift Writing Into the Classroom: With UDL and Blended Learning (2024), The Shift to Student-Led: Reimagining Classroom Workflows With UDL and Blended Learning (2022), UDL and Blended Learning: Thriving in Flexible Learning Landscapes (2021), and Blended Learning in Action: A Practical Guide Toward Sustainable Change (2016)

Cultivating a STEM Mindset in Students: Preparing Today’s Generation for an AI and Data-Driven Future

Talithia D. Wiliams, PhD

Talithia D. Wiliams, PhD

Award-winning Professor of Mathematics; Mathematics Clinic Director, Harvey Mudd College; Co-Host of the PBS Series “Nova Wonders”; Presenter of the popular TEDTalk on “Own Your Body’s Data”; STEM/STEAM Education Advocate; Mathematician and Big Data expert with research appointments at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the National Security Agency (NSA), NASA, and the World Health Organization; Author, Power in Numbers: The Rebel Women of Mathematics (2022)

3) TEACHING GEN. AI-Z: ADVANCING LEARNING IN A HIGH-TECH, AI AGE

Gen Z and Gen Alpha: What Makes Them Different and What That Means for Education and the Future

Jean M. Twenge, PhD

Jean M. Twenge, PhD

Professor of Psychology, College of Science, San Diego State University; Researcher on Generational Differences; Author, 10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World (2025), Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents - and What They Mean for America's Future (2023), iGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy -- and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood (2017), The Narcissism Epidemic (2009), and Generation Me (2006)

GenAI Instruction: Artificial Intelligence in the K-12 Classroom

Victor R. Lee, PhD

Victor R. Lee, PhD

Associate Professor, Stanford Graduate School of Education; Faculty Affiliate, Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, Stanford University; Faculty Lead for the Stanford Accelerator for Learning's initiative on AI and Education, who is researching and designing learning experiences and resources for data literacy, K-12 data science education, and artificial intelligence literacy for both students and teachers; Author, Advancing Data Science Education in K-12: Foundations, Research, and Innovations (2024) and Learning Technologies and the Body: Integration and Implementation in Formal and Informal Learning Environments (2014); Co-Author, “Teaching High School Students About Generative AI: Cases of Teacher Lesson Design” (2025, Educational Research) and “Cheating in the Age of Generative AI: A High School Survey Study of Cheating Behaviors Before and After the Release of ChatGPT” (2024, Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence)

Education and Teaching for the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Charles K. Fadel, MBA

Charles K. Fadel, MBA

Founder and Chairman, Center for Curriculum Redesign; Past Visiting Practitioner, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Founder of Neurodyne, an ahead-of-its-time startup focused on Neural Networks and Artificial Intelligence; Chair Emeritus, Education Committee of the Business and Industry Advisory Committee, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Senior Fellow, Human Capital, The Conference Board and Partnership for 21st Century Skills; Co-Author, Education for the Age of AI: Why, What, and How Should Students Learn for the Age of Artificial Intelligence? (2024), Artificial Intelligence in Education: Promises and Implications for Teaching and Learning (2019), Four-Dimensional Education (2016), and 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times (2009)

Generation Alpha and Beta: Educating Our Next Generations

Valora Washington, PhD

Valora Washington, PhD

CEO and President, the Cayl Institute; Founder, Voices for Michigan's Children and the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative; Author, Changing the Game for Generation Alpha: Teaching and Raising Young Children in the 21stCentury (2021); Co-Author, Ready or Not: Early Care and Education's Leadership Choices—12 Years Later (2019) and Guiding Principles for the New Early Childhood Professional (2017)

Generation Z Explained

Roberta R. Katz, PhD

Roberta R. Katz, PhD

Anthropologist; Senior Research Scholar, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University; Advisor, Distinguished Careers Institute; Member, Boards of Trustees of the Exploratorium in SF and the National Parks Conservation Association in DC; Co-Author, Gen Z, Explained: The Art of Living in a Digital Age (2021), which describes the findings from a multi-year, interdisciplinary study of the behaviors and values of American and British Gen Zers and discusses the historical, technological, and social trends that have influenced them

Teaching Today's Generation: Empowering Agents of Impact for an Uncertain Future

Ronald A. Beghetto, PhD

Ronald A. Beghetto, PhD

Professor, Pinnacle West Presidential Chair, Teaching and Learning Innovation, Mary Lou Fulton College, Arizona State University; Fellow, American Psychological Association, the Society for the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts (APA Division 10), and the International Society for the Study of Creativity and Innovation; Author, Uncertainty x Design (2024), What If?: Building Students' Problem-Solving Skills Through Complex Challenges (2018), and Beautiful Risks: Having the Courage to Teach and Learn Creatively (2018); Co-Author, Creative Agency Unbound (Forthcoming), Agents of Impact: How Education Can Empower Students to Change Themselves, Their Communities, and Their World (2025), and My Favorite Failure: How Setbacks Can Lead to Learning and Growth (2022)

Elevating Educational Design With AI

Catlin R. Tucker, PhD

Catlin R. Tucker, PhD

Chief Executive Officer, Blended Learning; Curriculum Designer, Professional Development Designer, and Facilitator, Imagine Learning; Adjunct Professor, Masters of Arts in Teaching Program, Pepperdine University; Author, The Complete Guide to Blended Learning: Activating Agency, Differentiation, Community, and Inquiry for Students (2022), Balance With Blended Learning: Partner With Your Students to Reimagine Learning and Reclaim Your Life (2020), and Power Up Blended Learning: A Professional Learning Infrastructure to Support Sustainable Change (2018); Co-Author, Elevating Educational Design With AI (2024), Shift Writing Into the Classroom: With UDL and Blended Learning (2024), The Shift to Student-Led: Reimagining Classroom Workflows With UDL and Blended Learning (2022), UDL and Blended Learning: Thriving in Flexible Learning Landscapes (2021), and Blended Learning in Action: A Practical Guide Toward Sustainable Change (2016)

EdTech Essentials: Strategies for Every Classroom in the AI Age

Monica Burns, EdD

Monica Burns, EdD

EdTech and Curriculum Consultant; Apple Distinguished Educator; Founder of ClassTechTips.com and Blog; Host of the "Easy EdTech" Podcast; Former Adjunct Professor, Kean University; Author, EdTech Essentials: 12 Strategies for Every Classroom in the Age of AI (2024, 2nd Edition), Using AI Chatbots to Enhance Planning and Instruction (2023), and Tasks Before Apps (2017); Co-Author, Engaging Students to Read All Types of Text (2020) and Taming the Wild Text: Literacy Strategies for Today's Readers (2017)

4) DISENGADED MINDS: ENGAGING GEN. AI-Z IN A DISTRACTED, DIGITAL ERA

The Cognition Crisis: The Future of AI and Technology to Treat Stress, Distraction, and Addiction in Today's Generation

Adam Gazzaley, MD, PhD

Adam Gazzaley, MD, PhD

Director, Neuroscape; David Dolby Distinguished Professor in Neurology, Physiology, and Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco; Co-Founder and Chief Science Advisor, Akili Interactive Labs, a company developing therapeutic AI-video games; Co-Founder of JAZZ Venture Partners, a venture capital firm investing in experiential technology to improve human performance; Host of the PBS special, “The Distracted Mind With Dr. Adam Gazzaley”; Co-Author, “Enhancing Attention in Children Using an Integrated Cognitive-Physical Video Game” (2023), “Can Technology Mend Our Broken Minds” (2020, UCSF Science), and The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World (2016)

Can Humans Adapt Along With AI?

Charan Ranganath, PhD

Charan Ranganath, PhD

Director, Dynamic Memory Lab and Memory and Plasticity Program; Professor, Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis; Affiliated Faculty, Center for Mind and Brain; Member, Future Directions in Human Machine Workshop, US Department of Defense; Author, “Why I'm Deeply Skeptical About Comparisons Between Humans and Machines” (2025, NewScientist) and Why We Remember: Unlocking Memory's Power to Hold on to What Matters (2024)

Disengaged Teens in an Uncertain, Tech-Driven Age

Rebecca E. Winthrop, PhD

Rebecca E. Winthrop, PhD

Director and Senior Fellow, Center for Universal Education, Brookings Institute; Member, Brookings Global Taskforce on AI and Education; Adjunct Faculty, Georgetown University; Served as the Chair of the U.N. Secretary General’s Global Education First Initiative’s Technical Advisory Group;Member, Board of Directors, Right to Play; Member of the Academic Committee at the Forum for World Education and the Global Education Leaders Partnership; Author, The Disengaged Teen: Helping Kids Learn Better, Feel Better, and Live Better (2025), “Generative AI is Coming for Our Students, and Now is the Moment to Shape It” (2025, Brookings), and Leapfrogging Inequality: Remaking Education to Help Young People Thrive (2018)

The Depth Advantage: Deeper Learning in a Distracted, AI World

John T. Spencer, EdD

John T. Spencer, EdD

Assistant Professor of Education, George Fox University; Technology Specialist; Former 6-8th Grade Teacher; Co-Founder/Tech Developer of the blogging platform for K-12 students, “Write About”; Author, The Depth Advantage: Deeper Learning in a Distracted World (2025), The A.I. Roadmap: Human Learning in the Age of Smart Machines (2023), and Vintage Innovation: Leveraging Retro Tools and Classic Ideas to Design Deeper Learning Experiences(2019); Co-Author, New Teacher Mindset (2024), Empower: What Happens When Students Own Their Learning (2017), and LAUNCH (2016)

Captivate: Engaging Students in a World of Digital Distractions

Marc Issek, PhD

Marc Issek, PhD

Assistant Principal, Sewanhaka Central High School; Director, Self-Proclaimed Educational Pyromaniac; Co-Host of the Podcast “State of Ed”; Third generation educator with 30 years of experience as teacher, curriculum coordinator, and building administrator; Author, Captivate: Engaging and Empowering Students in a World of Digital Distractions (2024) and Forward Fast: Making Sense of Education in an Era of Rapid Change (2019)

Teaching Students to Use AI Ethically and With Intentionality, Curiosity, and Care

Douglas B. Fisher, PhD

Douglas B. Fisher, PhD

Chair, Department of Educational Leadership, San Diego State University; Classroom Teacher, Health Sciences High and Middle College; Co-Author, Teaching Students to Use AI Ethically and Responsibly: Exploring AI With Intentionality, Curiosity, and Care (2025), The Artificial Intelligence Playbook: Time-Saving Tools for Teachers That Make Learning More Engaging (2025, 2nd Edition), Rigor Unveiled (2025), Teaching Students to Drive Their Learning (2023), The Vocabulary Playbook: Learning Words That Matter (2023), Teaching Reading (2022), Confronting the Crisis in Engagement (2022), and Improving Adolescent Literacy (2011)

5) AI VS IQ: PROMOTING CRITICAL THINKING & CREATING IN STUDENTS

The Brain and AI: The Future of Intelligence and Learning

Terrence J. Sejnowski, PhD

Terrence J. Sejnowski, PhD

Pioneer in Computational Neuroscience who leads groundbreaking research in AI; Francis Crick Chair; Professor, The Salk Institute; Co-Director of the Institute for Neural Computation; Co-Director of the NSF Temporal Dynamics of Learning Center; Adjunct Professor, Neurosciences, Cognitive Science, Psychology, and Computer Science and Engineering, University of California, San Diego; Elected to Royal Society and American Philosophical Society; Member, La Jolla Group on the Origin of Humans; Author, ChatGPT and the Future of AI: The Deep Language Revolution (2024); Co-Author, “The Memory Paradox: Why Our Brains Need Knowledge in an Age of AI” (2025, arXiv), Uncommon Sense Teaching: Practical Insights in Brain Science to Help Students Learn (2021), and Learning How to Learn (2018)

AI: Stupefying Students or Supercharging Learning? – Six Essential Shifts in Education

Jonathan H. Bergmann, MA

Jonathan H. Bergmann, MA

Science Teacher and Staff Developer for AI-Infused Mastery Learning, Houston Christian High School; Educational Consultant, Flipped Learning LLC; Former Chief Academic Officer, Flipped Learning Global Initiative; Author, "AI Will Stupefy Our Students Unless We Do These Six Things" (2025, Educate AI), Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day (2023, Revised Edition), The Mastery Learning Handbook (2022), Solving the Homework Problem by Flipping the Learning (2018); Co-Author, The Operating System for the Future of Talent Development (2017), Flipped Learning for Elementary Instruction (2016), and Flipped Learning: Gateway to Student Engagement (2014)

Humanity Amplified: Designing Schools for Deeper Learning and Thinking

Sabba N. Quidwai, EdD

Sabba N. Quidwai, EdD

Futurist; Social Scientist; CEO, Designing Schools; Host of the Podcast, “Designing Schools”; Former Education Leadership Executive, Apple; Former Director of Innovative Learning, University of Southern California; Author and Producer of the 2020 Documentary and Book on Designing Schools: How Design Thinking Makes YOU Irreplaceable in the Age of AI; Co-Author, Humanity Amplified: Understanding the AI World and Augmenting Our Students’ Intelligence With Human Deep Learning (2024)

Human Creativity and AI in Education

Ronald A. Beghetto, PhD

Ronald A. Beghetto, PhD

Professor, Pinnacle West Presidential Chair, Teaching and Learning Innovation, Mary Lou Fulton College, Arizona State University; Fellow, American Psychological Association, the Society for the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts (APA Division 10), and the International Society for the Study of Creativity and Innovation; Author, Uncertainty x Design (2024), What If?: Building Students' Problem-Solving Skills Through Complex Challenges (2018), and Beautiful Risks: Having the Courage to Teach and Learn Creatively (2018); Co-Author, Creative Agency Unbound (Forthcoming), Agents of Impact: How Education Can Empower Students to Change Themselves, Their Communities, and Their World (2025), and My Favorite Failure: How Setbacks Can Lead to Learning and Growth (2022)

Your Brain on ChatGPT: Augmented Reasoning, Cognitive Load, and Critical Thinking

Pattie Maes, PhD

Pattie Maes, PhD

Germeshausen Professor of Media Arts and Sciences, Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Affiliated Faculty, MIT's Center for Neuro-Biological Engineering; Honored by Fast Company as one of 50 most influential designers, by Newsweek as one of the “100 Americans to watch for”, by TIME Digital as a member of the “Cyber Elite” - the top 50 technological pioneers of the high-tech world; and by the World Economic Forum as the “Global Leader for Tomorrow”; Co-Author, “Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt When Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task” (2025, arXiv), “Human-AI Interaction for Augmented Reasoning: Improving Human Reflective and Critical Thinking With Artificial Intelligence” (2025, Human Factors in Computing Systems), “NeuroChat: A Neuroadaptive AI Chatbot for Customizing Learning Experiences” (2025, arXiv), and Human-Computer Integration: Towards Integrating the Human Body With the Computational Machine (2022)

AI-Powered Learning Quests: Guiding Student Thinking and Inquiry With Purpose and Precision

Douglas B. Fisher, PhD

Douglas B. Fisher, PhD

Chair, Department of Educational Leadership, San Diego State University; Classroom Teacher, Health Sciences High and Middle College; Co-Author, Teaching Students to Use AI Ethically and Responsibly: Exploring AI With Intentionality, Curiosity, and Care (2025), The Artificial Intelligence Playbook: Time-Saving Tools for Teachers That Make Learning More Engaging (2025, 2nd Edition), Rigor Unveiled (2025), Teaching Students to Drive Their Learning (2023), The Vocabulary Playbook: Learning Words That Matter (2023), Teaching Reading (2022), Confronting the Crisis in Engagement (2022), and Improving Adolescent Literacy (2011)

Leveraging Both Intelligences – Artificial and Actual in Schools

Marc Issek, PhD

Marc Issek, PhD

Assistant Principal, Sewanhaka Central High School; Director, Self-Proclaimed Educational Pyromaniac; Co-Host of the Podcast “State of Ed”; Third generation educator with 30 years of experience as teacher, curriculum coordinator, and building administrator; Author, Captivate: Engaging and Empowering Students in a World of Digital Distractions (2024) and Forward Fast: Making Sense of Education in an Era of Rapid Change (2019)

6) LITERATE MINDS: FOSTERING READING, WRITING, & DATA LITERACY

Rethinking Literacy: Connecting Making, STEM, and AI for Elementary Literacy Classrooms

Jacie Maslyk, EdD

Jacie Maslyk, EdD

Literacy Consultant, Solution Tree; Instructional Coach; Google Certified Educator; Former Assistant Superintendent, Hopewell Area School District; STEM, Maker, and Robotics Advocate; Member, Maker Learning Collaborative Committee, Digital Promise; National Distinguished Principal Finalist in Pennsylvania in 2013 and 2014; Editorial Advisor for the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP); Author, Remaking Literacy: Innovative Instructional Strategies for Maker Learning (2019), Unlock Creativity Opening a World of Imagination with Your Students(2019), Connect to Lead: Power Up Your Learning Network to Move Your School Forward (2019), and STEAM Makers: Fostering Creativity and Innovation in the Elementary Classroom (2016); Co-Author, Makers in Schools (2018)

Teaching Adolescents to Read and Write in a Digital Age

Kristen Hawley Turner, PhD

Kristen Hawley Turner, PhD

Professor, Caspersen School of Graduate Studies; Director, Drew Writing Project and Digital Literacies Collaborative; Director of Teacher Education, Drew University; Director, Contemporary Learning and Interdisciplinary Research (CLAIR), Fordham University Graduate School of Education; Consultant, National Writing Project; Lead Editor, "Teachers, Profs, Parents: Writers Who Care" Blog; Co-Author, Argument in the Real World: Teaching Adolescents to Read and Write Digital Texts (2017) and Connected Reading: Teaching Adolescent Readers in a Digital Age (2015)

Technology and Learning: Promise and Perils from Podcasts to Reading Text

David B. Daniel, PhD, Conference Chair

David B. Daniel, PhD, Conference Chair

Program Director, National Science Foundation; Professor Emeritus of Psychology, James Madison University; Former Executive Director and Founding Board Member, International Mind, Brain, and Education Society; Former Managing Editor, Mind, Brain, and Education Journal; Recognized in the “Top 1% of Educational Researchers Influencing Public Debate” in the US; Co-Author, “Toward an Ecological Science of Teaching” (2021, Canadian Psychology), “Seeing Self and Others On-Screen Does Not Negatively Impact Learning in Virtual Classrooms” (2021, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology), and “E-Textbooks at What Cost? Performance and Use of Electronic v. Print Texts” (2013, Computers and Education)

Co-Sponsors Include:

Graduate School of Education, Stanford University

Greater Good Science Center, University of California, Berkeley

Neuroscape, University of California, San Francisco

School Development Program, Yale University

The Neuro-Education Initiative, Johns Hopkins School of Education

National Association for Elementary School Principals (NAESP)

National Association for Secondary School Principals (NASSP)

LEARNING & the BRAIN® Foundation

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