The Edith Lando Virtual Learning Centre, in partnership with the Professional Development and Community Engagement (PDCE) and the Learning Design & Digital Innovation (LDDI) units, invites curious and low-to-no tech educators to a Townhall conversation on generative AI.
Rather than pronouncing the “death of the essay” or stirring up moral panic around chatGPT, our hope is that an open forum might spark conversations and questions about current concerns and possibilities with AI in Education. And that in turn, could lead to a wider, public and critical engagement on the impacts, worries, benefits and matters of concern with generative AI now and in our collective future.
This first conversation will bring together a few folks who have been thinking about AI, not as experts in machine learning and AI technologies, but from and through practiced, practical, and philosophical engagement with and thinking on AI. As this is a townhall format, we will begin with a set of questions posed to a small panel, and then quickly open to questions from the audience. Questions our panelists can’t answer or that we end up unsure about, we will endeavour to answer in another session.
Please join us!
Presenter Bios
Jennifer Jenson, PhD, Director, Edith Lando VLC & Professor, LLED – Moderator
Dr. Jenson is a Professor of Digital Languages, Literacies & Culture in the Faculty of Education’s Department of Language and Literacy Education. She also teaches in the Master of Educational Technology (MET) program and supports and contributes to numerous other programs and initiatives such as the Make, Play, Connect series as well as the Digital Learning Pedagogies – Tool & Methods for Educators. Dr. Jenson is co-editor of Loading: The Journal of the Canadian Game Studies Association and a past, long serving President of the Canadian Game Studies Association. She is also the Director of the Edith Lando Virtual Learning Centre.
Prior to joining UBC in 2019, Dr. Jenson spent 18 years at York University in Toronto, Ontario (Canada), where she was a Professor in the Faculty of Education and Director of the Institute for Research on Digital Learning.
Aidan Chua, Freelance AI Trainer for Outlier – Panelist
Aidan Chua is an undergraduate student at UBC, majoring in Economics and Mathematics. During his time as the Learning Technology Rover at LDDI, he explored the potential of AI in education by experimenting with ChatGPT’s creative and technical writing capabilities, evaluating its implications on student learning. He now works as a freelance AI trainer for Outlier, designing complex math problems that test the factual accuracy and step-by-step logical reasoning of large language models. His work aims to advance the development of safe and beneficial AI, particularly in the field of mathematics.
Yvonne Dawydiak, BEd’91, MET’11 – Panelist
Yvonne Dawydiak is a long-time teacher who is passionate about taking learning outside the confines of the classroom – both ‘in place’ and ‘virtually’. As a Teacher Educator and UBC Masters of Educational Technology graduate, Yvonne was, until recently, the Program Manager of Learning Design in Teacher Education at UBC helping to support faculty and teacher candidates with effectively integrating 21st Century approaches including digital technology integration for face-to-face, online and remote learning contexts. Yvonne currently lives, plays (and sometimes works) on the unceded territories of the Hul’qumi’num- and SENĆOŦEN-speaking peoples overlooking the beautiful waters of Shiya’hwt on what is known by some as Salt Spring Island.
Cari Wilson, District Vice Principal of Innovation and Technology with West Vancouver Schools – Panelist
Cari Wilson is the District Vice Principal of Innovation and Technology with West Vancouver Schools. With a Masters in Educational Technology, Cari has over 25 years of experience in K to 12 classrooms, much of that in a 1:1 or BYOD environment. In addition, Cari is a recipient of the 2024 Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, an Apple Distinguished Educator and a Google for Education Trainer. For the past few years, Cari has spent a great deal of time studying and presenting on the promises and pitfalls of Gen AI in education. Cari enjoys finding innovative and engaging ways to help teachers and students use technology to enhance learning.
Find Cari on X – @kayakcari, Instagram – @lighthouse_digital_learning, and her blog, This & That: Tech Tips on Tuesdays.
Sonya Woloshen, Teacher Educator & MET Alumni – Panelist
Sonya Woloshen has over 15 years of experience in education, spanning K-12, French Immersion, and roles within the Ministry of Education and Child Care, where she worked on Literacy Assessments. In the 2023/24 academic year, she served as the French Secondary Specialization coordinator in the BEd program at UBC. Sonya holds a BA in French and Art History and a BEd from UBC, where her passion for integrating digital technologies into her teaching practice began. This led her to pursue a Master’s degree in 2013 and a PhD in 2021 from Simon Fraser University, specializing in Educational Technology and Learning Design. Her research focused on Learning Analytics, particularly how learners interpret data from Learning Management Systems to enhance their learning behaviours and processes. Recently, she has been committed to creating anti-oppressive learning environments and exploring the potential of Artificial Intelligence in supporting these practices. Sonya is excited to begin her new role as the Learning Design Program Manager in Teacher Education at UBC.
Steve Wyer, Assistant Superintendent of Rocky Mountain School District – Panelist
Steve is grateful for the opportunity to serve students and families on traditional Secwépemc and Ktunaxa territory. As a colonial settler to the area, I actively work to repair the injustice of past harms visited on Indigenous peoples by my ancestors. Steve is a Human Resource Professional and the Assistant Superintendent of Rocky Mountain School District. He is interested in the impacts of Artificial Intelligence on Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment as well as on its impact for the people and culture of the organization. When Steve is not working, he can be found on his bike or hiking in the Rockies with his dogs and partner, Rebecka.
Jeff Muthanna, MEd, Grade 3 Teacher at Caulfield IDEC Elementary – Panelist
Jeff Muthanna is an experienced educator with over 25 years of teaching in the Abbotsford and West Vancouver school districts, specializing in K-7 instruction. He holds a Master’s in Education focusing on Diversity and Inclusion in Instruction and Curriculum. Jeff is passionate about harnessing AI’s liberating potential to ignite students’ imaginations and foster creativity in the classroom.
A strong advocate for inclusive education, Jeff is committed to ensuring all students have equitable opportunities to succeed and thrive. He believes that AI can empower students by freeing them from the constraints of writing mechanics, allowing them to focus on innovation and developing ideas. You can find Jeff’s insights on the intersection of technology and learning on Twitter @jeffmuthanna
* Magic School AI was used to organize and express these thoughts.
