Posts

What Happened to My Agency? Also, Why Do I Have 400 Photos of Mountains?

-
Image
Some conferences leave you with a notebook full of ideas. Others leave you with new friendships, new questions and an alarming number of photos of mountains that all seemed completely necessary at the time. ASEF ClassNet19 in Innsbruck somehow managed all three, and looking back, I think that combination captures what made the experience so valuable. This year’s theme, Future-Ready Teaching: Human Agency in the Age of AI , could hardly have been more closely aligned with the questions I have been wrestling with in my own teaching in Aotearoa New Zealand. As AI becomes increasingly capable and increasingly present in classrooms, I keep returning to one deceptively simple question: how do we use these tools to expand what students can do without quietly removing the thinking, judgement and decision-making that make the learning genuinely theirs? ClassNet19 helped me explore that question alongside teachers from across Asia and Europe, and perhaps more importantly, it reminded me that thi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Apparently I’m a Google Innovator Now

-
Image
A few days ago, I arrived in Melbourne for the Google Innovator Academy with a project, a rough idea of what the next three days might involve, and probably more confidence in my solution than was entirely justified. That confidence didn't survive very long. The #MEL26 Google for Education Innovator Academy was three days of design thinking, prototyping, pitching, feedback, conversations, Post-it notes, not quite enough sleep and a surprisingly persistent supply of pavlova and flat whites. Somewhere amongst all of that, I became a Google Certified Innovator, which still feels slightly odd to say. I am very grateful for it, but I am also aware that collecting another badge does not suddenly make anyone more innovative. If anything, the experience reminded me how often innovation starts with admitting you may have misunderstood the problem. Teachers are usually very good at solving things quickly as it is part of the job. Give us a timetable clash, an absent colleague, an HDMI cable ...
Post a Comment
Read more

AI Can’t Solve Education’s Real Problem and I’m Not Sure the “Renaissance Learner” Is the Right Answer Either

-
Image
Dan Fitzpatrick’s recent article on Ben Gomes, Google’s Head of Learning and Sustainability, raises an important question for education at a time when AI is dominating so much of the conversation. The article argues that while AI may improve access, efficiency, and even aspects of teaching and learning, it cannot solve education’s deepest problem because that problem is ultimately human, not technological. It explores ideas around teacher burnout, motivation, purpose, and the kind of learner schools may need to nurture in the future, including Gomes’ idea of the “Renaissance learner.” To be clear, there was a lot in the article that I agreed with. At its heart, it makes a point that teachers have always known, even if the current AI conversation sometimes forgets it. Learning has never just been about access to information. It has never just been about better content, faster feedback, or more efficient delivery. Those things can help, but they are not the thing itself. What makes lear...
Post a Comment
Read more

Making Sense of the Proposed New Zealand Science Curriculum Changes

-
Image
So, the long-awaited draft of the refreshed New Zealand Science Curriculum  has arrived, with implementation planned by 2027. My social media has blown up with pushback from the scientific education community. This is why I have taken some time to digest the changes and tried to listen to a wide range of voices and explore the underpinning educational research. While this new curriculum offers clarity and structure, it also signals a significant philosophical shift in how science is taught and understood in Aotearoa. As teachers, it’s crucial to focus not just what has changed, but why it matters for our students, our teaching, and our collective vision of science education.  At first glance, the new curriculum gives us a strong underpinning of factual knowledge, however it will need heart, context, and flexibility of teachers to make it come alive in our classrooms. As teachers, our role will be to bridge that gap to ensure the next generation not only knows science but th...
Post a Comment
Read more

MIEE Aotearoa Hui 2025: Collaboration Woven Through Every Session

-
Image
So, the MIEE Aotearoa Hui 2025 has wrapped up, and what a two-day celebration of ideas, laughter, and genuine connection it turned out to be! Held at the Microsoft offices in Auckland, the Hui proved once again that when educators come together, the real magic lies in collaboration.  As the whakatauki for the event stated:  ‘Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini’ ‘My success is not mine alone, it is the success of the collective.’ Keynotes That Sparked Connection On day one, we were privileged to host a duo of inspiring keynote speakers. Brett Salakas set the tone with a global message of connection and community. His keynote was less about shiny tools and more about the power of the humanity in us all, reminding us that the strongest educational systems are built on finding a North Star. Day two had Yaritza Villalba bringing a powerful lens on culturally responsive and sustaining education. Her stories encouraged participants to reflect on how equity...
Post a Comment
Read more

AI and Marking: A Radical Change?

-
Image
The New Zealand government has recently set off a lively debate by proposing to outsource much of the marking of NCEA assessments to artificial intelligence (AI). Education Minister Erica Stanford argues that this would ease teacher workload, speed up assessment cycles, and make major reforms to NCEA possible. In her words, New Zealand is already “world-leading” in using AI for marking and digital exams. At first glance, the promise is enticing. I often work late into the night marking piles of assessments. If an algorithm could shoulder this load while maintaining fairness, perhaps it would free teachers to focus on planning lessons, mentoring students, and reclaiming their evenings. Yet as with any bold innovation, the risks are as significant as the benefits, and the proposal deserves careful scrutiny, particularly when viewed through the values of  Te Ao Māori  which underpin education in New Zealand and the central role of relationships in education. What’s on the ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Beyond Button-Pushing: ISTE + ASCD 2025 and the Heartbeat of Education

-
Image
As always, attending the ISTE + ASCD conference in San Antonio, Texas, was invigorating and energising for me, not merely for the abundance of educational technology to excite the nerd in me, but for the rich human connections at its core. Conferences like ISTE remind me that, despite the lure of new digital tools, the heartbeat of our profession remains whanaungatanga, the profound relational bonds we build. Both Google and Microsoft unveiled numerous features intended to impress teachers. Google, for example, showcased updates to its NotebookLM, a tool genuinely beneficial for managing complex projects and supporting student research. Microsoft similarly announced updates aimed at streamlining tasks like rubric creation and quiz generation. Yet, I found myself questioning: Are these truly transformative, or merely faster ways of doing the same old tasks?  Such scepticism was echoed strongly in a session from Australian educator Brett Salakas that highlighted the Vatican’s "Ant...
Post a Comment
Read more