David has worked at the intersection of teaching, research and the digital for over 20 years. His current job is helping to run the largest Creative Arts university in Europe as Head of Digital Education and Academic Practice. He is also the President of the Association of Learning Technology and worked at the University of Oxford, co-managing an online distance learning unit.

In David’s words “I’m not a technologist in that I’m more interested in the implications and opportunities of digital for learning, work and society than I am in procuring the latest shiny tech. A large aspect of my role at the University of the Arts London is focused on enhancing teaching and learning by encouraging emerging aspects of digital practice – a good example of this work being the Digital Creative Attributes Framework.”

Tertiary education is an admixture of learning and cultural opportunity. Yet, even though we now live out much of our lives online, the digital is predominantly promoted as flexible and efficient, not as a cultural location, or ‘place’. This leads to an over insistence that, despite being blended or online, there will be belonging and community in the digital education we offer.

In this talk I will explore these tensions to unpick the current cultural standing of digital education and critique notions of (in)authenticity which, I argue, are built on bias and privilege. I will propose that we repeatedly attempt to demonstrate pedagogic effectiveness when we should focus on reimagining our institutions as primarily digital in character and location.

David’s Keynote is sponsored by Kura Ārahi Ako | School of Educational Studies and Leadership (EDSL):

https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/education/school-of-educational-studies-and-leadership/ 

The world is on the cusp of a new (r)evolution powered by AI and associated new technologies. For Māori and other indigenous people, this creates an opportunity for a crossroads solution of empowerment and decolonisation/Indigenisation of the many aspects of society where Māori and indigenous people are negatively impacted, particularly education.

This presentation will discuss how Māori sovereign AI systems codesigned with Māori using Te Tiriti and Māori Data Sovereignty principles, could potentially create new opportunities to address educational issues such as improved engagement, higher qualifications, culturally safe learning approaches, indigenous language revitalisation and incorporating indigenous/ mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) into mainstream curricula while also creating new employment opportunities for indigenous communities and knowledge holders.

The presentation will argue that AI  could be a complementary tool to human teachers, while also empowering hard-to-reach indigenous communities who have been impacted by educational systems in the past, disconnecting families and parents from the education system.

Karaitiana’s Keynote is sponsored by Te Kura Whakangungu Kaiako| School of Teacher Education (STED):

https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/education/school-of-teacher-education/

Games and game technology have the remarkable ability to engage and captivate learners of all ages, making the educational experience not only enjoyable but also highly effective. By leveraging the immersive and interactive nature of games, educators can create engaging learning environments that foster critical thinking, problem-solving, and knowledge retention.