AI Exchange: Empowering Educators for Tomorrow: Full Schedule

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8:00am EDT

Monday August 17, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am EDT

First Floor (George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre, ENG - Toronto Metropolitan University)

Check in for the AI Exchange: Empowering Educators for Tomorrow. Grab breakfast, spark conversations with other educators, and ease into the conference environment before sessions begin.

Monday August 17, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am EDT
First Floor (George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre, ENG - Toronto Metropolitan University) 245 Church St, Toronto, ON M5B 2R2

Networking

9:00am EDT

Opening Remarks

Monday August 17, 2026 9:00am - 9:15am EDT

Third Floor, Sears Atrium (George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre, ENG - Toronto Metropolitan University)

Kick off the conference with opening remarks from the organizing team as we welcome participants, highlight the goals of AI Exchange, and provide an overview of the days ahead.

Monday August 17, 2026 9:00am - 9:15am EDT
Third Floor, Sears Atrium (George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre, ENG - Toronto Metropolitan University) 245 Church St, Toronto, ON M5B 2R2

Plenary

9:15am EDT

Learning in the AI Era: Research to Reality

Monday August 17, 2026 9:15am - 10:15am EDT

Third Floor, Sears Atrium (George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre, ENG - Toronto Metropolitan University)

In this keynote, Ronit Levavi Morad, Senior Director and AI Literacy Lead at Google Research, will tackle one of the crucial design challenges of our time: how do we design AI that is truly in service of pedagogy? Grounded in Google’s pedagogical North Star—which prioritizes inspiring active learning, managing cognitive load, adapting to the learner, stimulating curiosity, and deepening metacognition—this session will reveal how learning science is being operationalized on the ground. Join us to explore a collaborative, responsible vision for a future where safe, equitable AI serves as an active, powerful partner for both educators and students.

Speakers

Ronit Levavi Morad

Senior Director and COO for Google Research, Google

Ronit Levavi Morad is an impact-driven leader Senior Director and COOfor Google Research, steering strategic efforts across domains—from Foundational ML and Quantum to AI for Societal Impact in Health, Science and Climate Resilience. In her role reimagining the future of learning... Read More →

Monday August 17, 2026 9:15am - 10:15am EDT
Third Floor, Sears Atrium (George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre, ENG - Toronto Metropolitan University) 245 Church St, Toronto, ON M5B 2R2

Plenary

10:15am EDT

Break & Building Change

Monday August 17, 2026 10:15am - 10:30am EDT

Move from Engineering Building to Oakham House

Take a break and head to the Oakham House for your next session. Stretch your legs and reset before the program continues.

Monday August 17, 2026 10:15am - 10:30am EDT
Move from Engineering Building to Oakham House

Networking

10:30am EDT

Beyond the Classroom: Implementing Free AI Literacy Resources for Schools, Families, and Communities

Monday August 17, 2026 10:30am - 11:45am EDT

Oakham Lounge (Oakham House - Toronto Metropolitan University)

AI literacy is most impactful when learning extends beyond the classroom. In this interactive session, participants will explore Day of AI's free, classroom-ready curriculum spanning multiple grade bands, along with family and community engagement resources designed to support AI literacy at home and in schools. Educators will examine adaptable lessons, implementation strategies, and outreach materials that complement existing AI education initiatives while meeting the needs of their local communities. Participants will leave with practical resources and ideas they can immediately adapt for their own educational contexts.

Speakers

Valerie Brock

Curriculum Lead, Day of AI

Valerie Brock is the Curriculum Lead at Day of AI, an initiative born out of MIT RAISE that empowers educators, students, and families to understand and shape the impact of artificial intelligence. She leads the development of K–12 AI literacy curriculum and professional learning... Read More →

Monday August 17, 2026 10:30am - 11:45am EDT
Oakham Lounge (Oakham House - Toronto Metropolitan University) 63 Gould St, Toronto, ON M5B 1E9

Concurrent

10:30am EDT

K-12 AI Policy in Practice

Monday August 17, 2026 10:30am - 11:45am EDT

Tecumseh Auditorium (Oakham House - Toronto Metropolitan University)

Schools are under increasing pressure to establish AI policies, yet many struggle to design ones that align with their goals, serve everyone, and keep pace with AI's rapid evolution. In this session, attendees will explore key policy topics and learn how schools might govern them based on their existing values. Through an interactive activity, small groups will design policies and consider their impact from multiple perspectives, including teachers, families, and administrators.

Speakers

Daniella DiPaola

Postdoc Researcher, MIT Media Lab

Dr. Daniella DiPaola is a postdoctoral researcher at the MIT Media Lab, working at the intersection of AI, children, and society. She conducts research on human-AI interaction, develops curricula on the responsible creation and use of AI, and supports educational policy regarding... Read More →

Monday August 17, 2026 10:30am - 11:45am EDT
Tecumseh Auditorium (Oakham House - Toronto Metropolitan University) 63 Gould St, Toronto, ON M5B 1E9

Concurrent

10:30am EDT

Teaching AI Concepts Through Hands-On Play

Monday August 17, 2026 10:30am - 11:45am EDT

Thomas Lounge (Oakham House - Toronto Metropolitan University)

This hands-on workshop explores how interactive play can deepen learning about AI. We'll open with a short framing of MIT's approach to play-based learning, then spend most of our time rotating through interactive stations. Each station features a play-based AI activity drawn from MIT curricula, such as generating images of characters that reveal their personality traits, creative programming projects, and other low-barrier ways of putting AI tools in students' hands. Participants will leave with an understanding of MIT's philosophy of learning through play and concrete activities they can adapt for their own classrooms.

Speakers

John Masla

Curriculum and Assessment Specialist, MIT

John Masla is a Curriculum and Assessment Specialist with MIT’s Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education (MIT RAISE) initiative. His work focuses on developing engaging and empowering AI education experiences. He is also involved in a range of projects surrounding AI... Read More →

Monday August 17, 2026 10:30am - 11:45am EDT
Thomas Lounge (Oakham House - Toronto Metropolitan University) 63 Gould St, Toronto, ON M5B 1E9

Concurrent

11:45am EDT

Lunch

Monday August 17, 2026 11:45am - 12:45pm EDT

Courtyard Lounge (Oakham House - Toronto Metropolitan University)

Lunch will be provided and enjoy time to relax and connect with other participants.

Monday August 17, 2026 11:45am - 12:45pm EDT
Courtyard Lounge (Oakham House - Toronto Metropolitan University) 63 Gould St, Toronto, ON M5B 1E9

Networking

12:45pm EDT

Knowledge Exchange: Global Perspectives on AI in K-12 Education

Monday August 17, 2026 12:45pm - 1:45pm EDT

Tecumseh Auditorium (Oakham House - Toronto Metropolitan University)

This interactive knowledge exchange will bring together educators, researchers, and system leaders from Canada, Hong Kong, and the United States to share experiences, promising practices, and lessons learned as they navigate AI integration in K–12 education.

Through facilitated discussions and cross-cultural dialogue, participants will explore approaches to AI literacy, professional learning, policy development, and classroom implementation. Together, they will examine shared challenges, identify emerging opportunities, and exchange practical strategies for supporting responsible and meaningful AI use in teaching and learning.

Participants will leave with new perspectives, actionable ideas, and valuable connections to an international community working to prepare students and educators for an AI-enabled future.

Speakers

Cynthia Breazeal

Professor, MIT

Dr. Cynthia Breazeal is a Professor at the MIT Media Lab where she founded and directs the Personal Robots Group. She is also the founding director of the MIT RAISE Initiative (Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education). She is recognized as a pioneer of social robotics... Read More →

Monday August 17, 2026 12:45pm - 1:45pm EDT
Tecumseh Auditorium (Oakham House - Toronto Metropolitan University) 63 Gould St, Toronto, ON M5B 1E9

Plenary

1:45pm EDT

Break

Monday August 17, 2026 1:45pm - 2:00pm EDT

Oakham House

Grab a refreshment, stretch, and recharge. Engage in informal conversation, reflect, or connect with other participants.

Monday August 17, 2026 1:45pm - 2:00pm EDT
Oakham House 63 Gould St, Toronto, ON M5B 1E9

Networking

2:00pm EDT

Actua AI Playground: Discovering AI Activities for the Classroom

Monday August 17, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT

Tecumseh Auditorium (Oakham House - Toronto Metropolitan University)

Welcome to the Actua AI Playground! A dynamic space where educators can experience Actua’s AI activities firsthand.

Through a guided exploration of engaging, classroom-ready activities, participants will discover how AI concepts, digital literacy, and responsible AI practices can be meaningfully integrated across a variety of subject areas and learning experiences.

Participants will explore how playful, hands-on experiences with AI can spark curiosity, encourage critical thinking, and make technology approachable for students.

Speakers

Mikayla Ellis

Director of Outreach, Actua

Mikayla Ellis (she/her) is the Director of Outreach at Actua, where she engages with diverse communities to design and deliver impactful STEM programs. She specializes in developing initiatives in partnership with Indigenous communities across Canada's Arctic and other remote regions... Read More →

Mickole Mulano

Digital Skills Educator, Actua

Mickole Mulano (he/him) is the Digital Skills Educator at Actua and is responsible for the design, development, and delivery of STEM, coding, and digital skills content. Mickole holds a BASc in Engineering Science and an MEng in Industrial Engineering from the University of Toronto... Read More →

Monday August 17, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Tecumseh Auditorium (Oakham House - Toronto Metropolitan University) 63 Gould St, Toronto, ON M5B 1E9

Concurrent

2:00pm EDT

Artificial Intelligence for Assessment and Evaluation

Monday August 17, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT

Oakham Lounge (Oakham House - Toronto Metropolitan University)

One of the most significant advantages of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is its ability to support in completing certain tasks, allowing for the user to spend more of their time on those tasks that require the human touch. In this 75-minute workshop, educators can expect to explore a wide range of tools which can be used to support assessment and evaluation in the classroom, as well as the affordances and risks associated with each tool. We will explore feedback focused on the educator and improving their practice, as well as using AI to support with assessment and evaluation of students.

Speakers

Alex Piliounis

Engineering Outreach Program Coordinator, Ontario Tech University

Alex is a member of the Engineering Outreach team at Ontario Tech University, specializing in working with teachers to support the development of engaging STEM activities. He started off his career in the engineering field, getting a degree in mechanical engineering and began working... Read More →

Monday August 17, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Oakham Lounge (Oakham House - Toronto Metropolitan University) 63 Gould St, Toronto, ON M5B 1E9

Concurrent

2:00pm EDT

From Rules to Buy-In: How to Co-Create AI Guidelines Students Will Actually Use

Monday August 17, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT

Thomas Lounge (Oakham House - Toronto Metropolitan University)

Your students are already using AI. Most AI policies are written for classrooms rather than with them. This hands-on workshop takes a different approach. Using a research-backed card game developed at the University of Toronto, you'll experience firsthand how dialogue and play can surface honest conversations about AI, bring every voice into the room, and turn them into guidelines people actually believe in. In one session, you'll move from abstract debate to concrete guidelines. You'll leave with a practical process you can run with your own teachers, students, and colleagues, and a clearer sense of what it takes to build a culture of responsible AI use that sticks. Come ready to talk, play, and build. Whether you're a teacher, teacher educator, or administrator, you'll walk out with a tool you can use right away.

Speakers

Lydia Cao

Assistant Professor, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

Dr. Lydia Cao is an Assistant Professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto. She is an interdisciplinary scholar whose research and teaching explore artificial intelligence in education, computer-supported collaborative learning, immersive... Read More →

Monday August 17, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Thomas Lounge (Oakham House - Toronto Metropolitan University) 63 Gould St, Toronto, ON M5B 1E9

Concurrent

3:00pm EDT

Break & Building Change

Monday August 17, 2026 3:00pm - 3:30pm EDT

Move from Oakham House to Engineering Building

Return to the Engineering Building for the next session. Stretch your legs, grab a coffee or tea, and reset before the program continues.

Monday August 17, 2026 3:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Move from Oakham House to Engineering Building

Networking

3:30pm EDT

Panel & Closing Remarks: Stories from Practice - What AI looks like in the Classroom

Monday August 17, 2026 3:30pm - 4:30pm EDT

Third Floor, Sears Atrium (George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre, ENG - Toronto Metropolitan University)

Educators are already experimenting with AI in ways that are reshaping lesson planning, student projects, and everyday classroom learning. In this panel, teachers from different countries and subject areas will share how they’ve been using AI tools to support their work and open up new possibilities for student engagement and learning.

Panelists will bring examples from their classrooms from student work, planning artifacts, visuals, and short demonstrations, that show how AI is being used in real and tangible ways. The session will highlight small shifts and bigger changes in practice, and ideas that educators can take back and adapt to their own contexts.

Moderators

Jen Spencer

VP, Outreach & Education, Actua

Speakers

Adam Pounder

Head of Social Sciences, Havergal College

Adnan Zuberi

Math & Computer Science Teacher, UTS

Adnan Zuberi has worked in education innovation over the past 15 years. Previously, he has served as director of AI integration at the University of Toronto Schools, founder of an award-winning AI-based EdTech startup that attracted an acquisition offer, AI programs lead at the Fields... Read More →

Emily Cyr

Postdoctoral Fellow, York University

Dr. Emily Cyr (she/her) is a social scientist and educator dedicated to driving evidence-based change in educational spaces. With a PhD in social psychology and a background in developmental science and advanced statistical analysis, Emily specializes in translating complex data into... Read More →

Yat Kin Martin Lai

Deputy Panel Head of English Department, Salesian English School

Martin Lai is the deputy English panel head at Salesian English School and is experienced in teaching both junior and senior form English. He is an active practitioner of IT and AI in education. Martin has collaborated extensively with the Education Bureau (EDB) as a resource teacher... Read More →

Monday August 17, 2026 3:30pm - 4:30pm EDT
Third Floor, Sears Atrium (George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre, ENG - Toronto Metropolitan University) 245 Church St, Toronto, ON M5B 2R2

Plenary

8:00am EDT

9:00am EDT

9:15am EDT

10:15am EDT

10:30am EDT

10:30am EDT

10:30am EDT

11:45am EDT

12:45pm EDT

1:45pm EDT

2:00pm EDT

2:00pm EDT

2:00pm EDT

3:00pm EDT

3:30pm EDT

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