CTC23 – Schedule

Thursday 25 Sep 2025
Wednesday 22 Oct 2025

Thursday 25 Sep 2025

7:00 pm

The Promises and Pitfalls of Integrating Artificial Intelligence in Education

Dr. Amanda CooperMain Room

Dr. Cooper’s keynote, The Promises and Pitfalls of Integrating Artificial Intelligence in Education, examines the rapidly evolving role of AI across learning environments. The talk explores key AI techniques and applications, framed within the values and principles outlined by UNESCO. Drawing on the latest research, Dr. Cooper maps the current policy landscape—highlighting the notable absence of AI-specific guidelines in most Ontario school districts—and offers recommendations for building system-wide capacity. Central themes include safeguarding academic integrity, equipping both educators and students with critical AI literacy, and leveraging the potential of generative AI to enhance learning. Throughout, the presentation underscores the importance of a human-centered approach to ensure AI in education supports equity, integrity, and meaningful learning outcomes.

Recording and Session Slides

This content is available to registered attendees of the explorAItion! 2.0 conference.

Dr. Amanda Cooper, a former secondary school teacher, is a Professor and Dean of the Frazer Faculty of Education at Ontario Tech University. Dr. Cooper explores knowledge mobilization and translation (connecting research to policy and practice) via multi-stakeholder networks in public service sectors. She founded the Research Informing Policy, Practice, and Leadership in Education program (RIPPLE, www.ripplenetwork.ca) in 2012 to accelerate the impact of research in K-12 education. She has held provincial leadership positions (such as advising the ministry of Ontario as an Ontario Education Research Panel member), been invited by the Cabinet Office of Ontario to train policymakers, and is currently a coordinating committee member for the Canadian Knowledge Translation and Exchange Community of Practice (www.ktecop.ca). Her more recent lines of inquiry include integrating EDI in STEM education, and exploring the integration of Artificial Intelligence in K-12 and higher education systems. Dr. Cooper provides talks, workshops and consulting on knowledge mobilization, cultivating research-practice-policy partnerships , and artificial intelligence for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers across sectors.

Thu 7:00 pm - 7:50 pm

8:00 pm

From Fear to Fluency: Building AI Literacy Through Critical Thinking and Reflection

Jason Lay, YRDSBRoom A

Explore practical ways to build student and staff AI fluency through real classroom examples, equity-focused strategies, and collaborative tools. Session includes classroom-ready resources and discussion prompts.

Recording and Session Slides

This content is available to registered attendees of the explorAItion! 2.0 conference.

Jason Lay is a Digital Literacy Consultant with the York Region District School Board, transitioning from his role as Department Head of Business at Thornhill Secondary School. He blends classroom practice with leadership in media literacy, AI integration, and student voice. Jason designs professional learning that invites collaboration and reflection, helping educators and students engage critically with technology and AI. He is passionate about equity-driven innovation, empowering communities to shape a more inclusive and responsive future of education.

Thu 8:00 pm - 8:50 pm

Teaching LLMs to Students: A Practical Workshop for Educators

German Arcila, Digital MomentRoom B

Interactive workshop teaching educators how to introduce AI literacy to 11-14 year olds through 5 hands-on activities covering LLM basics, data sources, appropriate use cases, and critical thinking skills.

Recording and Session Slides

This content is available to registered attendees of the explorAItion! 2.0 conference.

German Arcila, Programs and Training Manager at Digital Moment since 2019, has a background in business administration, computer science, and education. He designs and manages impactful training programs, bridging technology and human understanding to create dynamic learning for diverse audiences.

Thu 8:00 pm - 8:50 pm

Why ALL your students need basic AI skills

Susan Ibach, TakingITGlobalRoom C

Go ahead try to stump the teacher on this one! In this session I will help you understand why AI is important for ALL the careers of the future. I'll share a few concrete examples and then you get to throw out other career paths. Together we'll identify how AI literacy will help them thrive in any career path you name! What better way to engage your students with AI content than to find ways to relate that skill to their future success?

Recording and Session Slides

This content is available to registered attendees of the explorAItion! 2.0 conference.

Susan Ibach uses her 30+ years of experience working with coding and AI to develop and deliver technology programming for TakingITGlobal, a non-profit that designs and delivers youth engagement programs to empower young people to understand and act on local and global challenges. Susan loves helping coders of all ages and skill levles discover the power of coding and AI. Her roles at Microsoft, Amazon, Accenture, as well as start-ups and non-profits gives her a unique but real-world perspective on technology in the real-world. She was awarded the Canadian Women in Communications and Technology Technology Innovator award and is known for her passion and engaging presentations.

Thu 8:00 pm - 8:50 pm

8:30 pm

Gen AI support for dyslexic students

Sacha NoukhovitchRoom D

The session will look into how Generative AI helps dyslexic students with their writing assignments and better expression of their ideas.

Recording and Session Slides

This content is available to registered attendees of the explorAItion! 2.0 conference.

Sacha is an electrical engineer/researcher and university prof who changed career to spend 20+ years as a teacher in high school

Thu 8:30 pm - 8:55 pm

Wednesday 22 Oct 2025

6:30 pm

During this time, you can connect with other attendees, join in conversation, and meet with the sponsors/representatives present in the area.

6:45 pm

Join us in the Main Event Room for our official welcome and orientation for the evening.

7:00 pm

AI Sidekick: Ai Tools Every Teacher Needs

Melissa OliverRoom A

From this session we will go over tools to help you generate quickly things that can take up your time. Looking at ways Canva can save you time. Showing you how Brisk can help you in your marking, looking at 4 other AI tools that are out there for your subject specific area. Let me show you some of the ways you can gain some time back in your day to help students more in your classroom.

Session Recording and Slides

This content is available to registered attendees of the explorAItion! 2.0 conference.

Melissa Oliver is an educator of 20+ yrs with a Master's in International Education specializing in assistive technology. She is the Chair of Information Technology at her high school and leads the ICT Specialist High Skills Major program. As the founder of @thattech.teacher, Melissa supports educators in learning how to use AI tools to save time, streamline lesson planning and engage students. Her focus is on making AI technology practical and transferable, giving teachers across all subjects including French and Tech courses the confidence to bring AI into their classrooms. @thattech.teacher

Wed 7:00 pm - 7:50 pm

Your AI Educator Identity

Grace MirenzRoom B

Join us for a session that introduces participants to existing research on in-service teachers beliefs, attitudes and opinions regarding Generative AI in education. We will learn, converse, and consider how this highly debated topic can spark critical thinking in your classrooms with curricular connections.

Session Recording and Slides

This content is available to registered attendees of the explorAItion! 2.0 conference.

Grace Mirenzi is an Ontario Certified Teacher and Educational Developer at Digital Moment. Grace’s work focuses on how to integrate meaningful conversations and learning about AI in the classroom through curricular connections and teacher-training workshops.

Wed 7:00 pm - 7:50 pm

The AI Assessment Assistant: A Deep Dive into Brisk Teaching!

Nina CarlucciRoom C

Meet your new AI assessment partner! This session showcases how Brisk Teaching streamlines Assessment and Evaluation. We will explore how to generate targeted feedback, create accessible assessments for all learners, and use the "inspect writing” tool for a holistic view of student work. Walk away with practical ways to enhance your feedback process.

Session Recording and Slides

This content is available to registered attendees of the explorAItion! 2.0 conference.

For the past 10 years, Nina has been an educator and a technology champion with the Ottawa Catholic School Board, teaching students from Kindergarten to Grade 6. Nina is now a Learning Technology Consultant with the OCSB, where she will support fellow educators in leveraging technology to create dynamic classroom experiences.

Wed 7:00 pm - 7:50 pm

8:00 pm

From Expectation to Execution: Using AI to Make Curriculum Planning Easy

Andrew DeLost, CurricumateRoom A

Explore how Curricumate turns Ontario curriculum expectations into clear, actionable plans. I’ll demo 3 AI tools that streamline planning, spark interdisciplinary ideas, and strengthen teaching in elementary and secondary classrooms.

Session Recording and Slides

This content is available to registered attendees of the explorAItion! 2.0 conference.

Andrew Delost is a dedicated Ontario educator and the founder of Curricumate, an AI-powered platform that currently helps more than 4000 teachers plan, assess, write, and create with confidence and ease. With years of classroom experience, he understands the challenges educators face and is passionate about using technology to make teaching more efficient, engaging, and curriculum-aligned. He developed Curricumate to give teachers more time for meaningful instruction and to support their ongoing professional growth.

Wed 8:00 pm - 8:25 pm

Vibe Coding for Creative Problem Solving

Brett WalkerRoom B

Delve into the world of “vibe coding” and discuss the benefits and drawbacks of this new AI feature. This session will explore different applications of AI-generated coding for teacher and student use, providing interactive practical applications.

Session Recording and Slides

This content is available to registered attendees of the explorAItion! 2.0 conference.

Brett Walker is a consultant with Learning Technologies at the Ottawa Catholic School Board. He has taught in the high school panel for 20 years, spending most of that time as a Department Head of English. His approach to AI is a balance of both excitement and trepidation.

Wed 8:00 pm - 8:50 pm

AI as a Thought Partner: Unleashing Student Creativity with SchoolAI

Jennifer StoquaRoom C

Discover how SchoolAI helps students become creators, not just consumers. This session explores how AI can serve as a thought partner, fostering critical thinking and ethical AI use in classrooms.

Session Recording and Slides

This content is available to registered attendees of the explorAItion! 2.0 conference.

Jennifer’s decade-plus career in K-12 education has given her a unique perspective on the power of technology to transform learning. As a former classroom teacher, she understands the daily realities and challenges educators face. She is passionate about helping teachers meaningfully integrate technology, not just for the sake of using it, but to foster critical thinking and creativity in students. Her expertise lies in finding innovative edtech tools that not only enhance the student experience but also streamline the planning process for busy educators, making their professional lives more efficient and fulfilling.

Wed 8:00 pm - 8:50 pm

8:30 pm

Transforming Physics and Pedagogy with AI Integration - One Prompt at a Time

Anjuli Ahooja, Appleby CollegeRoom A

As a passionate advocate for meaningful innovation in education, I am confident that the integration of AI-powered tools has the capacity to transform educational practices. These tools possess significant potential to enhance and overhaul the learning ecosystem. Rather than simply applying these technologies to do the same things we have been doing all this time, they should
be leveraged to amplify insight, foster creativity, and increase engagement. During the past one and a half years, a strategic integration of AI tools has been implemented in AP Physics 1 and AP Physics 2

Session Recording and Slides

This content is available to registered attendees of the explorAItion! 2.0 conference.

Anjuli Ahooja, Founder of ElevateEd, is a visionary science educator with over 30 years of experience transforming how physics, science, and math are taught. Her work goes far beyond the classroom. She is a leader in reimagining education through innovative pedagogy, experiential learning, and the integration of technology and AI into teaching practice. During her distinguished career at institutions like Appleby College, Anjuli has developed programs that make science dynamic, relevant, and global. From leading students through hands-on experiments at CERN and PSI in Switzerland, to mentoring fellow educators in cutting-edge instructional strategies, her mission is to elevate education at every level. She continues to inspire both students and teachers to explore, question, and thrive in a world shaped by science and innovation.

Wed 8:30 pm - 8:55 pm

Conference Updates

Welcome!

We look forward to hosting you this year during our explorAItion! 2.0 conference series.
Our 3rd evening of 6 will be on Tuesday, December 2nd, 2025.
Recordings from our September and October evenings are available to registered attendees of the event.

Early Bird Draw Winners
Congratulations to O. Pona, HCDSB and E. Ai, HCDSB, and M. Walker, TNCDSB.

Evening 1 Door Prize Winners
Congratulations to R. Bell, NDSB and P. Im, EQAO

Evening 2 Door Prize Winners
Congratulations to T. Sayers-Pringle, HPEDSB and A. Turchet, HCDSB
—
Be sure to complete the Feedback/Door Prize form at the end of each evening to qualify for the Door Prize draws.
Each completed Feedback/Door Prize form gains you an additional entry in the Grand Prize draw in April, 2026.

Recordings from the first and second evenings are available in the schedule to the right, between the session description and the speaker’s biography.

Registered attendees can watch (and rewatch) any and all of the recordings.
Enjoy and learn!

Room - Theme/Track

A – Emerging Technologies
B – CS Teaching Resources
C – Computer Engineering
D – STEAM
E – Coding Across the Curriculum
F – Robotics

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Thursday 25 Sep 2025

7:00 pm

The Promises and Pitfalls of Integrating Artificial Intelligence in Education

Recording and Session Slides

8:00 pm

From Fear to Fluency: Building AI Literacy Through Critical Thinking and Reflection

Recording and Session Slides

Teaching LLMs to Students: A Practical Workshop for Educators

Recording and Session Slides

Why ALL your students need basic AI skills

Recording and Session Slides

8:30 pm

Gen AI support for dyslexic students

Recording and Session Slides

Wednesday 22 Oct 2025

6:30 pm

6:45 pm

7:00 pm

AI Sidekick: Ai Tools Every Teacher Needs

Session Recording and Slides

Your AI Educator Identity

Session Recording and Slides

The AI Assessment Assistant: A Deep Dive into Brisk Teaching!

Session Recording and Slides

8:00 pm

From Expectation to Execution: Using AI to Make Curriculum Planning Easy

Session Recording and Slides

Vibe Coding for Creative Problem Solving

Session Recording and Slides

AI as a Thought Partner: Unleashing Student Creativity with SchoolAI

Session Recording and Slides

8:30 pm

Transforming Physics and Pedagogy with AI Integration - One Prompt at a Time

Session Recording and Slides

Conference Updates

Sponsors

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Lunch Sponsor

eduAuthor Sponsor

Room - Theme/Track

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