The Space Between the Headlines: What the Tech Debate Misses

Outline

1. Opening + Session Purpose (5 minutes) What are the headlines and what do they tell us about learning?

2. Context (15 minutes)The story of technology and how it empower us today.

3. What the Headlines Are Always Missing (15 minutes)
Learning moves that level the playing field. The AI and tech moments that can change learning in classrooms.

4. Your Judgment Is Not a Guess. It Is Data. (15 minutes) Unpacking the why and what works

5. Reflection (5 minutes)

Outcomes

After this session, participants will be able to:

-Evaluate any Edtech and AI tool through the lens of learner variability and student agency
- Understand the headlines better through the lens of at least one AI-integrated learning experience that removes barriers for students with diverse learning needs
- Apply a practical framework for making intentiona decisions that are grounded in student outcomes rather than trend or convenience

Supporting research

Harvard Business Review — Should You Treat AI as a Teammate? Examines the human and professional judgment dimension of working alongside AI, directly relevant to how educators frame their relationship with AI tools. https://hbr.org

Nature Magazine — The Great Rewiring: Is Social Media Really Behind an Epidemic of Teenage Mental illness? Provides critical context for evaluating sweeping technology claims and the gap between headlines and evidence, modeling exactly the kind of scrutiny this session teaches. https://www.nature.com

If Books Could Kill Podcast — The Anxious Generation. Offers a critical analysis of how technology narratives are packaged and sold to educators and parents, and why interrogating those narratives matters. https://www.ifbookspod.com

The New York Times — The High Cost of Silent Classrooms. Examines what is lost when fear-driven technology decisions silence learning rather than protect it, reinforcing the session's case for informed educator judgment over reactive policy. https://www.nytimes.com

Stanford University — Understanding the Evidence Base on AI in K-12 Education. Research-grounded analysis of what we actually know versus what is being claimed about AI in schools, a foundational resource for educators navigating conflicting expert opinions. https://ed.stanford.edu

Holly Clark — The AI-Infused Classroom. Practitioner framework for intentional, human-centered AI integration grounded in 30 years of classroom experience. https://hollyclark.org