Leveraging Technology for Inclusive Education

AI's Powers For All 1.  Harnessing AI's potential in education:  Seiji Isotani's research delves into the intersection of artificial intelligence and education, specifically focusing on how AI and behavioral science can synergize to enhance learning experiences. By understanding how students learn and tailoring educational technologies to their individual needs, Isotani aims to optimize the educational process.   2.  Addressing global educational disparities:  Isotani's work extends beyond theoretical research to practical initiatives aimed at addressing global educational disparities. He emphasizes leveraging AI to bridge the digital divide, ensuring that even students in underserved communities have access to quality educational resources. By developing AI technologies that can function effectively with existing infrastructure, Isotani aims to democratize access to education worldwide. 3.  AIED Unplugged:  One of Isotani's notable initiatives is AIED Unplugged, which utilizes AI software accessible via cell phones to assist teachers in evaluating student writing. This initiative has had a tangible impact, reaching hundreds of thousands of students in countries like Brazil, Mexico, Peru, and the Philippines. By providing teachers with AI-powered tools for assessment and feedback, AIED Unplugged contributes to improving students' writing skills and overall academic performance. 4.  Gamification and personalized learning:  Isotani integrates gamification elements into AI-driven educational tools to enhance student engagement and motivation. By incorporating game-like features such as rewards, incentives, and personalized learning pathways, Isotani seeks to make learning more enjoyable and effective. This approach not only fosters student motivation but also allows educators to tailor learning experiences to individual student needs, thereby maximizing learning outcomes. 5.  Balancing AI hype with reality:  While acknowledging the transformative potential of AI in education, Isotani also emphasizes the importance of approaching AI adoption with caution and responsibility. He warns against succumbing to the hype surrounding AI and advocates for a nuanced understanding of its capabilities and limitations. By promoting responsible AI integration and innovation, Isotani aims to ensure that AI serves as a tool for positive educational transformation rather than a source of disruption or inequality. More info A Case Study on AIED Unplugged Applied to Public Policy for Learning Recovery Post-pandemic in Brazil https://lnkd.in/eg5MyKsH Source https://lnkd.in/ecgmg5wV

Great eLearning platforms don't just happen... they're designed inclusively. Most people overlook accessibility in online learning. It's not just about ticking boxes. It's about empowering ALL learners. Here's how to make eLearning truly inclusive: 1️⃣ Embrace Accessibility Standards ✔️ Follow WCAG 2.1 and Section 508 guidelines. ✔️ Regular audits catch compliance gaps fast. 2️⃣ Design for Every Device ✔️ Responsive design isn't optional anymore. ✔️ Content must work on desktops, tablets, phones. 3️⃣ Leverage Assistive Tech ✔️ Integrate screen readers and text-to-speech. ✔️ Enable voice commands for navigation. 4️⃣ Boost Multimedia Accessibility ✔️ Captions and transcripts for all audio/video. ✔️ Descriptive alt text makes visuals accessible. 5️⃣ Train Your Team ✔️ Accessibility isn't just for developers. ✔️ Everyone needs to understand inclusive design. Inclusive design isn't a nice-to-have. It's essential for impactful eLearning. What's your biggest accessibility challenge?

Knowledge is power.  Yet they generously share it. A quarter billion kids aren’t in school. Most live where teachers are missing, not lazy. These women? They build the tools to change that. 📌 Priya Lakhani, OBE Builds AI that learns how every student learns. Merges neuroscience with tech to personalize learning. Her tools lighten teacher load, deepen student focus. From UK schools to refugee camps, her reach rewires access. 📌 Cynthia Breazeal, PhD Taught robots to read faces before we read code. Builds AI that listens, learns, and emotionally connects. Her tools bring AI literacy to classrooms worldwide. She’s turning tech fluency into everyday human power. 📌 Julia Freeland Fisher Redraws learning as a web of real-world connections. Links students to mentors, careers, and social capital. Her research reframes education as network-building. Equity grows when opportunity isn’t left to chance. 📌 Kristina Ishmael Designs tech policy that centers equity, not just access. Bridges classrooms and government with inclusive strategy. Shapes how AI meets public schools and real students. She makes sure no learner is left behind by design. 📌 Kathryn Parsons, MBE Cracks open code so anyone can speak tech. Trains workforces in AI, data, and digital thinking. Her mission: no one left behind in the tech shift. She’s building fluency, not just skills. 📌 Auditi Chakravarty Funds bold ideas to fix learning at its roots. Backs research that lifts Black and Latino students. Centers equity in every dollar and decision. Her work turns data into justice for classrooms. 📌 Rebecca Winthrop, PhD Designs learning for kids displaced by crisis. Builds tools that work in war zones and beyond. Advises leaders on making education truly global. She brings school where the world forgot it. 📌 Srishti Bakshi Walks across India to teach digital skills to women. Builds grassroots programs that train and empower. Blends tech, safety, and soft skills for resilience. Her classroom starts where the Wi-Fi ends. 📌 Christine Fox, M.S. Designs learning that adapts to every kind of mind. Champions tools that meet students where they are. Makes classrooms work for all bodies and brains. Her vision: access isn't optional—it's built in. 📌 Jomayra Herrera Funds the future of learning, one startup at a time. Backs tools that scale access and close gaps. Brings capital to where equity meets innovation. She invests in what school could be. 📌 Safeena Husain Mobilizes villages to bring girls back to school. Uses tech and data to track every learner’s path. Her model funds outcomes, not promises. She makes education a community mission. 📌 Kakenya Ntaiya, PhD Built a school where girls become leaders. Blends STEM, rights, and resilience in every lesson. Fights child marriage with education and hope. She’s rewriting futures from the chalkboard up. Schools may fail. Systems may stall. They? They build futures. How would the future look if all kids had the right to learn?

🎙️ We had an incredible conversation with Crystal Preston-Watson, Senior Digital Accessibility Analyst at Salesforce, on AXSChat that reinforced something I’ve been pondering for quite some time. We need to start accessibility education much earlier. Crystal’s insight hit home: “You can only do so much retroactively once people get to the point where they’re building products and services. But to really have it ingrained that accessibility is important, you have to start young.” Research strongly supports this. Studies show that when we integrate accessibility education from kindergarten onwards, we see:
 📈 8.1 percentage point reduction in special education placements. 
📈 11.4 percentage point increase in high school graduation rates. 📈 13% return on investment from quality early childhood programs.
 📈 Significant long-term cognitive and social-emotional benefits. What I love about Crystal’s approach is how she makes accessibility relatable to kids - comparing accessibility features to “mods” in games like Skyrim that enhance the gaming experience. Brilliant! 🎮 But here’s the challenge: most schools aren’t there yet. We’re still retrofitting accessibility instead of building it into the foundation of tech education. The question isn’t whether we can afford to implement early accessibility education - it’s whether we can afford NOT to. Imagine a generation of developers, designers, and digital citizens who see accessibility as fundamental, not optional. That’s the future that Crystal and we advocate for and work toward. What would change if every child learning their first computer skills also learned about inclusive design? Listen to the whole conversation on AXSChat - link in comments 👇 #Accessibility #InclusiveDesign #AXSChat #Innovation with Debra Ruh and Neil Milliken

#Transformation in #Education Over the next decade Here’s how this transformation might unfold: 1. #Personalized #Learning: Adaptive Learning Platforms: Education will increasingly leverage AI-driven platforms that tailor lessons, assessments, and feedback to individual student needs, learning styles, and paces. This will allow for more customized learning experiences, where students can progress at their own speed. Data-Driven Insights: Schools will use data analytics to track student progress more effectively and identify areas where each student needs more support or challenge. 2. #Blended and #Hybrid #LearningModels: Flexibility in Learning Environments: The pandemic accelerated the adoption of online and hybrid learning models, and this trend is likely to continue. Students will have more options to learn in a combination of in-person and virtual settings, allowing for greater flexibility and accessibility. Global Classrooms: Technology will enable more cross-cultural and international collaboration, with students participating in global classrooms and working on projects with peers from different parts of the world. 3. Focus on #Skills Over #Content: Shift to Competency-Based Education: There will be a stronger emphasis on developing critical skills like problem-solving, creativity, collaboration, and emotional intelligence rather than merely memorizing content. This shift will prepare students better for the demands of the modern workforce. Lifelong Learning: Education systems will place more emphasis on lifelong learning, encouraging continuous skill development throughout an individual’s career, rather than focusing solely on formal education during the early years. 4. Enhanced Role of #Teachers: Facilitators and Coaches: Teachers' roles will evolve from being content deliverers to facilitators of learning, guiding students in their personalized learning journeys and helping them develop the skills needed to succeed. Professional Development: Continuous professional development for educators will become more critical, with a focus on integrating new technologies and methodologies into their teaching practices. 5. #Equity and #Inclusion: Closing the Digital Divide: Efforts to ensure all students have access to the necessary technology and resources will be a priority, reducing disparities in educational opportunities. Inclusive Curricula: There will be a push for curricula that are more inclusive of diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and cultures, promoting a more equitable and holistic education for all students. 6. Alternative #Credentialing: Micro-Credentials and Badges: Traditional degrees may be supplemented or even replaced by micro-credentials, certificates, and digital badges that recognize specific skills or competencies. Recognition of Informal Learning: More value will be placed on informal and experiential learning, with students able to gain recognition for skills acquired outside of traditional educational settings.

What if a simple phone call could revolutionize education for thousands of students? In Latin America and the Caribbean, the COVID-19 crisis led to the world's longest school closures: 237 days of closure 165 million students were affected. This not only widened existing educational gaps but also increased school dropout rates, especially among low-income students struggling with digital access. The key challenge became: Reducing the educational gap Keeping children in school Improving personalized learning Faced with this enormous challenge, agile, scalable, and efficient solutions were needed. The answer came through something as simple as a phone call. The IDB funded six remote tutoring pilot programs in Argentina, Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Here's how it worked: Focus: Transition between primary and secondary education, a critical point where many students leave the system Target: Most vulnerable areas with poor connectivity Method: Weekly math tutoring for eight weeks via phone calls and SMS Results: Over 3,000 students benefited. More than 300 tutors were involved. Students accelerated their learning by up to 50%. Provided socio-emotional support, motivating improved performance and continued studies. The initiative plans to: In Paraguay and mathematics: - Goal to reach 10,000 students - Targeting over 200 public schools - Covering 15 departments and Asunción  Expand to other countries in the region (Uruguay, Paraguay, Dominican Republic, Brazil) Incorporate more subjects. This innovative approach shows that sometimes, the most effective solutions can be surprisingly simple. By leveraging widely available technology like phone calls and SMS, we can bridge educational gaps and provide crucial support to students in need. We firmly believe in the large-scale adoption of this innovative approach. #education #innovation #socialdevelopment #edtech Pablo Zoido Mercedes Mateo Diaz

Happy Meta Monday! The intersection of AI and XR isn’t just a technological advancement—it’s a justice-driven revolution in education. According to PwC (2018), AI could add up to $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030, but only if we equip the next generation with digital skills. That’s why this moment in education is so critical. The 2023 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report reveals that low-code and no-code (LCNC) technologies are democratizing digital creation. With generative AI and LCNC platforms, learners can now build apps, design simulations, and solve real-world problems without advanced coding skills. This shift is not just a tech trend—it’s a strategic lever for equity. From the University of South Florida’s rapid LCNC response to Microsoft’s Power Platform University Hub, institutions are proving that access to digital tools can transform opportunity. Here’s the truth: “When AI meets XR in the classroom, it doesn’t just enhance learning—it equalizes it. Together, they can bridge opportunity gaps, closing the digital divide and unlocking futures for students the system too often overlooks.”” When integrated intentionally into schools, these technologies can help close the digital divide, uplift marginalized communities, and reshape our global workforce from the classroom outward. Let’s ensure education doesn’t just reflect the future—it builds it. #AIinEducation #XRforEquity #DigitalDivide #FutureofLearning #EdTechForAll #Metaversity #AIWorkforce #InclusiveInnovation #EdTechEquity #LowCode #NoCode #GenerativeAI #DigitalReadiness #SkillingTheFuture References and Informative Reads: Alexander, A., Lopez Lauricella, T., & Riahi, F. (2018). AI will transform the world—but only if we trust it. PwC. https://pwc.to/4h2HsLl EDUCAUSE. (2023). 2023 Horizon Report: Teaching and Learning Edition. EDUCAUSE. https://lnkd.in/e4AZbp2T The Chronicle of Higher Education. (2023). The myth of the digital native: How colleges are dealing with student digital-literacy gaps (Research Brief, with support from Adobe). https://lnkd.in/eCuKSWSr

Special education is one of the areas where AI is already making a practical difference for teachers and students! Here is a simple, teacher-facing workflow you can try in your class. Each move pairs a task with a tool and a micro prompt. IEP writing in minutes • Draft goals in MagicSchool IEP Generator, then align in ChatGPT • Prompt: “Draft 3 measurable goals with baseline, criteria, method, schedule for [area]. Include two monitoring probes.” Access for every learner • Convert handouts to audio with Immersive Reader or NaturalReader EDU • Set up speech to text with Google Docs Voice Typing or Word Dictation • Quick tip: teach students to say punctuation and use line focus Differentiate reading without doubling prep • Use Diffit, Brisk Teaching, or Eduaide to create multiple levels of the same text • Export to Docs, assign by group, add 3 quick checks Communicate supports clearly with families • Rewrite IEP text at Grade 6–8 in Gemini EDU or Copilot • Use MagicSchool Text Rewriter or Email Family for a one-page explainer • Structure: what it is, what it looks like, when we use it, why it helps I pulled these into a 6-page PDF you can reuse in PD and team meetings. #SpecialEducation #IEP #AIinEducation #Accessibility #AssistiveTechnology #Differentiation #UDL #EdTech #TeacherPD #FamilyEngagement

🎯 UNESCO ’s new report “AI and the Future of Education” explores how AI is reshaping learning – and why this matters for the future of skills and VET. ✅ Here are the key takeaways: 🔍 Why it matters: ▪️It’s not just about technology – it’s about ethics, inclusion, pedagogy, and policy ▪️AI is no longer a passive tool – it’s becoming an active agent in education: tutors, assessors, even “companions”. ▪️This shift challenges what it means to learn, teach, and assess – raising big questions for TVET and lifelong learning systems. ▪️Equity gap alert: while 1/3 of humanity is offline, access to cutting-edge AI is concentrated among those with resources and linguistic advantage. 🌐 Main Themes & Insights 1️⃣ Inclusive AI futures: ▪️Urgent need to ensure AI does not deepen divides of gender, language, and access. ▪️Locally driven, participatory approaches for Global South and underrepresented learners. 2️⃣ Rethinking pedagogy & assessment: ▪️Hyper-personalization risks isolating learners and weakening teacher roles. ▪️Generative AI disrupts traditional exams – time to shift to continuous, formative, competency-based assessment. 3️⃣ Teachers at the center: ▪️AI should augment, not replace teachers. ▪️Emphasis on teacher AI literacy, co-design of tools, and safeguarding the relational core of education. 4️⃣ Ethics & governance: ▪️Build ethics of care by design – inclusion, transparency, accountability from the start. ▪️Address risks of data privacy, algorithmic bias, and concentration of power. 5️⃣ AI as a geopolitical and policy challenge: ▪️AI is now part of statecraft and global competition – education policy must adapt. ▪️From linear implementation to policy-as-learning – systems need agility and evidence-driven experimentation. 💡 For the VET community: ▪️ AI literacy is no longer optional – for learners, teachers, and managers. ▪️Work-based learning + AI tools can transform skills development – but only with ethical guardrails and human-centred design. ▪️The future of VET = blending technical skills, critical thinking, and digital responsibility. 👉 Read the full UNESCO report to explore how we can shape human-centred, inclusive AI futures in education – and why VET must lead the way. #AIinEducation #FutureOfSkills #VET #EthicalAI #LifelongLearning EfVET European Association of Institutes for Vocational Training (EVBB) European Vocational Training Association - EVTA EUproVET EURASHE eucen EU Employment and Skills Cedefop European Training Foundation OECD Education and Skills International Labour Organization WorldSkills International World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics (WFCP) UNESCO-UNEVOC IEFP - Instituto do Emprego e Formação Profissional Agência Nacional Erasmus+ Educação e Formação Agencia Nacional SEPIE Erasmus Estudiar en España Teresa e Alexandre Soares dos Santos - Iniciativa Educação ENAIP Veneto

A very informative article. Impact of Artificial Intelligence in Education Summary: AI transforms education by offering personalized learning, streamlining administrative tasks, and providing real-time feedback. It empowers educators through professional development tools and data-driven insights. However, ethical challenges, such as data privacy and equitable access, must be addressed. AI's integration fosters a more adaptive, inclusive learning environment, positioning teachers as mentors while enhancing student engagement and mastery-based learning. Commentary: In discussions with educators in the U.S. and internationally, I often hear concerns about students using AI to write papers. While this is a valid issue, it represents only a tiny aspect of the broader conversation surrounding AI's role in education. The potential of AI to revolutionize pedagogy is vast and inspiring, far outweighing this concern. It can enhance personalized learning, streamline administrative tasks, and offer real-time insights into student performance. Rather than focusing solely on its misuse, I recommend educators explore how AI can empower students to think critically and improve their writing skills through AI-assisted feedback. Educators play a crucial role in guiding students to use AI responsibly, ensuring they understand its potential and limitations. Intelligent tutoring systems, for example, can guide students through the writing process, helping them refine their arguments, structure ideas, and improve clarity—skills that are essential for academic success. Additionally, AI can alleviate teachers' many administrative burdens, such as grading, allowing them to focus more on mentorship and interactive teaching. By harnessing AI's potential, educators can create more dynamic, inclusive, and engaging learning environments. Addressing concerns like plagiarism through AI-supported academic integrity tools will be essential, but these challenges should not overshadow the immense benefits AI offers to transform education for both teachers and students. Ultimately, responsible integration of AI in education can enhance rather than diminish student learning, shifting the focus from rote tasks to deeper intellectual engagement and critical thinking. https://shorturl.at/a34pT #AIEducation #EdTech #AIinLearning #FutureOfEducation #AIforTeachers United States Artificial Intelligence Institute, #USAII