I've articulated four priorities for human-centered AI in schools: augmentation over automation, literacy over policy, design over technology, and vision over decisions. I use these priorities with schools as a way to make decisions that ensure their approach to AI is sustainable, strategic, and human-centered.  

These priorities also shape my own work. By providing accurate, relevant information about AI and facilitating hands-on learning experiences, I aim for participants to recognize AI's power and its pitfalls and to understand how their own work and learning will (and will not) change in response to an AI world. Whether I'm working with teachers, leaders, boards, families, or students, I want people to leave my sessions more informed and more empowered to make good decisions about AI.

You can find sample descriptons of my work below. A list of my current and past clients is available on the About page. ​

I speak frequently at conferences, school events, and other gatherings about AI in education. 

Sample Presentations:

“FOUR PRIORITIES FOR HUMAN-CENTERED AI IN SCHOOLS”

What does it mean to be a human-centered organization in the age of AI? This session offers schools pathways to long-term, sustainable strategies for the rise of generative AI. The first step is to reset our priorities to ensure our approach is mission-aligned and human-centered rather than reactive and proscriptive. In this session, we'll explore four essential priorities: augmentation over automation, literacy over policy, design over technology, and vision over decisions. We'll look at research and use cases from innovative schools. We'll consider how a school's approach to AI can be an asset to its program, to its message, and to its community. 

“BEYOND THE CHATBOT: THE FUTURE OF AI IN SCHOOLS”

Since the arrival of ChatGPT, schools have learned about generative AI through the interface of the chatbot. Yet as we learned about how to engage with AI through these synthetic conversations, the technology has evolved and integrated itself in far more ways, opening up new potential and pitfalls for its application to education. How do we become more open to, more proactive about, and more prepared for the possibilities that come with deep change? This session is designed to help participants anticipate an AI future, even if we can’t predict it. We’ll consider the current state of the technology, look at some case studies, and practice strategic foresight exercises. 

“DESIGNING FOR  AGENCY IN AN AI WORLD”

What would it look like if human agency were the organizing principle of an entire school? This keynote makes the case that the arrival of AI in education has made it essential that we prioritize the agency of both adults and children in our communities. I frame nurturing agency as a design challenge we address through collective purpose and action. We'll look at what it actually takes to build schools around  ownership: the structural decisions, the cultural conditions, and the daily practices that empower people to take on challenge and persevere through struggle. We'll look at the ways we support both educators and students as case studies in what it means for an institution to design for empowerment. 

The arrival of ChatGPT in 2022 permanently changed how the work of school gets done. Educators now must be "AI-Aware" designers who understand how generative AI works, how people can use it for help and for harm, and how it affects the goals and design of schools' work with students. My approach to professional learning is learner-centered: participants have practical, hands-on opportunities to design solutions they can use immediately. My sessions ask educators to build their AI capacity not to embrace AI, but to understand how to manage its impact on their work and their students. 

Sample Workshops:

“AI PLAYGROUND I: EXPLORING GENERATIVE AI THROUGH CHATBOTS”

This session is designed as an introduction to generative AI capabilities through hands-on play and experimentation with generative AI chatbots. We’ll explore how to maximize the effectiveness of general purpose chatbots (ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.) through prompting and exploration of their key features (writing and research assistants, multimodal capabilities, etc.). We’ll also look at a few specialized AI tools recommended by teachers which could include Gamma, Eleven, and NotebookLM. The session concludes with a guided visible thinking activity to surface reflections and suggestions for next steps. 

“AI PLAYGROUND II: DEEPENING OUR AI SKILLS THROUGH AGENTIC WORKFLOWS”

Participants will be introduced to skills and strategies that help them move beyond the chatbot and take advantage of some of generative AI’s agentic capabilities. The workshop has three phases: crafting instructions for an AI agent, vibecoding, and delegating tasks to AI via agentic browsers. After a planning activity and overview of relevant tools, participants will have time to practice on their own or in small groups, with coaches available for support.

“AI AND THE QUESTION OF ASSESSMENT”

At root, generative AI presents a design challenge to educators: In a world where it is so easy to delegate many academic tasks to AI, how do we create learning experiences that engage students in doing things that are hard? This session walks educators through a three-step design process: 1) clarifying goals and tasks of their chosen assignment, 2) assessing AI vulnerabilities, and 3) considering“AI-Resistant” and “AI-Assisted” strategies for responding to AI vulnerability. Participants will see examples of how educators have reconfigured assessments to be responsive to generative AI and will have a chance to use templates and tools provided by Eric to examine their own assignments and imagine AI-resistant and AI-assisted ways to respond to any AI “vulnerabilities.”

“ENGAGING STUDENTS ON GENERATIVE AI: WHAT, WHY, HOW”

Making healthy, ethical decisions about AI is a skill our students need, now and in the future. In this session, we’ll explore decision-making as a teachable, relevant skill that can engage students in productive, open conversation about generative AI. We’ll begin by looking at what we know (and don’t know) about generative AI’s impact on student learning and wellness at school and in life. Then, we’ll explore the relationship between decision-making and autonomy, look at the research on student agency, and consider a variety of pathways for engaging students on AI in the classroom and beyond.  

Policy is an insufficient instrument for approaching a technology like generative AI. Schools must develop a clear, dynamic vision and strategy for how they will navigate an AI future defined by uncertainty, rapid change, and both potential and pitfalls. I work with school leaders and boards as a strategic advisor on the below topics:

• AI Governance: strategic, fiduciary, and oversight consideration for boards. 
• AI Position: developing a mission-aligned AI vision and strategy
• AI Guidelines: setting standards of use for school communities
• Cultivating Agency: supporting community members through times of deep change

I speak with students and families to facilitate more open, informed communication with the school about AI's role in the learning process. My sessions with students and families take many forms:

• Education: presentations to students and parents on how to manage our relationships with AI, not be managed by them. 
• Facilitated Dialogue: sessions where adults and students sit together and work through a series of discussion protocols to better understand each other's experiences and perspectives on AI at school. 
• Focus Groups and Panels: moderated discussions where I collect important information for schools about how students and families see AI and what support they need from their schools.

I work with staff at schools and nonprofits on how AI can support professionals in the workplace. After we establish clarity about the variety of ways AI can support knowledge and administrative work, we identify tasks and goals in our roles where AI might offer assistance or partnership. 

As with teachers, I make time and space for professionals to practice guided activities with AI tools. These exercises support their technical skill with AI, but also spark new questions and ideas about how AI can be used to support the work of the organization and the staff.