The Evolution of My AI Thoughts

 When this blog goes live on Monday, June 8, it will be the date of the 2026 OLA Digital Odyssey conference. The theme of this year's conference is "Human in the System: Libraries Navigating AI Together". 

When I was preparing a couple of talks related to AI for OLA's Digital Odyssey conference and as a guest speaker for AML's Media AQ, I started to wonder how many of these workshops or presentations I've done on Generative AI. I looked at my professional wiki where I record this kind of information, and I made a list. This is current as of June 8, 2026 and just focuses on AI talks.

• 2023 - Fostering Primary Division Students Critical Exploration of Algorithms (Global Media Education Summit)
• 2023 - Exploring Algorithms with Primary Students: Magic, Mystery and More! (TDSB Unleashing Learning)
• 2024 - AI's Not a Bad Guy: Understanding Algorithms (OLA Super Conference)
• 2024 - Teaching Teachers and Tots the Ins and Outs of Algorithms and AI (IMLRS)
• 2025 - The Role of AI in Student Research (OLA Super Conference)
• 2025 - Look Before You Leap: Testing the GenAI Waters in Elementary Schools (OTF Curriculum Forum) (RFTLOI)
• 2025 - Support Without Substitution: How AI Tools Might Help K-8 Teacher Teaching Teaching Effectively and Ethically (OTF Curriculum Forum) (ECOO ExplorAItion)
• 2025 - Unpacking Machine Learning (AML)
• 2025 - Cultivating Critical Minds in a World Influenced by AI (UNESCO)
• 2025 - Questioning AI: Building Media Literacy and Critical Thinking Skills (ETFO ICT Conference for Women) (ECOO Dream Forward STEAM Ahead)
• 2026 - CSL Digital Media Toolkit: Smarter Together in the Age of AI
• 2026 - Developing AI Guides for a School Board and a Country (IMLRS)

I thought it might be interesting to see which presentations became dated quickly, or if there were any ideas I shared back then that have changed or altered. In the end, I decided to make a "listicle".

My Top 3 Favourite AI Talks

#3 = Teaching Teachers and Tots the Ins and Outs of Algorithms and AI

I thought this talk, even though it was shared several years ago, still has relevance. It focused on some of my earliest action research on teaching through and about AI with primary division students. It has a great collection of student quotes and visuals produced by student hands as well as AI. The GenAI image generation tools have improved since 2024. One of the loveliest compliments I've received came after this talk, when someone said "I wish I could be a student in your class". 

#2 = The Role of AI in Student Research

This was a presentation that took a lot of time to prepare but was a lot of fun to deliver. Part of the joy came from presenting with my friend, Kim Davidson, at OLA Super Conference. The audience was filled with friends. I really like how Kim and I looked at GenAI at every stage of the research process and had practical tasks and questions connected to many aspects of inquiry. It's much more clear now what our school board's "supported" AI tools are and which ones to use than when we first developed this talk, so if we ever shared it again, we'd have to update that information, but it was a good one that I will sometimes refer back to myself when planning.

#1 = Questioning AI: Building Media Literacy and Critical Thinking Skills

There are several reasons why I consider this to be one of the best presentations I've given to date on AI. First of all, I had a nice long time to present, so I was able to incorporate activities for the participants to undertake (and I differentiated, so that people didn't feel like they were being forced to use AI against their will). I like how media literacy concepts are fleshed out, equity issues are brought to the forefront instead of being asides, and it ends with practical strategies for critical thinking that can be applied not just to Generative AI but to all media texts. I'm glad that I was able to really hone in on the ETFO AI guideline papers; if educators are going to use AI, they need to do it thoughtfully, with purpose, and in a way that does not demean the profession. In this talk, I had the opportunity to delve into some of my favourite AI subtopics, such as the problematic personification of AI and the distinction between "through" and "about". I was terrified when I gave this talk at the ECOO conference, because some "heavy hitters" that I really respect were in the room - Tim King and Heidi Siwak. I wondered what on earth my workshop could offer them when they are such experts in the field. They seemed to be satisfied, so I consider that a win.

I called this blog "The Evolution of my AI Thoughts". How would I say that my thoughts on AI have changed? I find it ironic that I am sought after by media outlets to provide commentary and lessons on AI, when I think I actually don't use AI that much. I've started to use it more than in the past, but I'm big on citing my use. I'm going to look at my use of Google Gemini at the end of the school year, and try to "make amends to the earth" for the amount of energy and water my AI prompts and queries have done. (This action is inspired by Mariana Spena from DDSB, whom I heard speak at the ECOO conference. Maybe my future post will need to be a list of my favourite AI talks that I've attended as a listener, rather than as a speaker!) There are times when people use it and I question whether it's the right choice. (After all, there are two writers in my family and I strongly believe their work cannot and should not be replaced by AI bots.) AI still makes me feel a bit superior, and I get frustrated by how often AI is embedded in tools where I don't want to use it (such as Blogger, or Gmail). If this is how things have changed from 2023-2026, I wonder what AI will be like in the next three years. Only time will tell.