Faculty Technology Day

Daniel Susskind, Ph.D., Research Professor in Economics at King’s College London; Senior Research Associate, Institute for Ethics in AI, Oxford University

In the future, the education profession will look remarkably different from today, and we will neither need nor want teachers – or doctors, lawyers, architects, accountants, engineers, consultants, and many other professionals – to work as they did in the 20th century. In this pragmatic and optimistic talk, Susskind explains why, and sets out how the education profession can prepare to flourish in decades to come.

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Speaker

Steven D'Agustino, Ph.D. (Director of Online Learning, Office of the Provost, Fordham University)

Description

ChatGPT presents both challenges and opportunities that prompt a re-conceptualization of teaching, learning and research. This presentation will consider other innovations in techno-pedagogy and how the institution of education responded.

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Speakers

Veronica Szczygiel, Ph.D. (Director of Online Learning, Graduate School of Education, Fordham University)

Lynn Hooley (Online Program Manager, Graduate School of Education, Fordham University)

Michael Taylor (Student Success Counselor, Graduate School of Education, Fordham University)

Bailey Kaufman (Adjunct Professor, Doctoral Student in Innovation in Curriculum and Instruction program, Graduate School of Education, Fordham University)

Description

In this interactive, hands-on workshop, participants will directly engage with ChatGPT/GPT-4 and Dall-E2. This workshop will provide a fun, light opportunity to play with these AI tools. GSE Online will facilitate this “play sesh” by providing participants with prompts and tips, such as asking ChatGPT to write for different audiences and in different tones. This workshop is meant to be fun and collaborative among the participants and the workshop facilitators. GSE Online will provide differentiated, targeted feedback and guidance to push participants to explore and draw insights. Small-group and whole-group discussions will be encouraged and facilitated. Towards the end of the workshop, participants will be broken up into small groups to engage in a “poetry slam” activity whereby the group works with ChatGPT to craft a poem. Each group will read ChatGPT’s poem aloud, and the group with the best poem “wins.” The purpose of this workshop is threefold: (1) to provide an opportunity for exploration to faculty and staff who may not have had the time or courage to do so before; (2) to critically think about ways we can positively incorporate ChatGPT into our work and classrooms; and (3) to make connections with colleagues across the University by just having fun. 

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Speakers

Janet Gallent, Ed.D. (Assistant Clinical Professor, Communications & Media Management, Gabelli School of Business, Fordham University; Media Research Consultant at Janet Gallent Solutions) 

Nicole Zeidan, Ed.D., M.B.A. (Assistant Director, Emerging Educational Technology and Learning Space Design; Adjunct Faculty, Fordham University)

Description

Educators have an opportunity to offer students ways to engage with course material through emerging technologies. For their mid-term paper, Gabelli graduate students in Consumer Adoption of New Media were encouraged to experience virtual reality at the LITE Center to explain why mainstream consumers have not adopted this technology. Student feedback on this initiative demonstrates the value of experiential learning and the importance of access to cutting-edge educational technologies. Note: there will be a VR demo providing attendees an opportunity to experience VR for themselves!

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Speakers

Nick Alongi, MLIS, MS (Head of Access, Information & Collection Services, and Operations, Fordham University Libraries)

Hannah Herrlich (Emerging Technologies Librarian, Fordham University Libraries)

John D'Angelo (Head Of Circulation Librarian, Fordham University Libraries)

Gabriella DiMeglio (Archives/Spec Collections Librarian, Fordham University Libraries) 

Description

With ChatGPT seemingly breaking the Internet overnight and creating widespread panic across academia, Fordham University’s librarians have a simple message: Keep calm, we've got this covered. Libraries have long embraced artificial intelligence (AI) and new technologies as tools to supplement–not supplant–the services we provide the academic community, and AI, ChatGPT and other technological advances are no different. Join the Fordham University Libraries team as we explore the current and potential uses of AI in the academic library sphere; dispel myths around the extinction of human librarians; advocate for AI literacy (including the ability to make informed decisions about using AI technologies); and demonstrate how these new technologies can support your research experience.

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Speaker

Charles Lang, Ed.D., Senior Executive Director & Coterminous Professor, Teachers College, Columbia University

Description

In the classroom, excitement and trepidation have grown about how specific tools might augment or subvert educational aims while on the societal level, it is unclear what aspects of human cognition will remain unique to humans. At the intersection of these concerns lie questions of assessment and what it means to build representations of the inner workings of both humans and machines. How and why we build these representations may lead us to strange and unrecognizable futures. 

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Speaker

Cornelia Connors (Adjunct Professor, Communications and Media Studies, Fordham University)

Description

This is a historical and humorous review of the past 50 years of technology in education, from videodiscs, CD-ROMs, Teletext, and online services to the Internet and AI. Professor Connors shares her insight from teaching publishing executives how to use this new device called the “microcomputer” in the early 80’s, to marketing the first Videodiscs and CD-ROMs for education to the Internet and AI. She’s launched many educational products from Scholastic, Smithsonian, National Geographic, The Princeton Review, and Blackboard. Connors will invite discussion on the history of AI and the potential for AI apps for education today and in the future.

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Speakers

Heather V. Hill, M.S.L.I.S., M.A. (Instructional Technologist, Fordham University)

Nicole Zeidan, Ed.D., M.B.A. (Assistant Director, Emerging Educational Technology and Learning Space Design; Adjunct Faculty, Fordham University)

Description

Medieval New York is an augmented reality project developed in collaboration between the Office of Information Technology and the Center for Medieval Studies at Fordham University, along with external partners, including an extended reality vendor and other educational institutions. We will share our experience developing this project from its nascent concept to its current development stage, with insights on how to incorporate inclusivity, accessibility, pedagogy, and public history.

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Speakers

Josephine Law, M.S., Fellow of Information Privacy (FIP), CIPP/US, CIPM (Senior IT Risk Analyst, Fordham University)

Shannon Ortiz, M.S., C.I.S.S.P., C.I.S.M., C. C.I.S.O., Security Plus (Senior Director of IT Security and Assurance; Adjunct Professor, Fordham University; Adjunct Professor, NYU School of Professional Studies)

Description

While AI offers numerous benefits, there are also potential risks that must be considered. It sets the stage for discussing the advantages and disadvantages of using AI and how to balance these factors while minimizing the risks.

In this session, Josephine Law will discuss the use of biometrics by AI to support facial recognition and its impact on civil liberties and civil rights. Shannon Ortiz will then discuss ChatGPT usage, pros, and cons in cyberspace. He will also discuss some of the newest threats we face with our cyber security defenses and their impact on the job market for years to come.

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Speaker

Lindsay Karp, M.S. (Assistant Director, Education Technologies, Fordham University)

Description

Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have opened up new possibilities for creating more accessible and inclusive educational environments for all learners. This session will explore the latest AI-driven assistive technology solutions that can help individuals with disabilities to overcome challenges and improve their everyday lives.

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Speakers

Lance Strate, Ph.D. (Professor, Communication & Media Studies, Fordham University; President, Institute of General Semantics) 

Fran Blumberg, Ph.D. (Professor, Counseling Psychology, Graduate School of EducationFordham University) 

Jessica Baldwin-Philippi, Ph.D. (Professor, Communication & Media Studies, Fordham University)

Description

As educators, we are rightly concerned with understanding the nature and consequences of technological innovations such as the recent spate of artificial intelligence programs, and with preparing for the changes that they will inevitably bring about. Tacking a course between the extremes of technophobia and technophilia, this panel will consider the practical implications of AI for educators, and the broader concerns owing to the key role that educational institutions play in a democratic society

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Speaker

Kanchan Thaokar, M.B.A. (Senior Technical Manager, Education Technologies, Fordham University)

Description 

Participants will have the opportunity to learn and interact with a cutting-edge artificial intelligence language model called ChatGPT and other AI-powered educational tools. Participants will work through a series of activities designed to deepen their understanding of ChatGPT and explore its potential applications in various fields and research domains.They'll also work with others to share ideas and tips.

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Speaker

Graham Johnson, M.S.Ed. (Graduate Assistant, Learning & Innovation Technology Environment (LITE), Adjunct Faculty, Ph.D. Candidate, Fordham Graduate School of Education.)

Description

This presentation will explain the process for creating 3D production projects at LITE, Fordham’s Learning and Innovation Technology Environment under the Emerging Educational Technology department, within the The Office of Information Technology. It will showcase a variety of recent 3D-printed products, including science lab equipment, bone replicas, musical instruments, 3D models of architectural drawings, and artistic renderings of photographs. It will explain how a variety of computer applications, including AI-enabled applications, can assist in the 3D production process, from brainstorming to the creation of 2D images to the creation of 3D objects. The audience will be invited to explore possibilities and offer ideas for future 3D production projects at LITE.

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Speakers

Rhonda Bondie, Ph.D. (Associate Professor Hunter College, Lecturer Harvard Graduate School of Education),

Akane Zusho, Ph.D. (Professor, Fordham Graduate School of Education), and 

Bill Ferster, Ph.D. (Former Research Professor, University of Virginia) (via Zoom)

Description

New immersive technologies powered by artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing enable us to provide personalized and differentiated teaching practice. For example, research demonstrates that high quality teacher feedback leads to increased student learning (and possibly better course evaluations, too). Could we use AI to improve teacher feedback? We will share findings from our current research and engage the audience in a live demo of our virtual classroom powered by artificial intelligence. We will explore how open source technology can be used to create a data rich teacher training tool and explore opportunities and limitations of AI supported teaching practice. Most importantly, we will share our framework for supporting in-the-moment feedback that can be used immediately with students or colleagues.