Education Service Center Region 12 staff collaborated with artificial intelligence experts and educators to host the EDGE AI Conference on Wednesday, June 25. The conference covered various AI-related topics, including getting started, gaining understanding, policies, student safety, data security and unlocking creativity. Educators from over 30 districts attended. 

“Our conference focused on really looking at AI and how it affects the school system holistically,” said Joshua Essary, Internal Training Coordinator at ESC Region 12. “Attendees learned from experts with different perspectives, hopefully hitting every aspect.”

The keynote speaker was Corey Layne Crouch, Chief Program Officer at AI for Education. Her keynote titled “Learn, Experiment, Innovate: The Opportunity for Education in an AI World” explored the rapid, transformative roles of Generative AI in education. Crouch presented GenAI in the morning and led other breakout sessions later in the day.

Featured breakout session presenters included Jeni Janek of ESC Region 12, Jeni Long of MagicSchool AI, Ashley Jones, Director of Digital Learning at Temple ISD, Kim Estes of Whitney ISD and other experts. Sessions covered AI safety, the future of education platforms, school district policies and using AI as a resource. 

Platinum sponsors included SysCloud, Scinary and Duos Edge AI. Additional sponsors were MagicSchool AI, Diffit, Barracuda Cybersecurity, Curipod, SHI, GoGuardian, Kroolo and Tessera Technology Group.

View photos here.