The New Zealand AI forum has just released its new 2019 research report, Towards Our Intelligent Future – An AI Roadmap for New Zealand. This report is the output of the AI Forum’s 2019 research programme and represents over nine months of collaborative work on parallel streams exploring AI adoption, policy and strategy in New Zealand and around the world. The research clearly highlights the value of AI for achieving New Zealand’s wellbeing, sustainability and economic goals. It also identifies specific opportunities in health, conservation and road safety as clear candidates for national AI investment, among many.   The AI forum has come … Continue reading Towards our intelligent future

The image above was taken on March 15 in front of Christchurch Cathedral, where hundreds of Christchurch students gathered to show their support for action to be taken with regards the issue of climate change – part of a action … Continue reading The Time to Act is Now!

This week I was reading the poem often attributed to Charlie Chaplin titled “As I began to love myself“. Apparently the poem was actually a translation of text from the book “When I Loved Myself Enough” by Kim & Alison McMillen, and was read by Charlie Chaplin at his 70th birthday. It is an interesting choice for Chaplin to read as he turned 70, particularly given the turmoil in his personal life to that point. The opening line in each verse is not a reference to love in the sense of a belief that you are better than others or … Continue reading Being a ‘moral’ leader

The image below was found posted on the notice board in a secondary school staffroom this week. At a time when teacher workload has been a key feature of recent salary negotiations and teacher strike action the messaging here might appear to be related. It prompted a thought in my mind however about the need for us to be constantly thinking about the purpose of PLD in schools. Sure, for individual teachers the requirement to participate in an after school session may seem yet one more thing to fit into an already busy schedule – particularly if not related immediately … Continue reading PLD – who is it for?

A video illustrated above appeared in my inbox today, and made me think of the implications of the ‘seachange’ occurring globally for our education system here in NZ (and other parts of the world). The opening paragraph in the McKinsey article that accompanies the video reads: For years, Western observers and media have been talking about the rise of Asia in terms of its massive future potential. But the time has come for the rest of the world to update its thinking—because the future arrived even faster than expected. Mckinsey Global: Asia’s Future Now Over the past few decades we have … Continue reading Time to re-think our ‘why’ in education?

[This post first appeared on the CORE blog, April, 2019] When Māori first made their way to Aotearoa they used a variety of innovative ways to navigate to places they’d not previously visited. Once on land, their challenge came in finding ways to meet their everyday needs using what was available in this new landscape. Over the ensuing years Māori became adept at using the local flora and fauna to build shelter, make clothing and provide food and medicines to sustain themselves. Centuries later, the European settlers came, bringing a post-industrial approach to building a life in this new land. … Continue reading Auahatanga | Innovation

[This post first appeared on the CORE blog, February 2019] “If you feel overwhelmed and confused by the global predicament, you are on the right track. Global processes have become too complicated for any single person to understand. How then can you know the truth about the world, and avoid falling victim to propaganda and misinformation?” Yuval Noah Harari, introduction to part IV of 21 Lessons for the 21st Century In response to my indecision about how to face a particular challenge in my career, an old friend of mine once suggested, “it’s better to be on the bus than … Continue reading It’s better on the bus than on the road