Pre-Conference Workshop Speaker

Empowering Education with Generative AI: A Practical Guide for Educators, Parents, and the Students They Support

Shelley Haven, ATP, RET, BSME

As we prepare learners for their future, one thing is certain—that future includes generative artificial intelligence (genAI). Teachers, parents, and learning specialists need to understand how to harness the capabilities of this emergent technology while guiding students (and fellow professionals) to use it effectively and responsibly.

Similar to previous transformative technologies in education—school-based Internet in the late 1990s and classroom computers in the early 1980s—genAI offers a wealth of possibilities to enhance teaching and learning, especially for students with disabilities. However, this vast potential comes with challenges and limitations that, if not properly recognized and managed, can easily overshadow the benefits. In this three-hour webinar, assistive technology consultant and former engineer Shelley Haven will introduce a novel paradigm for how to think about genAI in education, and use a mix of foundational knowledge, practical skills, and live demos to help participants:

• Understand what generative AI is (and isn't) and how it works.
• Differentiate between the ever-increasing plethora of genAI and AI-enhanced tools.
• Identify practical applications of genAI to support diverse learners and enhance instruction.
• Craft effective genAI prompts (user requests) for specific goals.
• Explore ways to address challenges and ethical considerations related to using genAI in education.

Learning Outcomes:

As a result of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Explain the fundamental concepts behind generative AI (e.g., where it gets its information and how to interact with it) and its potential impact on teaching and learning.
• Describe at least four best practices that address genAI issues such as equity and access for all students, privacy, bias, and ethical use.
• Name at least three factors that might impact one’s choice of genAI tools for different tasks.
• List the six elements of a well-formed (effective) prompt and at least two strategies to avoid common prompt-writing pitfalls.
• Describe at least three categories of prompts that leverage genAI capabilities for teaching and learning.

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Shelley Haven is a RESNA-certified Assistive Technology Professional (ATP), Rehab Engineering Technologist (RET), and former engineer who specializes in matching students with appropriate technology. Her consulting practice, Technology to Unlock Potential, serves families, educators, and schools both online and in person with a focus on learning differences, ADHD, and executive functioning. During her 38 years in assistive technology, Shelley previously directed AT for Stanford University’s Office of Accessible Education and helped create the Schwab Learning Center at Stanford (now part of Children's Health Council) for students with learning differences and ADHD. She also created and taught an online college course for UCSC Extension, “Assistive Technology for Learning Differences.”

As an AET Allied Professional member, Shelley writes the column 'Assistive Technology in Practice' for AET's professional journal The Educational Therapist. Her latest endeavor is training education professionals to leverage generative AI for teaching and learning.