From reshaping lesson plans to streamlining school operations, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a far-off concept – it’s already here, and it’s moving at a dizzying pace.
For educators across Australia, the real challenge now isn’t whether to engage with AI, but how. As schools try to keep pace with rapid technological change, the need for confident, informed leadership has perhaps never been greater.
Between June 16-19, Toddle will host a virtual event that brings together more than 5,000 school leaders, educators, and innovators across Australia and New Zealand. The ‘AI in Action: Future-Ready Schools’ event will explore how AI is revolutionising education in and how school leaders can harness these technologies to enhance learning, improve operations, and prepare students for the future.
The event will hear from keynote speakers including Jan Owen, Chair and Founder of Learning Creates Australia; Dr. Nici Sweaney, founder of AI Her Way; Adrian Cotterell, director of AI & Assessment Solutions; and Chris Bush, a Churchill Fellow, AI consultant and secondary school leader with over a decade of experience in Melbourne.
The event’s key themes include:
- AI in Education: Explore how AI is transforming curriculum design, personalised learning, and administrative efficiency.
- Student Agency & Empowerment: Understand how AI enables personalised learning, student autonomy and engagement.
- Ethics & Responsibility: Unpack the ethical challenges of AI in schools.
- Practical Implementation: Gain actionable strategies for integrating AI in schools, from teacher training to classroom adoption.
‘This shift calls for visionary leadership in schools’
Toby Walsh, ARC Laureate Fellow and Scientia Professor of AI at UNSW, is delivering the first keynote session at AI in Action at 4pm AEST today.
“The biggest value-add of this event is understanding that we’re in the middle of a technological revolution comparable to the Industrial Revolution,” Professor Walsh told The Educator.
“Educators will need practical strategies for teaching students to work alongside intelligent machines because these technologies will touch almost every aspect of their future lives.”
Walsh said this shift calls for visionary leadership in schools, not just adaption.
“School leaders will need to lead the AI transformation, encouraging and empowering teachers and students to embrace the new AI technologies, fostering experimentation, and ensuring its responsible use.”
For educators who are feeling hesitant about AI, Professor Walsh’s advice is simple.
“Take a breath – it’s not magic. Get your hands dirty with these tools because they’re easier to understand than you think,” he said.
“And remember that while computers now can outperform humans at specific tasks like transcribing Mandarin or diagnosing diseases, they lack empathy, adaptability and creativity – the characteristics that makes education fundamentally human.”
Looking ahead, Professor Walsh hopes the event helps schools across Australia and New Zealand to “lead the global conversation about how AI can genuinely lift education.”
“Above all, we need to focus on the creativity, emotional intelligence, and ethical reasoning that will keep our students ahead of the machines.”
‘Not just another AI talk’
Dr Nici Sweaney, founder of AI Her Way, is a globally recognised AI consultant and thought leader who combines nearly two decades of expertise as an academic scientist and data strategist.
She says the biggest value of the ‘AI in Action: Future-Ready Schools’ event is that it’s not just another AI talk.
“I myself am sick of going to the ‘same AI conference’ again and again…and by that I mean where it’s all theory and all about ‘we should start thinking about this’,” Dr Sweaney told The Educator.
“What makes Toddle different is that it’s about real, current impact – what’s happening now, what’s working, and where to next.”
Dr Sweaney said educators won’t just hear about what AI might do; they’ll see what it’s already doing in classrooms and school systems right now.
“More importantly, they’ll walk away with a clearer sense of how to use it well – ethically, safely, and strategically,” she said. “The value here is practical exposure with a strong grounding in values.”
Dr Sweaney said AI in education isn’t just a tool, but “a complete systems change.”
“This event will help educators understand how to make thoughtful decisions that protect their staff and students, uphold their professional integrity, and position their schools as forward-thinking without losing their humanity.”