Ed & Tech must-reads 11th Aug 2026

Webinar - Using Cogniti agents to improve learning: Practitioner case studies Thurs 27th Aug 12 noon AEST from ASCILITE TELedvisors Network

Cogniti is a platform developed at the University of Sydney to support educator development of AI agents to be used in learning and teaching. This webinar provides three practical examples of ways that it has been used at Sydney Uni (Andrew Bartlett), Uni of Auckland (Bettina Schwenger, Andrea Kolb, Marion Blumenstein) and Queensland University of Technology (Sam Cunningham). If you are curious about Cogniti and/or practical applications of AI in classes, this is a session for you.

Is It Ethical for Teachers to Use AI for Student Feedback? from Journal for University Teaching & Learning Practice

While in recent years there has been a veritable tsunami of research and commentary about the impact and efficacy of GenAI on learning when used by students, there has been less research into the ethics of it when used by educators. Possibly because it is harder to empirically measure ethical behaviour or exploring this side of things may force people to ask uncomfortable questions. Jiahui Lo (Education uni of Hong Kong) and Sarah Eaton (Uni of Calgary) explore a diverse dataset (policy docs, social media posts, interviews with students and teachers) to consider specifically what happens when AI is used for student feedback. While we end up in the not-unexpected territory of “well, it’s complicated”, they explore what it means in terms of perceptions of teacher professionalism, the social contract, types and timeliness of feedback, inclusivity, accountability and security. This paper provides a valuable and arguably overdue jumping off point for important discussions of whether, not how, we should be using AI.

Webinar - Wearable AI in Learning Environments - Risks and Opportunities Tues 18th Aug 12 noon AEST from ADCET

Concerns about privacy have been big in the discourse in the last week or so as AI powered wearable camera glasses suddenly seemingly hit the mainstream with the release and rapid selling-out of KMart’s $89 Anko smart glasses. These aren’t particularly new, there has been a steady bubbling of discussion about the impact of AI wearables since Meta released their first attempt at these in September 2021 with Ray-Ban Stories. AI wearables can be invaluable as assistive technologies in the accessibility space but, as seems to be the way with everything at the moment, bad actors seem determined to ensure that we can’t have nice things. This timely webinar from the Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training will explore some of these issues and opportunities, drawing on expertise from Darren Britten (La Trobe Uni), Amanda Edgar, Fariha Jaigirdar, and Sue Sharpe (all Deakin Uni)

Webinar - Lightning Talks Thurs 13th August 12:30pm AEST from HERDSA Online Engagement Special Interest Group

Finally, taking a break from the Always Intruding AI, we can hear from some educators discussing their work to motivate and inspire their students. Presenters include Rachel M Campbell (Uni Canberra), Natalie Warburton (Murdoch Uni) and Elizabeth Goode (Southern Cross Uni)

The Professor Falsely Accused of Murdering Students from The Chronicle of Higher Education

This article isn’t particularly about education or technology but it has value as a reminder that there is something distinct about higher education that some people in the community can be profoundly weird about. This weirdness may have long been there but the power of social media gives these people power previously never imagined. Long story short - but it is worth reading the whole thing - Rebecca Scofield, a gender and sexuality scholar at Uni of Idaho, was targeted by a Tik Tok psychic in more than a 100 videos over three years accusing her of multiple murders of students in the school. Actual murders but obviously she had nothing to do with them. Probably the main takeaway is that the law, universities and unions have work to do in terms of looking after staff.