Center members have an exciting opportunity to spread the science of early childhood, but they need help from our community.
For more than 15 years, practitioners, learners and entrepreneurs have gathered at SXSW EDU “to create a new tomorrow for learners everywhere.” The event offers a space for visionary thinkers to address educations most complex issues together.
To help curate the event, SXSW EDU operates a community voting platform, PanelPicker, that allows registered users to vote for their favorite proposals.
The Center has three proposals that you can support and voting is as easy as 1, 2, 3.
- Sign in or create an account for free at the SXSW PanelPicker site.
- Select SXSW EDU from the landing page.
- Vote for our proposals by selecting the heart icon next to the title of the session.
Facilitator: Crystal Bishop
Panelists: Herman Knopf, Dwight Irvin, Jinnie Shin
Our technologies empower early learning systems and caregivers to optimize young children’s development and learning across home, school, and community settings. Learn how we apply (1) deep neural networks and machine learning to vast administrative data repositories, (2) AI and virtual reality to personalize adult learning, and (3) sensing technologies to better understand and enhance adult-child and peer-peer interactions. Our multi-level human-centered approach reimagines how early learning systems make decisions and expands how communities invest in supports for their youngest citizens.
Facilitators: Tara Mathien and Fawad Khan
How do AI and advanced technologies fit into early childhood education? This interactive Meet Up brings innovators, researchers, and practitioners to debate AI and advanced technology’s role in the earliest years of learning. We’ll explore how data-savvy tools can amplify the human touch and create adaptive learning pathways without replacing real human connection. Join small-group discussions on transforming workforce development, tailoring professional learning, and enhancing children’s development. If you want to share ideas and build lasting community connections, this session is for you.
Facilitator: Jay Buzhardt (University of Kansas)
Panelists: Dwight Irvin, Laura Justice (Ohio State University)
Artificial intelligence is poised to transform how we measure children’s language development, but can it do so accurately, ethically, and at scale? This session explores three AI-powered innovations: 1) automated coding of infant communication for an existing standardized assessment, 2) a tool that helps teachers and parents understand the language children experience during everyday interactions, and 3) a system that measures preschool peer conversations. We’ll discuss the promise, limitations, and practical implications of AI for advancing early language learning and school readiness.