There is no box

Back in 2017, I attended the EdSurge Fusion Conference where the focus was Personalized Learning. Even then, presenters admitted we didn’t have a common definition for what that meant, but the future was certain: technology would finally disrupt education in a way no overhead projector, interactive whiteboard, or 1:1 device ever could. Clearly optimism abounds when it comes to predicting technology’s ability to disrupt 150+ years of the entrenched industrial education complex.

Fast forward to 2025, and now that future actually feels closer than ever. AI has gone from clunky search assistants to tools capable of real-time feedback, adaptive learning, and contextual understanding.

Here’s how I framed the technology revolution back in 2017—and how it still resonates:

• Version 1.0: Finding answers faster than we can.
• Version 2.0: Predicting what learners need before they know they need it.
• Version 3.0: Giving real-time feedback and shifting instruction from teaching content to teaching strategies.

Think the Vulcan School AR/VR pod from Star Trek or an Iron Man “JARVIS for every student”. Learning becomes personalized, contextual, and available anytime, anywhere.

The convergence of AI + Natural Language Processing + Big Data + ubiquitous student access isn’t theoretical anymore, it’s happening now and it’s happening faster than the Internet or web 2.0 ever did.

After re-reading my original 2017 post (read it here), it’s striking how much of that vision might actually become reality.

👉 So, 8 years later how should schools, leaders, and communities prepare for AI as a teaching partner—not just another tech tool bolted on to the old industrial model of education?

#AI #PersonalizedLearning #FutureOfLearning #EdLeadership #K12 #InnovationInEducation

Dr. Andrew Schwab is a K-12 Superintendent, former Chief Technology Officer, and advocate for future-ready schools. He believes that education is the gateway to opportunity and that leadership must be human-centered and student-focused.