Teaching Generation AI-Z: Advancing Schooling, Skills, Relationships, and Learning in a Distracted, Uncertain, AI Age 2026

AI is reshaping education, jobs, and the world. For Generations Alpha and Beta, this uncertain AI world is the only one they've ever known. Recent research has found that while AI offers powerful tools for personalized learning, its overuse can lead to increased loneliness, stunted social skills, reduced critical thinking, and rising "technostress" on already struggling students. A 2020 Economic World Forum on "Schools of the Future" noted that students today will be entering jobs that don't yet exist and one's that place a premium on both digital and social-emotional skills. This interdisciplinary conference will explore the future of education, skills, and learning in this digital, AI age. The conference will examine AI's impact on the brain, generational differences in learning, and ways to effectively engage students in a distracted world. Learn strategies for teaching AI effectively and ethically; improving relationships and using social robots for learning and loneliness; fostering student critical thinking and creativity; building skills in robotics, STEM, and digital literacy; promoting reading and writing in a digital era; and preparing students for an uncertain AI future.