AI in Education Symposium
A Regional Convening on AI Across the K-16+ Continuum
Friday, September 11, 2026 • Florida SouthWestern State College • Fort Myers, FL
~200
Leading Educators in the Room
7
Regional Institutions
4
Thematic Areas
1
Day of Regional Conversation
About the Symposium
Artificial intelligence is reshaping classrooms, campuses, and careers across Southwest Florida — often faster than any single school, district, or institution can respond alone. The AI in Education Symposium brings together educators, administrators, and leaders from across the region for a day of shared dialogue about what AI means for teaching, learning, and student readiness at every level.
This is a closed, invitation-only convening of the Southwest Florida Alliance of Educational Leaders (SWFAEL) — bringing the region's decision-makers into one room, for one day, around one question.
Convened By SWFAEL
- Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU)
- Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW)
- Charlotte County Public Schools
- Collier County Public Schools
- Glades County Public Schools
- Hendry County Public Schools
- Lee County Public Schools
Why This Symposium
AI is no longer a future consideration for education, it's a present reality. Students are already using it. Educators are already navigating it. But conversations about what that means tend to happen in isolation: within a single school, a single department, a single institution.
This symposium creates a rare cross-level space for K-12 and higher education professionals to compare notes, surface shared challenges, and begin building a common understanding of AI's role in education across our region.
A single day of aligned regional thinking on AI is worth more than a year of separate conversations. What's built here doesn't stay in the room — it shapes how seven institutions move forward, together, on the question every one of them is already facing alone.
The Four Themes
The day's dialogue is organized around four thematic areas, developed collaboratively by the planning committee to reflect the most pressing and productive conversations happening across the region.
AI Literacy and Skills Development
What does it mean to be AI-literate at each stage of a student's education — and how do we build that literacy across the K–16+ continuum, from elementary foundations to professional fluency?
Pedagogical Integration of AI in the Classroom
How can AI support rather than replace student thinking? This theme explores intentional classroom design that helps AI function as a genuine thinking partner rather than a shortcut.
Workforce Readiness
As AI reshapes the skills employers are looking for, what does readiness look like at every level of education — and how do our region's schools, colleges, and university work together to prepare students for what's ahead?
Ethical AI Use and Responsible Implementation
From data privacy to academic integrity to equitable access, this theme brings the region's leaders together to think through the responsibilities that come with AI adoption — and to make space for thoughtful caution alongside innovation.
Event Format
Participants will move through the day together, engaging with all four themes through a mix of large-group framing and small-group facilitated discussion, co-led by pairs of K-12 and higher education representatives.
The day includes a working lunch and closes with a facilitated dialogue among institutional leadership, reflecting on what emerged and identifying next steps for regional collaboration.
Schedule
Detailed schedule and session information is tentative until the day of the event , please check back for updates.
| Time | Description |
|---|---|
| 8:00am- 9:00am |
Registration, Breakfast & Networking
Check in, enjoy a continental breakfast, and connect with colleagues from across the
region's K-12 districts, state colleges, universities, and workforce community.
|
| 9:00am- 9:15am |
Welcome & Framing
Bill Reynolds, Director, FGCU Lucas Center for Faculty Development, FGCU
Opening remarks will establish the purpose of the symposium and introduce the four themes that will guide the day's conversations. Participants will also learn how the facilitated breakout sessions will work and how insights from across the groups will contribute to the day's closing discussion. |
| 9:15am- 10:05am |
Opening Keynote: AI Across the Educational Continuum.
Carrie Meyers & Jim Reynolds — FSU Institute for Strategic Partnerships, Innovation, Research, and Education |
| 10:05am- 10:30am |
Setting the Stage: AI Literacy & Pedagogical Strategies
Dr. Leandro de Castro (AI Literacy) & Dr. Rebecca Harris (Pedagogical Strategies)
Two brief presentations introduce the morning's themes and establish shared language — what AI literacy means across educational levels, and how AI is influencing teaching, learning, assessment, and critical human capacities. |
| 10:30am– 10:35am |
Transition to Breakout Rooms
Participants will move to their assigned breakout rooms. Each group will include participants
representing different institutions and educational levels.
|
| 10:35am–11:15am |
Thematic Block 1: AI Literacy & Skills Development
Facilitated conversations explore what students need to understand about AI at different
stages of education, and where literacy is developing — or where gaps exist — across
the K-16 continuum.
|
| 11:15am- 11:20am |
Transition to Breakout Rooms
A brief reset before the next facilitated conversation.
|
| 11:20am- 12:00pm |
Thematic Block 2: Pedagogical Integration
Participants explore how AI is changing teaching and learning, and what effective
pedagogy looks like in an AI-influenced environment — and how practices at one level
shape readiness at the next..
|
| 12:00pm- 1:00pm |
Working Lunch & Regional Leadership Dialogue
Lunch continues the conversation, including a facilitated dialogue on ideas emerging
from the morning. Regional education leaders join to consider implications across
institutions and educational levels. |
| 1:00pm- 1:25pm |
Setting the Stage: Workforce Readiness & Responsible AI
Anna Haney-Withrow (Workforce Readiness) & Dr. Chrissann Ruehle (Responsible AI)
Two brief presentations introduce the afternoon themes — how AI is changing workforce expectations, and what responsible implementation requires of institutions, employers, educators, and leaders. |
| 1:25pm- 1:30pm |
Transition to Breakout Rooms
Participants return to their assigned breakout rooms.
|
| 1:30pm- 2:10pm |
Thematic Block 3: Workforce Readiness
Facilitated conversations examine the skills students will need in an AI-influenced
workplace — the relationship among AI fluency, disciplinary expertise, critical thinking,
and regional workforce needs.
|
| 2:10pm– 2:15pm |
Transition
A brief reset before the final breakout conversation.
|
| 2:15pm- 2:55pm |
Thematic Block 4: Ethical & Responsible AI
Participants explore the ethical and practical questions institutions face as AI becomes
embedded in educational and workplace environments — responsible use, access, privacy,
policy, and preparing students to decide thoughtfully.
|
| 2:55pm– 3:10pm |
Symposium Synthesis & Connection Activity
Participants return to the plenary space for refreshments and an interactive table
activity designed to begin sharing insights from the day. Meanwhile, facilitators
and keynote speakers identify emerging themes, connections, and opportunities from
the breakout discussions.
|
| 3:10pm– 4:00pm |
Closing Plenary: From Conversation to Collaboration
Carrie Meyers, Jim Reynolds & Symposium Leaders
The symposium concludes by looking across the day's conversations rather than treating each theme in isolation, reflecting on the strongest threads and what they mean for Southwest Florida. Together, participants explore a central question: How can K-12 districts, state colleges, universities, and workforce partners work more intentionally across the educational continuum as AI continues to reshape learning and work? The session concludes with practical next steps and an invitation to continue the regional conversation beyond the symposium. |
| 4:00pm |
Adjourn
Closing thank-yous and optional informal networking.
|
Who Should Attend
Each participating institution is sending its own delegation — teachers, instructional coaches, administrators, and faculty selected to represent the full span of the region's public education system, from elementary classrooms through the university level.
If you're interested in attending, please reach out to your institution's representative on the planning committee.
Planning Committee Representatives
| Institution | Contact |
|---|---|
| Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) | Tiffany Reynolds |
| Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) | Leandro de Castro |
| Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) | Christina McCaw |
| Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) | Bill Reynolds |
| Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) | Kim Fournier |
| Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW) | Jason Dudley |
| Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW) | Anna Haney-Withrow |
| Charlotte County Public Schools | Matt Kunder |
| Collier County Public Schools | Melanie Fike |
| Glades County Public Schools | Amber Sumeralls |
| Hendry County Public Schools | Roberto Sanchez |
| Lee County Public Schools | Nathan Shaker |
| Lee County Public Schools | Dwayne Alton |
Location
