EP#92 | Scaling AI with Enterprise Adoption Across Your Organization with CIO Robert Dickson

Nov 27, 2023

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This week I'm delighted to introduce you to Robert Dickson, CIO of Wichita Public Schools, one of the first to design an enterprise integration of AI across their large school district of 50,000 students, and 10,000 employees. Here are three core ideas Robert shares with us in this episode. You'll find all his information below, as I know this is one guest you'll definitely want to add to your network.

Robert Dickson's insights highlight the transformative power of AI in education, focusing on strategic planning, AI literacy, and preparing students for a rapidly changing workforce. His approach emphasizes the need for a balance between technological advancement and human-centered values. His journey not only illustrates the efficiency gains and innovation that AI can bring to educational settings but also underscores its broader implications for enterprise-level integration.

Embracing AI in Education:

Robert shares how he introduced AI in education, with a focus on how it can enhance the workflow for leaders, teachers, and staff in his district. He shares insights on utilizing AI for strategic planning and instructional improvement.
“Every task I do, I start at 70% to 80%... Imagine what that frees your time up to do if 70% of a task is done for you.” - Robert Dickson

AI Literacy and Policy Development:

Dickson discusses the importance of AI literacy among educators and developing policies for AI use in educational settings.
“I’ve written an AI policy and I’ve revised it now twice... It's about setting guardrails but also enabling innovation and adaptation.” - Robert Dickson

The Role of AI in Future Workforce Development:

The discussion touches on how AI is reshaping the skills needed in the future workforce, emphasizing adaptability and digital literacy.
“Memorization is not how we produce a skilled workforce anymore... Intelligence is a commodity.” - Robert Dickson

Connect with Robert Dickson on LinkedIn to follow his journey and insights in integrating AI in education. His resources, articles, and ideas are some of the best on this topic.

Podcast: Listen in to "What the EdTech" Robert's podcast
Connect with Robert on X

Article: How Wichita Public Schools is Using Microsoft Copilot

I'd love to connect with you as well. You can join me on any of my platforms

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Timestamps:

1:57 Why you should subscribe to ChatGPT
3:48 Introducing Rob
6:12 Rob's realization that AI can make a huge difference in education
8:44 How Rob uses AI to reach his goals with more efficiency
11:47 Time-saving with AI
13:41 Shifting the AI use from personal to enterprise level
18:40 The importance of being proactive when exploring AI, intead of just waiting to see what happens
21:11 Some skills and mindset for exploring and incorporating AI
25:33 Design thinking as a method to approach AI
28:08 Design Thinking at the Orange County Department of Education
31:37 Improving work experience within large organizations using AI
35:29 How Rob implemented AI at enterprise level in practice
39:15 The SPARK framework for asking the right questions to AI
41:12 Some of Rob's prompting practices, guidelines and values at his organization
44:32 Introducing AI tools to students
46:36 The AI Bootcamp
47:40 Questions you should be asking going in 2024
50:42 Rob's books and resources recommendations