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AI in Education, CoP · Tools · Higher Ed AI
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🔮 Futures
The AI-in-education futures reading list, my daily priority morning and night. Books live in Kindle; this is where the thinkers, articles, and videos live.
Futurists & thinkers
Where the field is going
AI literacy frameworks
Watch · sessions & video
Daily reads
🎓 Courses & Trainings
Select ✈️ after download.
AI & CoP
Coursera / Scrimba, Currently Enrolled
Hands-on with Claude Code, setup, best practices, advanced features (hooks, slash commands, agents), MCP integration, and building real projects. Directly relevant to your GitHub Pages work and Canvas LTI exploration.
Purdue University, Currently Enrolled
You’re currently enrolled. Finish this certificate, it signals AI fluency and demonstrates applied skills immediately relevant to campus AI leadership.
Anthropic Academy
Built with academic experts from University College Cork and Ringling College. Uses a “4D AI Fluency Framework.” Complete “AI Fluency: Framework & Foundations” first. Directly usable as CoP session content.
Coursera / DeepLearning.AI
Free audit available. All weeks. The most accessible AI literacy course for non-engineers. Covers what AI can/can’t do, AI strategy, and responsible deployment. Essential for leading CoP conversations confidently.
DeepLearning.AI, Free
Free short course. Complements your Purdue certificate. Hands-on notebooks, best done with internet but content can be reviewed offline. Great for Month 2.
Google for Education, Free Certificate
2-hour self-paced course with a shareable Google certificate. Covers using Gemini to plan lessons, differentiate instruction, and provide student feedback. Ideal as a CoP “first assignment” for colleagues. No Google account required to start.
⭐ Google Cloud · Training May 8 + 15 · Exam separate
2-day virtual training May 8 and 15 (free). Self-paced learning path on Google Cloud Skills Boost also free. Exam: $99 USD, online or test center, 90-min proctored. Cert valid 3 years. Difficulty rated easy-to-moderate. Designed for non-technical leaders. Best $99 I can spend, high LinkedIn visibility, Google name carries weight in EdTech recruiting.
⭐ League for Innovation · May 14–July 2, 2026
8-week virtual cohort, May 14–July 2. Live sessions Thursdays 12–1pm ET, plus 3 optional AMA sessions. Capstone project, CopaMigo or related work could be the project. Includes AI Ethics Certification + AI tool subscription. Maricopa is a League member, so member pricing applies. Estimate $1,500–2,500 with discount, confirm with the League.
Google / Coursera
~10 hours across 5 courses: AI fundamentals, working with AI tools, prompt engineering, responsible AI use, and staying current. Shareable certificate on Credly. Financial aid available.
EDUCAUSE, 2-Week Online Course · ✅ Registered
June 16–25, 2026 · Live sessions 6/16, 6/18, 6/23, 6/25 (2:30–3:30 PM ET). 5 modules, ~5–6 hrs. Focuses on integrating generative and agentic AI into instructional design practice, hands-on artifact creation, accessible learning design, and sustainable AI workflows for higher ed. 1-year course access. Awards a digital microcredential on completion.
Microsoft Education, Free
~4 hours of free self-paced training. Covers AI concepts, prompt engineering for teaching, Copilot classroom applications, and responsible AI principles. Certificate of completion. Copilot Chat is free with M365 Edu, GCC already has access.
NISOD, Free for Maricopa Members
As a Maricopa member institution, GCC employees can access a large catalog of professional development webinars, search “AI” or “generative” for the full list. Includes “Supporting Community College Faculty: A Comprehensive Approach to Adopting Generative AI” and the VALOR framework webinar.
EdTechTeacher
Collection of short professional development courses on AI use in teaching, classroom applications, and educator AI literacy. Free resources to explore when time allows.
CU Boulder / Coursera, Currently Enrolled
4-module beginner course: AI/LLM fundamentals, using AI tools for course creation, prompt engineering, ethics, copyright, academic integrity. ~2 weeks at 10 hrs/week. Shareable certificate. Connects your teaching expertise to PM skills.
DeepLearning.AI, Free (~3 hrs)
Teaches chained AI calls (agents), directly relevant to how AI features work in edtech platforms. Free, ~3 hours.
NAAIC, Free with .edu email
Free repository: AI course syllabi, Canvas course exports, faculty workshop recordings, program implementation guides, KSA frameworks. Includes a Maricopa-authored Intro to AI course outline. Maricopa is a founding co-leader. Register free with .edu email.
League for Innovation
6-month cohort. Expert-led training, coaching, AI Ethics Certification, peer network. Cohort V started Feb 10, 2026, watch for Cohort VI (Fall 2026). Check if Maricopa has institutional membership for discounted pricing. First check membership before applying.
League for Innovation, Free for Members
Free 45-minute sessions with live tool demos (NotebookLM, custom AI instructions, agentic AI). Check if GCC or Maricopa district has League membership, if so, access is free.
Student Success
Coursera / U. Michigan
Dr. Chuck Severance’s beginner Python course, the gentlest on-ramp available. No prerequisites. Covers variables, loops, functions. Just Course 1 is enough to reach “familiarity” level for learner development and research roles. Shareable Coursera certificate on completion.
Coursera Guided Project, Included in Coursera+
Under 2 hours. Hands-on split-screen project where you build a survey in Qualtrics from scratch, no prior experience needed. A fast, practical first pass at the tool before tackling the UC Davis full course.
GenHQ · Skool Community · Recommended by Meetup Group
Ranked #1 tech community on Skool. Practical, applied AI education focused on creative work and real client outcomes. Covers AI tool walkthroughs, full-stack creative workflows, visual planning, sound design, storytelling, and how top creators approach taste and differentiation. Includes live consulting, Q&A sessions, and frameworks from top earners.
EdTech & Higher Ed
GitHub, Free
Start here. Explore your coworker’s repo, just read first, don’t edit. Understanding version-controlled content is relevant to both PM targets.
GitHub, Free
The official beginner tutorial. Takes you through creating a repo, making commits, and understanding branches. 30 minutes. Start here before watching videos.
GitHub, Free
GitHub Pages lets you host static HTML files (like your Canvas lesson content) directly from a GitHub repo, for free. This means your lesson files are stored, version-controlled, AND accessible via a URL you can link in Canvas.
GitHub, Canvas Integration
Tool for pushing content from GitHub directly into Canvas. Compare to your coworker’s simpler setup. Document 3 architectural decisions they made, this is PM-style product analysis.
GitHub / Canvas API, Month 3
Explore this repo: read the README, browse examples. Try pulling data from your own Canvas course using the Python library. Useful for understanding how Canvas integrations work.
UX & Design
Coursera, University of Michigan
Broad survey of the XR landscape, augmented, virtual, mixed, and extended reality. Covers the technology, use cases, and issues. Good grounding for the AVC 2xx spatial UX unit and for speaking credibly about immersive design in EdTech contexts.
Save for Later, Month 3+
Jira, Figma, Confluence, JTBD, UX research methods, Scrum ceremonies, and 5 portfolio-building practice projects. Everything you need when you’re ready to retool toward UX/PM roles.
PM & Scrum
Scrum.org, Free Practice Test
Take this AFTER you’ve read the Scrum Guide and completed a Scrum course. Take repeatedly until you consistently score 80–90%. Covers Product Backlog, User Stories, Sprint Planning, MVP, and Stakeholder alignment.
📖 Articles, Reports & Books
Select ✈️ after download.
My own synthesis · March 2026
A condensed Scrum reference built while preparing for the Certified Scrum Product Owner exam. Every role, every event, every artifact, in plain language on a single page. A handy desk reference for Scrum and agile vocabulary.
AI & CoP
Kindle, Already Own
Practical guide for integrating AI into teaching and assignments. 264 pages.
Kindle, Already Own
Fun and accessible explanation of how AI systems work and fail. 272 pages.
Every Learner Everywhere / OLC, Oct 2025
Highest-impact free resource in this guide. Research-backed, immediately usable. Four-stage model: Awareness & Foundations → Exploration → Application → Integration & Institutionalization. Built with CTL leaders from community colleges. Creative Commons licensed, fully adaptable for a GCC CoP.
EDUCAUSE, January 2026
January 2026 research report by EDUCAUSE, AIR, NACUBO, and CUPA-HR. Covers how staff and faculty are using AI across the institution. Good data to cite in your CoP proposal and CIO meeting.
EDUCAUSE, Research
Comprehensive survey of how higher ed is handling AI strategy, policies, workforce, and the digital divide. Good background reading, gives you the national context to frame GCC’s position.
ALA, Free PDF
Detailed report on running a decentralized AI CoP for academic librarians. Covers what worked (small breakout groups, shared note docs, decentralized approach) and what didn’t. Practical operational guide.
Anthropic, Support Docs
How Claude’s profile preferences, projects, and styles work, and how to set them once so every conversation reflects your role, voice, and rules. Read on the trip, then fill in the preferences field.
Quality Matters, Free PDF
White paper covering how generative AI can be used strategically in course design, equity and accessibility are central themes. Maricopa has 36+ QM-certified courses. Free PDF download. Good for your CTLE director conversation too.
Student Success
Hechinger Report, Free
The best free investigative journalism on equity and student outcomes in community colleges. Their AI + community college coverage is especially relevant, bookmark and read 1–2 articles per week. No paywall.
EdTrust, Free PDF
Annual research report on equity gaps in college access, persistence, and completion, with data broken down by race, income, and institution type. Foundational context for any student success work, especially if you move into learner development at scale.
ADDitude Magazine, Free
Practical, research-backed articles on supporting college students with ADHD and executive function challenges, study strategies, accommodation navigation, and AI tools. Directly relevant to your GCC student population and any learner wellness role. Free with account.
Book, Kindle (~$15)
Equity-centered framework for reimagining how institutions serve students, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds. Shifts the lens from “student readiness” to “institutional readiness.” A foundational text in student success and learner development work at the community college level. 256 pages.
Free PDF, WCET / Every Learner Everywhere
Free research brief focused on how AI tools can either widen or close equity gaps in online learning environments. Covers adaptive learning systems, early alert, and AI advising. Directly relevant to SNHU-style learner development work and to the student success lens you’re building.
UX & Design
Kindle, Almost Done
Classic usability book focused on intuitive design and user‑centered thinking. 216 pages.
Kindle, Already Own
Framework for ongoing product discovery and user research. 270 pages.
UX Planet, Medium
Overview of spatial UX design principles across AR, VR, and XR, useful background for the emerging awareness unit in AVC 2xx.
UX Planet, Medium
Beginner-to-advanced walkthrough of immersive interface design for spatial computing, good course material resource for the AVC 2xx spatial UX unit.
PM & Scrum
Kindle, Already Own
Influential product management book about building products customers love. 368 pages.
EdTech & Higher Ed
Achieving the Dream, Free PDF
36-page ATD task force report with an 8-point framework for AI integration at community colleges. Covers CoPs, faculty development, ethics, and equity. Essential reading before your CIO meeting. Download now.
EDUCAUSE, Annual Report
The annual report for higher ed IT leaders. Explicitly calls out AI communities of practice and campus AI champions as a top strategy. Download and read before your CIO meeting, this is language your CIO knows.
Every Learner Everywhere, Free
Includes Orange Coast College (part-time faculty CoP), Colorado State University case study, and a full CoP playbook. A great starting-point resource for building your GCC CoP proposal.
📅 Conferences & Events
💰 PD Budget · $3,750 by end of June 2026
Recommended priority order: (1) Google Gen AI Leader exam $99 → (2) League AI Fellows Summer Bootcamp ~$1,500–2,500 → (3) NAAIC presenter registration ~$200–500 → (4) Element 451 Engage Summit ~$2,200–2,700 all-in. Element 451 is the big swing for the network. Skip if budget gets tight, attend their virtual events instead. See research doc for full breakdown.
NAAIC · Virtual · March 10, 17 & 31, 2026
March 10, 17 & 31, 2026 · 12:00–1:30pm ET · Free virtual. Covers GitHub Spark, Copilot, and GitHub Classroom for faculty in any discipline. No technical background required. Session 1 already happened Mar 3, check for recording. Upcoming sessions still available.
⚠️ Deadline March 23 · Maricopa District · May 18, 2026
May 18, 2026 · 8:30am–3:30pm · Mesa CC Southern & Dobson Campus (LB-300). A fellow Maricopa college hosting a full-day AI summit. Proposal deadline: March 23, 2026. This is your first public platform, consider submitting a proposal about your CoP work.
EDUCAUSE, CFP Open
The premier higher ed IT conference. Your AIAC + Canvas LTI work would make a strong session. Submit by June, but drafting your proposal this week keeps it from slipping.
OLC, CFP Open Now
CFP opened March 17. Submit a proposal about your AIAC work or Canvas AI/LTI implementation. This positions you as a recognized voice in the higher ed AI space before your job search heats up.
EDUCAUSE · May 13 Virtual · Jun 2–3 Chicago · Jul 15 Virtual
3-part hybrid event: May 13 (virtual kickoff) · June 2–3 (in-person, Chicago) · July 15 (virtual debrief). Focused on reskilling staff, redefining roles, and building AI literacy across the institution. EDUCAUSE member-only; space limited to 150. Cancellation deadline: April 7. Strong alignment with your AIAC work, start travel paperwork now.
⭐ Element 451 · Charlotte, NC · June 15–17, 2026
June 15–17, 2026 at the Charlotte Convention Center. Registration ~$799–999, plus PHX→CLT flight (~$400–600) and 3 nights hotel (~$700–900). All-in estimate: $2,200–2,700. Pre-conference AI Professional Development Workshop on June 15 (hands-on agent building). I sent them my resume + portfolio site, this is the in-person follow-up. Their team will be there. Demo CopaMigo to actual Bolt Agent builders. Highest career-upside line item on the budget.
Instructure · Louisville, KY · July 21–23, 2026
July 21–23, 2026 at the Kentucky International Convention Center. Standard registration $985 / Group (5+) $788. Presenters get 50% off, submit a proposal about your AI work. Product team and educators are accessible here. Canvas community visibility matters.
AFIT · Albuquerque, NM · Aug 5–8, 2026
August 5–8, 2026 in Albuquerque. AFIT’s annual convening for innovation-focused higher ed leaders. GCC is a member, this could be a strong networking opportunity and AIAC credibility. Check registration details once your AFIT account is active.
⭐ EDUCAUSE · Denver, CO · Sep 29–Oct 2, 2026
Denver, CO, September 29–October 2, 2026. Online portion October 14–15. Member registration $1,079 early / $1,179 mid / $1,279 late. No flight needed, already going to Denver to visit kid, save ~$400–600 on travel. 7,000+ attendees, the largest higher ed IT conference in North America. Registration opens early June. CFP for 2026 already closed (April 7), submit for 2027.
⭐ NAAIC · Chandler, AZ · October 14–16, 2026
October 14–16, 2026 · Hosted by Maricopa Community Colleges (Chandler-Gilbert). I’m presenting on a panel for the Maricopa AI Resource Center, representing the Student Success domain. Confirm whether presenters get a fee waiver. If not, registration estimated $200–500. Local, no travel cost.
⚠️ Proposal Due May 15 · ASU · Tempe, AZ · October 20–22, 2026
October 20–22, 2026 at the Omni Tempe Hotel at ASU. CFP closes May 15, 2026. Second annual. Year 1 sold out with 285 institutions/orgs represented. Element 451 was on-site as Digital Storytelling Media Partner. Best ROI conference on the whole list, drive from Glendale (no travel cost), directly aligned with my work. Submit a proposal: lead candidate is Render (most agentic of my tools, multi-phase student experience, pilot Fall 2026); CopaMigo as second option or sister-project framing. Estimated registration $500–900.
OLC · Orlando, FL · November 17–19, 2026
November 17–19, 2026 · Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin. Includes a dedicated AI Summit on Nov 17. Call for proposals opens March 17, 2026, submit a proposal about your CoP work to get the presenter discount and a portfolio credential.
Stanford · Spring 2026 (TBD)
Spring 2026 (dates TBD). Co-hosted by the Stanford Accelerator for Learning and Stanford HAI. Free virtual livestream, no registration cost. Research-intensive with practitioners. High-signal, zero-cost.
Grants & Funding
MCLI · Maricopa District · ⚠️ Proposal Due April 3, 2026
Provides up to $10,000 to develop innovative teaching and learning projects grounded in the Institute for the Future (IFTF) foresight framework. Emphasis on scalability, projects designed for replication across courses, departments, and disciplines. Grant period July 1, 2026 – May 14, 2027. Your AI-integrated curriculum work could be a strong fit.
Student Success
NASPA, Annual
The flagship conference for student affairs professionals. AI in advising, mental health tools, and equity-centered technology are growing programming areas. Good for understanding the student success product landscape from the practitioner side.
Achieving the Dream, Annual
ATD’s institutes focus on equity-driven student success at community colleges. Their data-informed student success framework maps directly to learner development product work. Check for 2026 virtual attendance options.
Building the Faculty AI Advisory Committee (AIAC)
📄 AIAC Proposal →
@ONE / California CCC, Creative Commons
5 Zoom sessions, participants build inclusive norms, leave with a campus AI CoP plan. Led by Michelle Pacansky-Brock. Materials are open/CC licensed. California-focused but fully adaptable. Study this model.
OLC, Free
OLC-published playbook specifically on designing, facilitating, evaluating, and sustaining Communities of Practice in higher ed. Centers equity and digital learning. Directly applicable to a GCC AI CoP proposal. Download and annotate.
Maricopa, Key Data Point for Your Proposal
Spring 2024 survey of Maricopa faculty and staff. Found 35% using AI for teaching, a key data point for why a CoP is needed. There’s already informal practice happening. Cite this in your CIO meeting.
Maricopa, Internal
District-level AI page with links to MCLI resources for faculty and staff. Review before your CoP proposal to build on what already exists, not duplicate it.
EDUCAUSE, Free Community (Join Now)
Free online community on EDUCAUSE Connect. Covers pedagogical, ethical, privacy, and other AI issues impacting students, staff, and faculty. Join with a free EDUCAUSE profile. Good for staying current and connecting with other campus AI leaders.
EDUCAUSE, Free Community
Online communities where higher education professionals learn from and network with each other around shared topics and interests. Groups interact throughout the year via online discussion forums on the EDUCAUSE Connect platform and virtual meetings, and many meet in-person at the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference.
Canvas / Instructure, Free with Canvas Login
Official Canvas community group for AI discussion. 2M+ educators sharing real pain points, workarounds, and feature requests. Join this, it’s both CoP research and PM discovery in one place.
AFIT, Alliance for Innovation & Transformation · GCC Member
GCC belongs to AFIT (Alliance for Innovation and Transformation in Higher Education). Their AI CoP hosts webinars and community events. Account login pending, check back once access is restored. Good network for CoP leadership and professional connections.
Student Success
Achieving the Dream, Free PDF
The ATD framework explicitly ties AI adoption to student success outcomes, early alert, advising, and personalized learning. Bring student success framing into your CoP proposal to broaden its appeal beyond faculty PD alone. Strengthens your CIO pitch considerably.
CoP Session Idea, Month 2–3
Design a joint CoP session bringing faculty and student services staff together to explore AI tools for early alert, advising, and student wellbeing. Bridging instruction and student services is a gap most campuses haven’t closed, and it’s a strong proof-of-concept for a broader CoP model. Use Every Learner Everywhere resources as the content backbone.