How do we keep authenticity and connection at the center of teaching—especially when the tools, trends, and technologies keep changing? From TikTok and Instagram to ChatGPT and generative AI, today’s educators are navigating a fast-moving digital landscape. At the same time, students are arriving with new expectations around engagement, communication, and community.

In this timely and interactive session, Dr. Josie Ahlquist will guide faculty through the latest shifts in digital platforms, student behaviors, and emerging technologies—including AI—while offering a research-informed, values-driven framework for staying grounded in what matters most: connection.

Rather than chasing trends or resisting change, Josie invites faculty to build digital fluency with purpose. The session offers strategies for using online tools not just to deliver content, but to create belonging, support curiosity, and model authenticity across modalities.

Whether you teach fully online, hybrid, or in person, you’ll walk away with practical takeaways and a renewed perspective on how to reach—and truly engage—the digital generation.