77 Starting Lines: Leading People Through AI Change
10/27/26
At the Fall 2026 Tech Tactics in Education conference, keynote speaker Derek Garrison, principal at Heritage High School in Vancouver, WA, reminded us that educators are entering the age of AI from very different starting lines — curious, cautious, resistant, overwhelmed, or already experimenting. For leaders, the challenge is helping people move from where they actually are. In this episode of the Campus Technology Insider podcast, we present the recording of Garrison's keynote address. He shares how he launched a small AI pilot group grounded in a Kaizen (incremental improvement) mindset, supported by a small grant, and structured around monthly "stories from the road."
00:00 Welcome and Setup
01:09 Keynote Begins
02:07 77 Starting Lines
03:01 Robot Race Metaphor
07:28 Complex Change Matrix
11:07 Mapping Teacher Mindsets
13:39 Kaizen Motorcycle Club
14:53 Stories from the Road
17:09 Mad Libs and PD Design
20:12 Big Three Connection
24:56 Protected Risk Leadership
27:34 Vision and Pivoting
29:22 Shared Language Handles
31:47 Closing Thanks
32:55 Podcast Sign Off
Resource links:
Music: Mixkit
Duration: 34 minutes
Transcript (coming soon)