On Friday 24th July 2026, I had the pleasure of visiting the amazing St Rita’s College in Brisbane to work with its Year 5 and 6 students as part of the College’s Innovation Summit.

The Summit was designed to engage students and educators in transformative learning experiences that extend well beyond the traditional classroom. Its goals included fostering critical and creative thinking, developing information fluency and strengthening important human capabilities such as collaboration, curiosity, communication, adaptability and ethical decision-making.

The program also aimed to promote innovative mindsets through hands-on, interdisciplinary experiences connected to authentic contexts. Just as importantly, it supported student wellbeing and agency by empowering the students to play an active role in shaping their learning and their future.

As part of a special design sprint, I ran a video animation workshop using Adobe Express with all the Year 6 students. We explored how animation, images, voice and storytelling can be combined to communicate ideas in engaging and memorable ways. The students picked up the software remarkably quickly and were soon experimenting, creating and bringing their ideas to life.

I also worked with all the Year 5 students on podcasting using Adobe Podcast. They explored how audio can be used to share stories, communicate ideas and engage an audience. Once again, the students demonstrated impressive confidence and creativity as they developed and recorded their podcast content.

What stood out across both workshops was the willingness of the students to experiment. They were not afraid to try unfamiliar tools, learn from one another or adapt their ideas as they worked. Their enthusiasm was a powerful reminder that, when young people are given the right combination of purpose, agency and creative opportunity, they can produce some remarkable outcomes.

While the technology provided the platform, the most valuable learning came through the distinctly human capabilities the students brought to the experience. They collaborated, solved problems, communicated their ideas and made creative decisions. These are precisely the capabilities young people will need as they learn and work in an increasingly AI-rich world.

The Innovation Summit was exceptionally well organised by Noni Harrison and an amazing team of educators from St Rita’s College. Their thoughtful planning created an environment in which students could explore emerging technologies safely, creatively and with a genuine sense of purpose.

It was a privilege to contribute to such a positive and forward-thinking event, and a delight to see the creativity, curiosity and confidence of the St Rita’s students in action.