2024: The Year Wonder Started to Win (And Why 2025 Will Be Even Better)
When we look back at 2024, I believe it will be remembered as the year education started to embrace reality over illusion. The year some universities finally acknowledged that attempting to control AI use outside the classroom was not just futile - it was actively harmful to learning.
But more than that, it was the year wonder began to win over worry.
The Great Letting Go
This shift didn't happen because we suddenly solved all the challenges. It happened because the cost of clinging to illusions became too high to bear. As AI detection software revealed its inherent biases and limitations, as student AI use grew increasingly sophisticated, as the gap between policy and practice widened, something had to give.
And remarkably…it started to.
In Australia, we saw universities begin making the hard but necessary decisions. Moving beyond the binary thinking of "AI vs. no AI" to grapple with more fundamental questions: How do we assess learning in this new landscape? What does authentic demonstration of capability look like? How do we ensure equity when AI access and literacy vary so widely?
The emergence of tools like Cogniti wasn't just about providing secure spaces for AI interaction - it was about shifting the conversation from control to collaboration. It gave educators a way to visibly engage with AI alongside their students, transforming what could have been a point of tension into an opportunity for shared discovery.
A Year of Extraordinary Evolution
Here's an uncomfortable truth for the sceptics: If your last serious engagement with AI was ChatGPT 3.5 eighteen months ago, or even an early version of ChatGPT-4 or lets be honest any version of Microsoft Copilot (apart from the dearly departed Sydney), you're judging a cathedral by its foundations.
The AI landscape of late 2024 is almost unrecognisable from where we started:
OpenAI's O1 model has pushed the boundaries of what we thought possible in AI reasoning, demonstrating capabilities that make earlier models look primitive by comparison and O3 has already been previewed and augers a 2025 of pushing even further….
Voice interactions have evolved from clunky command-response to near-natural conversation, enabling fluid dialogue that feels remarkably human
Text-to-video generation has moved from curiosity to semi-capability, opening new possibilities for visual learning and creative expression
AI music generation can now create complete, emotionally resonant songs - not just melodies, but fully realised compositions that showcase the creative potential of these tools
Claude 3.5 Sonnet (my personal favourite) offers interactions so nuanced that I almost feel guilty using the term 'interaction' - they're more like conversations with a particularly insightful colleague. (My apologies to the anti-anthropomorphic crowd, but when the shoe fits...)
And Google? They've bloomed into something extraordinary with their Gemini suite, offering capabilities that make screen-sharing and real-time guidance feel less like science fiction and more like Monday morning. We've seen demonstrations of AI understanding context across multiple modes - text, images, code, and speech - in ways that fundamentally change how we can approach complex problem-solving.
The "AI Wall" we heard so much about? If we hit it, it must have been a speed bump because the pace of innovation hasn't just continued - it's accelerated.
The Call to Action
2025 needs to be the year we move from pockets of innovation to systematic transformation. This means:
For educators:
Embrace the discomfort of learning alongside your students
Recognise that your expertise isn't diminished by AI - it's amplified by it
Start small but start now - experiment with one tool, one class, one assignment
Share your experiences, both successes and setbacks, with colleagues
For institutions:
Stop trying to control what can't be controlled
Focus on building frameworks that enable responsible innovation
Invest in professional development that emphasises experimentation and reflection
Create safe spaces for educators to explore and fail forward
For those already exploring:
Share your insights more boldly - the quiet revolutionaries need to become vocal guides
Document your journey - what works, what doesn't, and why
Build communities of practice within your institutions
Mentor colleagues who are just starting their AI journey
For the sceptics:
Give yourself permission to wonder again
Approach AI with the curiosity of a beginner rather than the resistance of an expert
Take six months to explore with an open mind - I promise you can return to pulling it all apart with even more insight afterwards
Your critical perspective is valuable - but it's more valuable when grounded in deep experience
Finding Your Guide
You're not alone in this journey. In every institution, there are those who've been exploring these territories. Find them. They're probably already labeled as "that person" who won't stop talking about AI. Share with them how you've tried to use AI and found it wanting. I guarantee they can show you approaches you haven't considered, possibilities you haven't imagined.
These pioneers aren't just enthusiasts - they're pathfinders who've been mapping the territory, learning what works and what doesn't, discovering how to maintain pedagogical integrity while embracing new possibilities. They're the ones who can help you avoid the pitfalls and find the opportunities.
The New Territory
Think of it this way: We're standing at the edge of fresh snow (yes, I'm writing this in boiling Australian summer, but stay with the metaphor). The territory ahead is vast, unmarked, full of possibility. Some see risk - what if we fall? What if we get lost? But others see opportunity - fresh tracks to make, new paths to discover, moments of pure joy waiting to be found.
2025 needs to be the year we step out into that snow. Take a deep breath of crisp, cold air. And yes, maybe even make a snow angel or two. Because while we're doing serious, important work, there's no rule that says we can't find joy in the discovery.
The Path Forward
The future of education isn't being written in committee rooms - it's being crafted in classrooms where teachers dare to experiment, in study groups where students push boundaries, in quiet moments of discovery when someone realises AI isn't just a tool - it's a collaborator in the learning journey.
2025 won't be easy. We'll face new challenges, unexpected obstacles, moments of doubt. But that's okay. Learning has always been about embracing uncertainty, about being willing to fail and try again, about maintaining wonder in the face of complexity.
A Personal Note
In my journey through 2024, I've witnessed both the extraordinary potential and the very real challenges of this transformation. I've seen educators move from resistance to curiosity to enthusiasm. I've watched students discover new ways of learning that we never imagined possible. And I've experienced my own moments of doubt and breakthrough.
But what keeps me excited, what makes me eager to see what 2025 brings, is the growing sense that we're not just changing how we teach and learn - we're expanding what's possible in education.
The Invitation
So here's my invitation for 2025: Let's make it the year wonder wins - not just for our students, but for ourselves. The year we stop fighting the future and start shaping it. The year we remember that every great advance in education started with someone willing to try something new.
The snow is fresh, the air is crisp (metaphorically speaking - it's actually 35°C outside my window), and the possibilities are endless. Who's ready to explore?
To my fellow guides already on this journey: It's time to be more visible, more vocal. Share your discoveries, your setbacks, your breakthroughs. The community needs your experience and insight.
To those just starting: Welcome to the adventure. You're not late - you're right on time. The territory ahead is vast, and there's room for every explorer.
And to the sceptics: Come on in - the water's fine (or the snow's perfect, depending on which metaphor you prefer). We need your critical thinking, your careful analysis, your thoughtful questioning. But give wonder a chance first.
2025 is calling. Let's answer with curiosity, courage, and just a touch of audacity.
Who's ready to make some snow angels?
