Keynote The Anchor and the Sail: Moving through the Fog to Support our Learners more

In 2026, instructors often feel they are moving through a dense fog. The path forward—how to encourage students while balancing institutional policies, sticking to time constraints, and dealing with the disruption of AI—is rarely clear. In this keynote, Brent Warner addresses the JALTCALL 2026 theme "Prevail or Fail?" by shifting the focus from tech integration & innovation as a novelty to a guiding light, helping us support students who are moving into an unclear future. Just as sailors use anchors and sails to navigate unknown waters, we will explore how to stay grounded in evidence-based teaching (The Anchor) while utilizing technology specifically to support student progress (The Sail). Recognizing that there are times to pause and times to move forward, the difference between prevailing and failing lies in our ability to keep the student’s needs as our North Star. Drawing on concrete examples of classroom successes and productive failures, this keynote provides practical strategies for troubleshooting real-world storms in modern education. Participants will leave with a clearer vision of when to slow down and when to sail ahead, using technology as a stabilizing force that empowers learners, even when the horizon remains obscured.