The Next Word: AI & Learners

AI & Learners

By Dr Nick Jackson, Matthew Esterman and Amy Wallace

PRE ORDER NOW ~ Publication date November 12, 2025

$39.95

What happens when artificial intelligence becomes the smartest presence in every classroom?

In this essential follow-up to their acclaimed first guide, Dr Nick Jackson and Matthew Esterman team up with Amy Wallace – a current school student whose voice brings authentic urgency to the conversation about AI's role in learning. The Next Word: AI & Learners moves beyond the basics to tackle the complex realities students face today, from banned apps to cognitive offloading, from deepfakes to digital wellbeing.

The authors dive deep into the science of learning, explore how AI is reshaping everything from TikTok education to traditional classrooms, and investigate the crucial question: Is AI a helpful prosthetic or a dangerous crutch? Most importantly, this isn't just another book about students – it's a book with them. Amy's perspective illuminates how young people actually want AI to shape their futures and what authentic learning looks like when machines can seemingly learn everything.

With practical insights for educators worldwide and real-world tools for navigating education's AI-integrated future, The Next Word: AI & Learners ensures you're part of the conversation that's reshaping how we think about learning itself.

ISBN: 9781923403345

Size: 234 x 156 mm

Black & white, pages

Publication date: November 12, 2025

About the author: Dr Nick Jackson, Matthew Esterman and Amy Wallace

Dr Nick Jackson leads Digital Technologies at Scotch College in Adelaide, South Australia, and is the founder of Now Future Learning. With over 23 years in education, Nick's research focuses on empowering high school students to positively impact technology integration for improved teaching and learning. His specialties include pedagogy, educational technology, AI in education, and digital innovation.

Matthew Esterman has worked in education for over 15 years as a teacher, school leader, presenter, writer, and consultant. He holds postgraduate degrees from Macquarie University and the University of Sydney, and is the recipient of the Commonwealth Bank Teaching Fellowship for 2023 supported by Australian Schools Plus. Through his consultancy work, Matthew is a fresh thinker in the strategic and practical use of AI in schools, exploring innovative approaches including eSports, entrepreneurship, and partner projects.

Amy Wallace is a Year 12 student and 2025 College Captain at Scotch College in Adelaide, and the 2024 South Australian Student Citizen of the Year. Through her research for this book, Amy discovered a 'stark divide' between schools which outright ban AI and those which embrace it, leading her to advocate for a more unified approach. As part of Scotch College's digital leaders' team, she runs courses on using AI tools ethically and effectively, while also serving as a Cancer Council SA Ambassador and volunteering with multiple community organisations including the Australian Red Cross and Salvation Army.