We are living through a technological turning point. Artificial intelligence, extended reality (XR), and immersive tools are reshaping how we teach, lead, connect, and imagine the future. But technology is never neutral — it carries the values, assumptions, and power dynamics of the people and systems that create it. If we want a future rooted in justice and liberation, we have to design it on purpose.

This course is both a history lesson and a design lab. Grounded in the equityXdesign framework, we’ll explore how technology has shaped our world — from the printing press to the present AI era — and surface the liberatory and oppressive patterns that repeat across time. Using XR/AR gallery walks, participants will step inside this history, experience it spatially, and see direct AI-era parallels.

From there, we’ll move into hands-on exploration of AI and XR tools, asking sharper questions:

• Who built it?

• What data trained it?

• Who benefits?

• Who is harmed?

You’ll practice designing at the margins — centering the needs, wisdom, and agency of those most impacted — while experimenting with emerging tools for teaching, organizing, and leadership.

By the end of this course, you’ll walk away with:

• A deeper understanding of the histories behind today’s technologies.

• Practical skills for integrating AI and XR in ways that amplify human intelligence, protect data sovereignty, and honor community voice.

• A justice-centered design mindset that turns equity from a value into a daily practice.

This is an invitation to foresee — to live the future we want today — and to create technology-enabled spaces where everyone can thrive.