2023- 2024 eTwinning Project

Exploring AI in the classroom

Project description

About the project

Nowadays, people increasingly use Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems, sometimes without realizing it. Search engines, smart assistants, chatbots, language translation, navigation apps, online videogames and many other applications use Artificial Intelligence. AI systems rely on data, which is collected in different modalities (e.g., sound, images, text, posts, clicks) and all together form our digital traces. The jobs of the future will increasingly demand knowledge of how to leverage and collaborate with AI as a tool for problem-solving. As AI systems continue to evolve and data usage increases, it is of great importance to develop a better understanding of their impact on the world around us. Students and teachers need to build a basic knowledge of AI and data usage and understand the implications, applications, and creation methods behind AI to be able to engage positively, critically, and ethically with this technology and to properly use it.

The main idea of this project is to promote AI knowledge, skills and attitudes and exchange good educational practices in STEAM education preparing the new generation of AI-savvy learners, workers, and leaders. Students will explore AI systems, work on collaborative tasks with peers from other countries, develop computational thinking and strategies for solving problems and create their own digital artifacts.

Project languages

• English

 Pupils

• Number of pupils: 50 - 100
• Ages taught from: 10 - 16

Subjects related to the project

• Cross Curricular
• Design & Technology
• Informatics / ICT /
• Educational Technology
• Science

 Aims

• Promoting AI knowledge, skills, and attitudes
• Exchanging good educational practices in STEAM education
• Understanding basic AI concepts
• Learning to code with various programming tools as Scratch
• Encouraging students to develop basic AI coding and programming skills
• Integrating STEM education in the school curriculum
• Developing digital competence (information and data literacy, communication and collaboration, digital content creation, internet security and problem solving)
• Developing students skills of teamwork, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity skills
• Encouraging students to use a foreign language (English)
• Communication, exchange and collaboration with students and teachers from different countries
• Generating ideas to use technology for good, in line with human and digital rights
• Making connections between the classroom and the world and provide solutions to real life problems
• Developing creativity skills through AI, coding and the use of Web 2.0 tools

Work process

September:

Setting goals, working process, adding teacher partners and students.

Teachers and students introduce themselves by writing on a padlet. Using an AI tool that is easy to use such as https://www.bing.com/create  and allow students to describe themselves and let the AI create their image - they will then use this as their Avatar photo!Introducing schools. Sharing information about schools and cities. Initial survey (online questionnaires for students and teachers).

October - November:

Introducing basic AI, coding, programming, robotics concepts and systems. CodeWeek events (exchanging ideas between partners).

Organizing a video conference where we introduce the history of AI up to the modern era and then initiate a discussion with students on what their expectations are on the project.

December:

Computer Science Education Week and Hour of Code.

Exchange of code and AI systems.

Resources:

•  https://code.org/ai

January:

Exploring AI systems and creating posters or mind maps by using various Web 2.0 tools.

Resources:

• https://playground.raise.mit.edu/main/ (Scratch-based AI that recognises hand gestures and facial expressions
• Teachable Machine: machine learning models (https://teachablemachine.withgoogle.com )

February:

Safer Internet Day (Twinspace forum for students, online meeting).

Planning the next collaborative activities.

March - April:

Collaborative AI activities (SDGs and real-life problems). Creating a common product for the project (e.g. a website in English).

 May - June:

Completing all collaborative works. Evaluation (online questionnaires for students and teachers). Project assessment. Project Dissemination and final project presentation.

Expected results

The main results of this project are:

- Implementation of AI activities for the classroom.

- Understanding of the benefits of AI by students.

- Development of content and activities using AI by students (art, computer programs).

- Publicly available TwinSpace as a main place to present all project activities.

- The final project presentation created by teachers.

- Analysis of the results of the initial surveys and evaluation.