ACTIVITIES
ELEMENTARY (K-5) and UP
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I am AI
Grade Level: K-5, 6-8, 9-12
In 2019 IMAGINARY started creating AI interactives for workshops and are now about to open a traveling exhibition. They conducted over 300 days of workshops for students and teacher in 2020 only, and are also exploring options for University and higher education. There are a variety of resources on their site that can be utilized including a graphic novel about AI and a fun piano game using AI.
MIDDLE GRADES (6-8) and UP
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AI Snapshots
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
AI Snapshots from aiEDU is a collection of 180 mini discussion prompts you can use with your students as a warm-up activity.
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AI Experiment and Explore
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Padlet featuring highlights from Google’s collection of AI experiments, as well as web resources on a bit of the what, where, and why of AI.
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Erase Your Face
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Ever get the prickly feeling that you’re being watched? You’re probably right. Biased facial recognition and surveillance technologies are everywhere, so we created a tool to help you learn what it takes to dodge detection.
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Defend the Rhino
Grade Level: 5-9
Join our data science team and help us stop a gang of rhino poachers. You’ll use use data science skills to analyse security camera data from across Kruger national park in South Africa.
This is based on a real life case study where conservationists and technologists in South Africa are using artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things to help save endangered wildlife.
Let’s work together to use our technology skills to save the rhino!
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MIT Moral Machine
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
A great way to discuss the benefits and limitations of ethical decisionmaking in AI systems through a classroom activity. Note that cars don’t actually distinguish between elderly people and children; cars also do not break the law. Would you buy a car that protected pedestrians above your own life? I use this as a classroom icebreaker, but take care to explain that new technologies embed values, even if it isn’t truly structured like this.
HIGH SCHOOL (9-12)
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Algorithm Development for Line Follow
Grade Level: 9-12, 12+
Following a line is a common activity in robotics courses. Students are challenged to put aside their knowledge of the line being followed, based on their seeing the line, and to develop an algorithm a robot can follow based on a simple sensor that can only report seeing black or white. This helps reinforce the idea that sensors and data available to machines may be different than those with which we are familiar and that we can still use that sensor data to accomplish a task. A description of how we do so might be called an algorithm.
This Google document has a series of drawings of a white line on a white background that, when in edit mode, is revealed by the cursor changing shape. Students are asked to navigate this path only knowing the status of the cursor and to describe how they did so. Each subsequent drawing becomes more complex. Unfortunately students can see the path if the click one-too-many times, so they are on the honor system not to do so.