Book/Article: A Guide for Elementary Teachers for the Classroom AI Projects

This is sponsored by International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and General Motors. According to the book ISTE “is a nonprofit organization that works with the global education community to accelerate the use of technology to solve tough problems and inspire innovation. Our

worldwide network believes in the potential technology holds to transform teaching and learning.”

Hands-On

Using AI for Hands-On Projects In the Classroom: 

We have come a long way since I first became popular. Never did I think it would become a part of classroom activities especially at the Elementary Level. However in this article it provides examples of great AI activities that can be incorporated into the classroom to benefit student learning and show the possibilities AI has in education. The introduction to this article also counters previously held beliefs in education that the early elementary grades are too early to begin learning and implementing AI into curriculum, as children are exposed to it from and accustomed to much of what AI can do. This guide is designed not for teachers who are already experts in AI, but for those who are just incorporating it into their lessons, as well as learning about what AI is and the different kinds of AI. This is really helpful for beginner educators as well as experienced teachers who have not learned or taught about AI before. 

First, we can talk about the pros and cons of AI provided in the text. AI  does great with image and speech recognition, AI robots can interact with the environment using sensors like an animal, and also navigate maps and mazes like no other human. Now the cons being, AI has no emotion or sense of feeling so some decisions made by AI could be way different than a human’s decision in a given circumstance. However I believe you could go back and forth on the pros and cons of AI forever, but at the end of the day it is present in our everyday life and we should try to harness its power and continue to use it in education and sciences to push for the advancement of our society as a whole. 

Activities Using AI

This article dives into four different projects using AI in the classroom all of which are very interesting. Each project is divided into an overview, preparation, instructions and extensions. Educators can take use and modify some or all of the suggested activities as it fits their needs and students. The book/pamphlet also provides a glossary, and Appendices A and B which break down for the teacher what AI is, as well as how these lessons/projects are aligned with current AI educational standards. There are 4 project topics and the one that stood out to me the most is Project 4 – Navigation and AI on pages 36-44. This is a multi-disciplinary project that incorporates English-Language Arts, Mathematics and Geography. I think it also incorporates history as a comparison of how people would previously navigate where they were going prior to the navigational tools and apps we now have, and how the history of that technology has drastically improved and incorporated other real time data to be that much more accurate and effective. So there is a very practical, real life experience and application that makes this project interesting. Students are asked questions about how their family members who drive know how to get from one place to another, and how they figure out how to go somewhere new. It also incorporates suggestions to use hands on maps for students to locate and brainstorm ways to navigate around their own school buildings, and how there can be multiple correct answers at times to those questions. For younger students a culminating activity is to use a maze creating site and rules to get through the maze. Mazes, Free Printables, Easy to Hard (krazydad.com). This is just one of many hands-on projects that can stem from the use of AI. I found this one very interesting but others may find the other projects more compelling. I think AI has something to offer for each teacher and educator and this article is a great place to gather ideas from.