Every day we use and interact with devices that use artificial intelligence, but to most of us the concepts of AI and machine learning are cryptic. With the right resources, you can learn and teach AI with confidence. In this webinar, computer science teacher, Nora Burkhauser, presented an overview of the big ideas of artificial intelligence and how AI lessons can be incorporated into your classroom. Get ideas for how you can bring AI to life for your students.
Expand your AI knowledge
If you’re an AI novice, you may want to expand your own skillset before you teach this in the classroom. Nora suggested some fabulous resources to help you learn more.
Learn with Google AI
Google has incredible resources for those looking to get their toes wet. It doesn’t matter if you’re a novice just learning to code or a veteran, they have resources to help you polish your skills. You can see their full library of interactive projects, courses, and guides here.
MindSpark
MindSpark is a registered non-profit focused on transforming education, providing cutting-edge learning experiences, and reshaping workforce development. In partnership with IBM, the MindSpark team has published AI focused webinars for K12 educators. All of them are available for free and on-demand. According to their website, “The nine webinars will guide educators through AI’s foundational concepts and K-12 classroom connections, with topics including introduction to AI, natural language processing, ethics, robotics, and more.” Those who attend all nine webinars can earn the IBM AI Education badge.
AI4K12.org
Artificial Intelligence for K12 is an initiative sponsored by the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) and the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA). On the AI4K12 website, you can find a list of instructional resources for educators interested in teaching AI. Whether you’re interested in books, curriculum materials, course outlines, software, or videos, they have you covered. Their resource list also includes professional development courses for educators.
Kaggle Intro to Machine Learning
For those who haven’t used Kaggle, they offer a no-setup, customizable, Jupyter Notebooks environment. You can access graphics processing units (GPUs) for free, along with a huge repository of community published data & code. This is a good fit for teachers who have some experience with coding and AI but want to expand their skillset. Their Intro to Machine Learning course is three hours, covering everything from how models work, to data exploration, and building machine learning models.
Resources for teaching AI
Once you’ve established your own AI foundation, it’s time to bring your students on board. Nora highlighted additional companies and websites that you can turn to for teaching ideas.
Technovation Curiosity Machine
Teaching a new concept, like AI, can often require students to learn and develop skills outside the classroom. Technovation has created a program to help your student learn with their families and communities as well as in the classroom. Their free challenge-based program allows students, families, educators, and communities to come together to solve real-world problems using AI. The challenge is broken into ten parts, and by the end of the course, learners will have created an Al invention that solves a problem that affects their local community.
Elements of AI
Over 850,000 people have started discovering the basics of AI with Elements of AI, so you know it’s going to be great. Elements of AI is a free online course created by MinnaLearn and the University of Helsinki. The course is broken into two parts: Introduction to AI and Building AI, each with five to six chapters. Not only will your students learn what AI is, but they’ll also learn what can (and can’t) be done with AI, and how to start creating AI methods. The best part is that it combines theory and hands-on activities, so there’s something for different learning styles.
AI4ALL
AI4ALL is a US-based nonprofit dedicated to increasing diversity and inclusion in AI education, research, development, and policy. The AI4ALL team has put together their Open Learning program to help all educators (regardless of subject) bring AI into their curriculum. They offer free, customizable AI curriculum and educator resources to all K12 educators. With up to 80 hours of content, you’re sure to find something that will engage your students. All their curriculum is also aligned to NGSS Engineering standards, ISTE standards, Common Core ELA/Literacy Standards, and CSTA standards.
Code.org
Code.org is dedicated to helping “every student in every school have the opportunity to learn computer science as part of their core K-12 education.” Famous for their Hour of Code program, they’ve also put together some incredible resources to help educators introduce AI to their students. If you’re looking for a longer course, rather than individual activities, this is a great option. Their AI and Machine Learning Module is structured for five weeks of lessons and can also be added to their CS Discoveries course. Importantly, the course focuses on AI ethics, issues of bias, and fundamental concepts, helping students see the impact of AI on daily living.
Bringing AI into the classroom doesn’t need to end with a project or challenge. Help students validate their knowledge with an industry-recognized certification! Our IT Specialist Artificial Intelligence certification exam is a great capstone exam for your learners. Find out all the details here.