AI in your Code Club — everything you need to get started!
Every month in 2020 we’ll have a brand new theme that we’ll share across our platforms. There’ll be social media chats, blog articles and learning resources across all our channels. Stay tuned to our blog for updates on topics and discussions.
It’s January, and we’re talking all about AI! In our second blog post for the month, we’re chatting about to how to get your Code Club started with AI!
(In a couple of weeks, we’ll have a blog post written by one of our awesome vols! In the meantime, get started here)
First things first, how do I explain AI to kids?
Sherol Chen, in this article, explains how she talks to kids about AI. She uses examples kids will already know (Siri, the ghosts in Pac-Man) then she talks about what isn’t AI.
To be honest, just read her article. It’s awesome! And great advice for anyone who is teaching kids!
So, now you want to use a computer?
As with everything we do, we prefer the projects that are free and as inclusive of possible! It’s not the only way but these projects by Raspberry Pi are a great place to start, particularly the first one!
This code.org AI project is also pretty cool! How do you tell the difference between a fish and a piece of rubbish when they’re both orange triangles! Have a go! (It’s browser based, and still free)
For the Minecraft kids in the room, try out this project to use coding and AI to prevent forest fires. (You’ll need a Minecraft Education login, so not one for at home). This is a great one to raise discussions about how AI can help in natural disasters and in the face of climate change — pertinent as our community heads into 2020 and the aftermath of recent bushfires. (Always be aware of the kids in your Club, and be ready to answer some tricky questions and support them as best you can — this article has some great tips on how to talk to kids about bushfires and this Behind the News video explains the bushfires through the eye of kids)
So, what next?
As we discussed in our last blog post, it’s useful to be aware of the potential, but also the risk in AI. Try getting kids to answer these questions based on what they’ve learnt so far:
- What does Artificial mean?
- What does Intelligence mean?
- How do we know that a computer tells us the truth?
As always, you don’t need to have all the answers! We want to prompt kids to start thinking and asking questions of the world around them.
Good luck!
Nicola
Code Club HQ
Keen to get the kids in your community engaged in digital learning -volunteer with Code Club today! Head to codeclubau.org to find out more info!
