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Our Questions About AI
Our Questions About AI
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way we work, create, and think. But behind the apps and chatbots, there are big questions about ethics, the environment, and the future of human knowledge, skills, and creativity. We are learning to be researchers and civic communicators, diving deep into one specific issue of the AI revolution.
We analyzed commercials and music made by AI, analyzed how different AI companies are trying to communicate with consumers about their AI products, analyzed multiple perspectives from students about how and why they may or may not use AI, and started to explore some of the impacts of data centers on the environment.
Analyzing Political Cartoons About AI
Analyzing Political Cartoons About AI
We’re exploring the pros and cons of machine learning and generative artificial intelligence. To start thinking about the social and civic dimensions of AI, we reflected on what we know and what we want to know with the help of political cartoons about AI.
Training a Machine Learning Model
Training a Machine Learning Model
We practiced training an AI model using Google's Teachable Machine. (Note: The data and models weren’t uploaded for sharing or training actual models.) The site allows users to teach a computer to recognize images, sounds, & poses.
Potential Uses of AI in Science and Medicine
Potential Uses of AI in Science and Medicine
We used Google AI Quest to learn about potential uses of AI in science and medicine. We had to identify data and clean data that would be used to train an example AI model.
Digital Citizenship Videos
Digital Citizenship Videos
On virtual learning days due to snow, we watched videos about being good digital citizens and discussed the videos with someone in our family.
Coding in JavaScript in GameLab on Code.org
Coding in JavaScript in GameLab on Code.org
We kicked off our digital game design project. We began learning about how to draw shapes on a coordinate plane in Game Lab on code.org. Game Lab allowed us to use both blocks and text to write our code and learn JavaScript. We also began exploring how and why we might incorporate variables and random numbers into our game code.
We began creating and animating sprites in Game Lab. We also used dot notation to change sprite properties. Sprite properties keep track of the information a program needs to know about a sprite, like size and location.
We began coding a new sprite property in Game Lab: velocity. We brainstormed why a property like velocity might be useful in game design.
Coding Loops with Sphero Indi
Coding Loops with Sphero Indi
We did some coding with Sphero Indi and color cards to create an algorithm in which the robot doesn't stop. This repeated pattern is a loop.
Staying Safe and Kind on the Internet
Staying Safe and Kind on the Internet
We learned about digital citizenship with Interland, by discussing digital citizenship scenarios, and from a guest speaker from the Office of the Pennsylvania Attorney General.
We also analyzed the AI-generated image that Mr. Smith created to accompany the scenarios. We made notes about where and how the image included clues that it was created by AI.
Preparing for National History Day
Preparing for National History Day
A few students elected to prepare historical research projects for National History Day. They will present their research at an annual event hosted by the National Constitution Center. Students have been supported by a guest expert a few times each month (Dr. Florence who works at the Penn Museum). We also took a field trip to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania to learn about archival research.
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