CANVA app as a graphic design tool 

The activity took place at the Primary school I.C. F.lli Trillini (Marta Russo plexus) in Osimo  (Italy) and included 25 pupils from class 5°C, aged between 10 and 11.

The CANVA platform was used to produce a short fantasy story composed of sequences of images made with AI.

Pupils after reading some fantasy genre texts analysed their constituent parts. 

They then began to invent a story completely independently, working out a plot and describing the various characters, settings and antagonists.

Writing this short story required collaboration from the whole class. Each pupil participated by putting his or her ideas to the scrutiny of all the classmates to make the story smooth and coherent. 

The text was projected on the interactive whiteboard and underwent the final reworking process and was eventually printed. 

Each pupil then researched the phrases or keywords to be inserted within the CANVA image generator. 

The produced illustrations ordered in the right sequence formed a Visual storytelling and the narrative of the story from textual became iconographic thus changing the medium of expression.

Students, after receiving an explanation and gaining an understanding of how generative artificial intelligence is used within the platform, immediately showed considerable interest in the activity. The interface was intuitive, allowing students to create and edit images effortlessly without requiring extensive guidance.

Moreover, students acquired the following skills:

- Creative Writing: Students developed their creative writing skills by inventing a fantasy story independently, including plotting, character development, and setting creation.

Collaborative Skills: Collaborating with classmates to refine and improve the story promoted teamwork and cooperation.

- Communication Skills: Presenting ideas to classmates and discussing them helped students enhance their verbal communication skills.

- Digital Literacy: Using the CANVA platform to produce illustrations and incorporate keywords into images enhances students' digital literacy skills.

- Problem-Solving: Finding appropriate phrases and keywords to complement the story in the CANVA image generator required problem-solving abilities.

- Visual Storytelling: Creating a visual narrative from the textual story through illustrations demonstrated students' ability to convey ideas visually.

- Presentation Skills: Presenting the final story and illustrations to the class on the interactive whiteboard allowed students to practise their presentation skills.

The images produced by AI made the work more engaging because the pupils could visually immerse themselves in the story they created.

Very stimulating for the students was waiting for feedback from the AI when the command to produce the images was entered. They had fun experimenting by using keywords or phrases taken from their text, and after a few trials, they began to get the right feedback, creating images that were increasingly appropriate and consistent with the written story.

The images produced provided a powerful communication channel and allowed them to transfer the information from the text they had written in an extremely effective way.

The final product was received by the class with deep interest and great enthusiasm; many requested the referring teachers to repeat this activity in the future to create more new stories.

In conclusion, the use of artificial intelligence through this platform has enriched the educational experience of fifth graders, enhancing their creativity and promoting collaboration.

ChatGPT as a Google Chrome Extension

The activity took place at the Primary school I.C. F.lli Trillini in Osimo (Italy) and included 2 classes for a total of 45 students aged between 8 and 9.

In this case study, the 2 classes involved created as final products a LAPBOOK ABOUT AI and ChatGPT.

At first, we visited a Museum in Osimo called “10-IO”, where several pictures created by AI were on display. 

The children had the opportunity to explore AI technology and interact with a chatbot for the first time.

After the museum trip, the children divided into groups and created lists of questions to ask the chatbot. They were encouraged to ask questions on various topics, including school subjects and general curiosity. The activity aimed to challenge the chatbot and explore its responses. While the teacher guided the activity, the children had the freedom to ask almost any question they desired.

At school, we conducted two brainstorming sessions, one before and one after the activity with the chatbot, to create mind maps about AI. We displayed these maps on a board. This activity aimed to determine what the children already knew about AI and to observe how their knowledge changed after the previous activities.

The entire class engaged in a discussion about instructions we could give to the chatbot, exploring the various questions we could ask it. This activity, led by the teacher, aimed to summarise and focus on the practical uses of the chatbot based on the answers it provided to the children's questions. The goal was to generate definitions to include in the Lapbook.

We explored the main uses of AI and how ChatGPT can assist us as both humans and children. This was done by searching for definitions on the web, but primarily by asking the Chatbot about AI and its potential uses.

Engaging in conversation with the ChatGPT app in the classroom, children discovered its utility in problem-solving, generating texts, explaining various topics, learning new words, and more.

With all the gathered information, the children, with the support of teachers, created a Lapbook in Italian. The content was also translated into English to provide practice with a foreign language.

- Technology Literacy: Students gained familiarity with AI technology, including interacting with a chatbot.

- Research Skills: Through activities such as brainstorming and searching for definitions online, students practised gathering information from various sources.

- Critical Thinking: Students were encouraged to formulate questions and challenge the chatbot, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

- Communication Skills: Engaging in discussions and presenting their findings in the form of mind maps and Lapbooks helped students develop their communication skills.

- Collaboration: Working in groups to create lists of questions, brainstorm ideas, and produce Lapbooks promoted collaboration and teamwork.

- Creativity: Students exercised their creativity by generating questions, creating mind maps, and designing Lapbooks.

- Language Proficiency: Translating content from Italian to English provided students with practice in a foreign language and enhanced their language proficiency.

- Cultural Awareness: Visiting the museum and engaging with AI technology provided students with exposure to different cultural and technological contexts, fostering cultural awareness.