Why bring artificial intelligence to school?
In recent years, skills in artificial intelligence are second only to those in cloud computing among all the skills required by companies. However, the ability to understand how artificial intelligence works is not only necessary from a business perspective: in our daily lives we already use, often without realizing it, advanced applications that contain artificial intelligence within them. Just think of maps that advise us in real time on the quickest route to our destination based on traffic conditions, or voice assistants connected to home automation systems, translators, facial recognition systems, and even social networks that profile their users based on their online behavior for commercial purposes.
In addition, the latest frontiers of innovation in biomedical, economic, financial, through to artistic, cultural and musical fields involve a combination of new algorithmic models that make use of data-science and deep learning.
Approaching these disciplines of study cannot be reserved for university education, but must be introduced as early as junior and senior high school. And it cannot be conducted only with a technical-IT approach, because technologies are not neutral. Behind the algorithmic choices or datasets used, in fact, there are always values, which in a democratic society should be identified and negotiated with an approach that puts humans and the ecosystem at the center of decisions.
The chatbot codesign workshop with Univpm
The workshop designed within GREEN LEARNING project by Sineglossa and UNIVPM for second-grade schools in Ancona brings together a machine learning teacher, a facilitator and a nonprofit organization to stimulate among participants a reflection on Artificial Intelligence and human-machine relationship. Aiming to facilitate a greater understanding and active approach to new technologies.
October 29, 2022
Marche Polytechnic University (AN)
The workshop was held on Saturday, October 29, 2022 at the Polytechnic University of Marche in Ancona and involved 30 students of the Institute of Higher Education L. Cambi – D. Serrani (Classes 4A, 4B, 4C) and Institute of Higher Education “Savoia Benincasa” (Class E-5A SIA, Class S-5E).The activity began with a warm up on artificial intelligence curated by Sineglossa: facilitator Tommaso Sorichetti investigated the perception of participants about artificial intelligence and brought examples of how ia can be used in artistic work or social innovation processes.
The workshop continued with an in-depth theoretical study on how AI and data selection work, led by Professor Adriano Mancini of the Università Politecnica delle Marche. Then, the co-design phase between UnivPm, students and Sineglossa began.
Artificial intelligence for understanding the Goals of Agenda 2030
The goal of the workshop is to use the reflections ofз participants to develop un recommender system that will educate girls and boys on the sustainability issues of the 2030 Agenda.
How? The recommender system will facilitate thedigital exploration of the archive of good sustainability practices created over the years by Italia Che Cambia (you can already find it online at their website: italiachecambia.org).
It will also facilitate the creation of new sustainability stories.
During the workshop, for codesign purposes, we found it very useful to askз studentз how clear the current taxonomy on the site was within the drop-down menu under “Topics.” In fact, we have thus discovered that fields such as “circular economy” or “complementary currency,” “permaculture” and “transition,” “degrowth,” “ethical finance,” are not concepts and terms understandable by high school users.
The exercise of “relocating” the 17 goals of the 2030 Agenda within the 4 thematic areas identified by Italia Che Cambia was an opportunity to reflect together on the contents of the 2030 Agenda and the different priorities of its goals.
As we imagined, Goal 13 on “Combating Climate Change” is the one felt and perceived as most urgent, while Goal 17 on “Partnerships and Networks” is the most incomprehensible.
What do you think if I say artificial intelligence?
Do you work with adolescents in school and are you interested in offering them this training?
The workshop can be enhanced at the curricular level by the institute itself through the PCTO; or the UNIVPM Guidance Office can issue a certificate of participation.
