Students do not need to use artificial intelligence programs to learn about AI.
Another approach is “unplugged AI,” which leverages paper and other analog tools to teach about cutting-edge technology. This was the subject of a session at the ISTELive 26 + ASCD annual conference held here this week.
Although the term unplugged AI may seem like an oxymoron, education technology specialist and Google trainer Roberta Freitas says these activities can teach students important concepts about AI bias, data classification, and algorithms.
“Unplugged activities are those that deal with the things, concepts, and fundamentals behind AI without using technology,” she said.
These teaching strategies don’t have to be completely separated from technology. There are many other digital tools that educators can use to show students how AI works.
Mr. Freitas presented the concept for this week’s ISTE event. She spoke at Education Week about how unplugged AI activities can provide students with a foundational understanding of how AI works before they type their queries into a chatbot.
One of her messages to educators is that students aren’t the only ones who can benefit from unplugged activities.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
What are the benefits of teaching AI separate from technology?
We have a 20 hour course for teachers. [in] The first 15 hours of the course do not touch or use AI. Just talking about it. And once teachers actually use AI, it becomes even more important to understand what’s behind it. [it]. They understand why they get such answers.
I’m Brazilian. And for us, AI has a lot of bias. When we ask for images and text, what we get are very American pictures. If you ask Americans what their image of a teacher is, a teacher will likely emerge among them. [classroom]. If you ask them to do it in a Brazilian style, they will decorate the room with Brazilian jerseys and Brazilian flags.
Therefore, it is very important for students and teachers to understand what is behind it [AI]why do you get the answer? This is why it’s so important to understand the basics before actually interacting with AI.
What age are these activities best suited for?
It can be used in all grades, so [but] This is especially true for young children, as AI has age restrictions. So for very young students, they need to be prepared for this world where everything is going to have AI in it. You need to understand how this works. Why do I get recommendations on social media?
For advanced students, when introducing a concept, I think it’s important to know what it means before touching the technology.
What are examples of unplugged AI activities?
Prejudice detective. This is an activity to help students understand that bias is not generated or invented by AI. Prejudice exists in society. The data used to train AI contains bias.
So, [students] get a set of [cards with] Doctors, surgeons, and nurses can be both male and female. and students have to analyze how many male doctors there are [or] woman.
prejudice here [in the cards] Most nurses are women. Most surgeons are men, and most doctors are men. This is for students to understand as well. [that AI generalizations are] It doesn’t come out of nowhere, [they’re] Not invented.
Therefore, students understand that the output of the AI may be distorted. Does manipulation help clarify what’s going on under the hood?
Being more visual and hands-on allows you to think more deeply and talk to other students. I usually do these in groups.
Therefore, students must interact and collaborate to find the answer. And I believe that using your hands makes things more concrete and more memorable for students.
