A MiddleWeb Blog
Throughout history, technology has always shaken things up and changed the way we live – and today’s no different. We’re already surrounded by smart devices, and now artificial intelligence (AI) is stepping into the spotlight in a new way, ready to reshape everything from healthcare to transportation.
Although AI has been around since 1955, in 2022 a new type of AI – generative AI – exploded onto the scene and completely changed the role of technology in our lives. AI gives machines like computers the ability to learn and perform some tasks like humans, including reading, writing, speaking and seeing.
I recently came across a great resource on one of my go-to websites, Start Engineering. It’s a booklet called AI and Your Career: A Guide for High School Students. Even though it’s written with high schoolers in mind, this 50-page clear, colorful and engaging guide is a game-changer for helping you introduce younger students to some big concepts in AI. (I have STEM students particularly in mind, but much of this information is useful with any students.)
What stood out to me was how well this resource explains how AI works, what students can do with it, what to be cautious about, and how it’s shaping their futures. After reading through the online review copy, I knew I had to grab a hard copy from the website (it’s super affordable) – and the bonus? It came with a free online student workbook.
The author, Eric Iversen, kindly gave me permission to share some key highlights from this resource to help middle school teachers explain AI and guide students to become increasingly knowledgeable and confident navigating their digital world. Who knows? Maybe your STEM students will dream up the next big AI breakthrough!
So, how does AI work?
Have your students ever been curious about how AI works? Here’s a vastly over-simplified account:
A bunch of experts – computer scientists, mathematicians, psychologists, and others – start by studying how our brains learn, reason, and make decisions. They then turn what they learn about our brain functions into mathematical models.
Programmers next use these mathematical models to write code that teaches computers how to imitate brain functions. Specifically, here are some brain functions developers can train AI to imitate:
►Recognize patterns: AI is expert at recognizing patterns. Try asking your students to identify objects around them and look for patterns in numbers, colors, shapes, etc. AI does this instantly and uses it to locate and “learn” information.
►Learn from experience: AI can also learn from experiences and get better at tasks. Remind students that they learn when they get an answer wrong on a test. (They learn to correct the wrong answers.) Or, they can learn from a STEM challenge they didn’t solve properly and improve their solution.
►Make decisions: Computers using AI make decisions by sorting through and analyzing the increasingly massive amounts of information(data) they receive. They do this almost instantaneously.
►Learning from training: Programmers train AI with lots of examples until it learns how to perform a task.
In short, AI learns by digging through huge amounts of data, spotting patterns, analyzing patterns, and making decisions. Over time, AI developers feed AI systems more and more data, and these systems keep getting smarter and more able to do complex tasks.
Today you and your students can have smooth, natural seamless conversations with computers through chatbots and talking devices like Alexa. And we interact with AI through devices like smart phones, smart cars, maps and GPS navigation, facial recognition, robots, video games, smart homes, and many other ways. Pretty amazing stuff!
HELPFUL VIDEOS: For a short student-friendly video, take a look at “AI Explained” on this Common Sense Media page. There are some other useful CSM videos here, including AI Chatbots: Who’s Behind the Screen and AI Chatbots and Friendship. All of the CSM videos come with 15-minute lesson plans and explore the pros and cons of AI tools.
Why AI literacy is important to middle school students
AI sounds astonishing – even magical – but like most amazing things, this powerful tool comes with its own challenges. Only a small fraction of your students – maybe 2% – will actually become AI developers. But every single one of them needs to understand AI basics, including its potential and its problems.
Students need to be aware of current AI tools and understand how they are properly used. They should be able to adapt and use AI tools to handle specific tasks they will encounter in any job. Perhaps most important – middle schoolers need to understand the social and ethical issues AI can create.
Ethics of AI
You may hear that AI is bad or dangerous, but keep in mind that AI is a tool – just like a ruler or a hammer is a tool. Generative AI is neutral. It’s only as intelligent as the data we feed it and the programming humans use to control it. AI’s impact depends on how people choose to use or misuse it. A few things your kids should know to be on the lookout for:
►AI may give the wrong information. Dishonest people may create “deep fakes,” such as pictures and videos, that show something that does not even exist. Or AI may pass along incorrect information it accesses or compile information in ways that lead to inaccurate outcomes. (Here’s an example – a fake summer reading list!)
►AI changes the job market. Some jobs may change because of AI. These are mostly clerical or secretarial jobs and include bank tellers and data entry clerks. AI’s “competition” will require some people to learn new skills and knowledge to better do their jobs, or to learn skills to perform new jobs.
►Energy concerns. These large generative AI systems require a lot of cooling and energy consumption and can be a threat to the environment and the power grid. One promising development: DeepMind used by Google has managed to find ways to reduce the company’s computer cooling bills.
►Privacy concerns and security risks. The huge amounts of data used to power generative AI may include some personal data that should be safeguarded. Facebook and Instagram, which collect users’ personal information to share with advertisers, are identified as two of the worst privacy offenders.
From the healthcare industry to smart home technology to wearables like fitness trackers and VR headsets, lots of internet-connected devices gather personal data. Think about smart watches, smart cars, classroom devices, and even baby bassinets – our world of internet-enabled devices create a system known as the Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT is rapidly making the world smarter by connecting our physical and digital worlds. But here’s the catch: every device that connects to the internet can be hacked.
AI and the future
To get and keep almost any job in this AI-saturated world, kids today need to develop and display AI skills. One way for them to do this is to try out coding courses and clubs, join robotics teams, and look into other technology focused programs at school. Far and away, the best strategy to continually develop AI skills is by working collaboratively on open-ended STEM challenges through STEM-focused classes that integrate artificial intelligence into the curriculum. STEM problem-solving with AI supports will give students a flavor for the work place they will face in almost any setting or career.
And in the meantime – AI provides teachers with new tools, from tools to help them work more efficiently to ideas for dynamic and innovative lessons. So think about the things that matter to you, your students, our communities and our planet. And think about how to put your students at the front of the greatest technological revolution of our time.
MiddleWeb is pleased to be the co-publisher, with Routledge/Eye On Education, of STEM By Design: Tools and Strategies to Help Students in Grades 4-8 Solve Real World Problems, by Anne Jolly. Visit the website supporting this new Second Edition and browse the many free resources.
