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What Type of Leaf is It? – AI in Primary Social and Science Education

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Towards a Collaborative Society Through Creative Learning (WCCE 2022)

Abstract

Digitization is a crucial process that is transforming our modern lives. As such, it is essential for students to be able to act maturely in a digital world and to participate in society responsibly, based on their education [1]. This is where digital literacy comes in as a key competence for both: social participation and self-determination in a digital world. To gain a deeper understanding of the digital technologies that surround us, computing education is a valuable way to go. It can help to explain the underlying principles and phenomena of the digital world. Many countries have begun incorporating it into their primary school curriculum. In Germany, and in particular in its federal state North Rhine-Westphalia, computing education is embedded in the Primary Social and Science Education (PSE, in German Sachunterricht). However, there is currently a lack of comprehensive training and education concepts for (future) teachers and corresponding teaching materials to include computing education in this subject, aside from research projects. To support the integration of computing education into PSE, we have developed teaching materials on Artificial Intelligence (AI) using identification apps. These materials provide students with insights into how AI systems perform classification tasks, such as determining different types of leaves, and cover basic concepts of Machine Learning (ML). The materials have been tested in one primary school class and validated by student teachers during their teaching internship semester. This paper describes the action-oriented materials and first classroom experiences.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    https://teachablemachine.withgoogle.com/.

  2. 2.

    https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/ai-ethics-for-middle-school.

  3. 3.

    https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/seek_app.

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Napierala, S., Grey, J., Brinda, T., Gryl, I. (2023). What Type of Leaf is It? – AI in Primary Social and Science Education. In: Keane, T., Lewin, C., Brinda, T., Bottino, R. (eds) Towards a Collaborative Society Through Creative Learning. WCCE 2022. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, vol 685. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43393-1_22

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43393-1_22

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