Unit 1: Introduction to AI

Lesson 5: Hands-On AI Exploration and Demo Day (1 hour)

Lesson content from Unit 1: Introduction to AI

Lesson 5: Hands-On AI Exploration and Demo Day (1 hour)

Learning Objectives

  • Experience AI capabilities firsthand
  • Use interactive AI demos and tools
  • Reflect on AI's capabilities and limitations
  • Build excitement for the course

Materials Needed

  • Internet-connected computers/tablets for each student or pairs
  • List of AI demo websites (prepared)
  • Worksheet for documenting experiences
  • Student notebooks for reflections

Time Breakdown

  • Introduction and demo overview (10 min)
  • Station rotation or guided exploration (35 min)
  • Share discoveries (10 min)
  • Reflection and wrap-up (5 min)

Activities

1. Introduction to AI Demos (10 min)

  • Explain: Today we'll explore AI tools hands-on
  • Show one demo as example (e.g., Quick, Draw! by Google)
  • Demonstrate how to interact with it
  • Explain what to look for: capabilities, limitations, "wow" moments

2. AI Demo Exploration Stations (35 min)

Set up multiple stations or have students explore in pairs. Each station/demo should take 5-7 minutes:

Station 1: Image Recognition

  • Quick, Draw! (quickdraw.withgoogle.com)
    • AI guesses what you're drawing
    • What does this tell us about AI learning?
  • Teachable Machine (teachablemachine.withgoogle.com)
    • Quick demo of image classification
    • Students can try training a simple model

Station 2: Language and Text

  • Talk to Books (books.google.com/talktobooks)
    • AI finds relevant book passages to questions
    • Try asking questions and see results
  • AI Duet (experiments.withgoogle.com/ai-duet)
    • AI creates music in response to your playing
    • Explore creative AI

Station 3: Vision and Perception

  • Semantris (research.google.com/semantris)
    • Word association game with AI
    • Shows how AI understands relationships
  • Move Mirror (experiments.withgoogle.com/move-mirror)
    • AI matches your pose to images
    • Computer vision in action

Station 4: Generative AI (if accessible)

  • ChatGPT or similar (with teacher guidance)
    • Ask questions, have conversations
    • Notice capabilities and limitations
  • DALL-E mini or similar (if available)
    • Generate images from text descriptions
    • Explore creativity vs. human creativity

Station 5: Machine Learning Games

  • Rock Paper Scissors (experiments.withgoogle.com/rock-paper-scissors)
    • AI learns your patterns
    • See reinforcement learning in action
  • Giorgio Cam (experiments.withgoogle.com/giorgio-cam)
    • AI creates songs from objects it sees
    • Fun way to see AI combining concepts

Note: Some demos may require specific browsers or may change over time. Teacher should test beforehand and have backup options.

3. Documentation Worksheet

Students document at each station:

  • What AI capability did you experience?
  • What surprised you?
  • What were the limitations?
  • How did it make you feel?

4. Share Discoveries (10 min)

  • Students share most interesting/fun/surprising demo
  • Discuss: What can AI do well? What are its limitations?
  • What questions do you have?

5. Reflection and Wrap-Up (5 min)

  • Final reflection: "What did you learn about AI today? What are you excited to learn more about?"
  • Preview next unit: Machine Learning Basics
  • Collect worksheets for assessment

Differentiation Strategies

  • Younger students: Focus on fun, interactive demos; simpler documentation
  • Older students: Explore more complex tools, analyze how they might work, research the technology
  • Struggling learners: Pair with partner, provide checklist of demos to try
  • Advanced learners: Research how each demo works, explore developer tools, try building similar concepts

Assessment

  • Participation in demo exploration
  • Quality of documentation worksheet
  • Engagement and curiosity demonstrated
  • Reflection journal entry

Unit 1 Assessment Rubric

Formative Assessment (Throughout Unit)

  • Participation in discussions and activities: 25%
  • Completion of hands-on activities: 25%
  • Reflection journal entries: 25%
  • Homework assignments: 25%

End-of-Unit Assessment

Unit Quiz (20 questions, open-note):

  • Definitions (5 questions)
  • AI history milestones (5 questions)
  • Narrow vs. General AI (5 questions)
  • Real-world applications (5 questions)

Unit Reflection Essay (1-2 pages):

  • What is AI in your own words?
  • Name 3 AI systems you use daily and explain why they're AI
  • What surprised you most about AI?
  • What questions do you still have?

Rubric for Unit Reflection Essay

Criteria Excellent (4) Good (3) Satisfactory (2) Needs Improvement (1)
Understanding Shows deep understanding of AI concepts Shows good understanding Shows basic understanding Shows limited understanding
Examples Provides detailed, accurate examples Provides good examples Provides basic examples Provides few or incorrect examples
Reflection Thoughtful reflection with insights Good reflection Basic reflection Limited reflection
Communication Clear, well-organized writing Clear writing Adequate writing Unclear or poorly organized

Unit 1 Resources

Required Reading/Watching

  • Video: "What is Artificial Intelligence?" (Crash Course AI or similar)
  • Article: Brief history of AI (age-appropriate source)

Recommended Exploration

Teacher Notes

  • Be prepared for varied prior knowledge about AI
  • Some students may have misconceptions from movies/TV
  • Encourage questions and curiosity
  • Emphasize that all AI today is narrow AI
  • Connect to students' daily experiences to maintain engagement

Unit 1 Extension Activities (Optional)

For Advanced Students

  • Research and present on one AI pioneer (Alan Turing, John McCarthy, etc.)
  • Create a timeline comparing AI development to other technologies
  • Write a short story about a world with general AI
  • Research and debate: "Will AI surpass human intelligence?"

For Students Needing More Support

  • Create a picture dictionary of AI terms
  • Make a collage of AI applications from magazines/images
  • Draw a comic strip showing AI in daily life
  • Create flashcards for key terms

Next Unit Preview

Unit 2: Machine Learning Basics will explore how AI actually learns. We'll discover the three types of machine learning and build our own simple machine learning models using Teachable Machine!