Scottish AI in Schools Week

So, you might know I'm a bit of a techie. Always have been, ever since taking apart my first (unfortunate) toaster as a kid (don't worry, no sparks flew... metaphorically or literally). Fast forward to university, and I was neck-deep in coding and artificial intelligence for my honours project – using neural networks to identify cancerous cells, no less!

As a Computing Science teacher, getting students excited about AI was one of my favourite topics to cover, from coding with Prolog, to building expert systems, to the delving into the fascinating ethical considerations associated with AI.?

That’s why I am so excited about?AI in Schools Week (25 - 29 March 2024)! The digilearnscot team at Education Scotland, along with partners and educators, have got a whole smorgasbord of events lined up for teachers and pupils alike! Over this week we are looking at three key areas: Creating AI, Learning about AI, and Learning with AI.

Every morning, we've got curriculum live sessions for teachers and pupils. On Monday, we kicked things off with 'AI Wonderland: Unleash Creativity with Make it hAPPen.' Sounds like a trip down the rabbit hole of AI-powered art and storytelling! Then, on Tuesday, it's 'Tech We Can Live: Tech for Gen AI.' Can't wait to see what kind of future-focused tech they've got lined up for our pupils! The rest of the week is packed with sessions like ‘AI Maze: Finding the Ethical Exit’ – focussing on the ethical dilemmas in AI through engaging discussions and team activities in real world scenarios,?and our final curriculum live session is an AI focussed code along on Thursday (my personal favourite!)

Let's just say, my inner geek is doing a happy dance. This is the kind of stuff that gets pupils and teachers fired up about the possibilities of technology, and provokes us into thinking about the skills we might need to navigate our increasingly AI-powered world.

Teachers, it's not all fun and games for the pupils. We've got some fantastic professional learning sessions running in the evenings too. These are a great chance to dive deeper into how AI is being used in the curriculum, explore how AI might impact learning, teaching and assessment, and network with other educators who share our passion for AI.

Our line-up of afternoon/early evening online sessions designed for teachers include:

Sharing Practice Sessions:? Discuss real-world implementation of AI in the classroom with colleagues from across the Scotland. These short 30 minute sessions are very kindly being hosted by:

• Newbattle High School, March 25 at 4pm
• West Calder High School, March 26 at 3:30pm
• International School Aberdeen, March 27 at 3:30pm

Mini Teachmeet (Primary):? Share your best AI-related teaching tips and tricks with fellow primary school educators on March 28 at 3:30pm.

Professional Learning Sessions:? Deepen your AI knowledge and explore how AI is influencing learning and teaching?with these more in-depth sessions:

• AI From Tinder to Training:?City of Glasgow College, March 25 at 4:30pm
• Teaching for Digital Citizenship:?Glasgow University, March 26 at 4pm
• Common Sense Education:?March 27
• DayDream Believers: March 28

Visit the Education Scotland events page to find out more and sign up!