Research Spotlights

Research Spotlight pieces are written by various contributing authors and reviewed by two academics in the EdTech field: Dr. Helen Crompton, Associate Professor of Instructional Technology Director of the Virtual Reality Lab and Director of the Technology Enhanced Learning Lab (TELL) at Old Dominion University and John Traxler, FRSA, Professor of Digital Learning in the Institute of Education at the University of Wolverhampton. Both Dr. Crompton and Professor Traxler are members of the mEducation Alliance. If you are interested in submitting a research activity to highlight in a future mEducation Alliance publication, please fill out this form.

The Artificial Intelligence for K-12 Portal

Written by: Sofia Mikton, McGill University

Image from http://teachingaifork12.org/

Ericsson partnered with UNESCO recently to develop an Artificial Intelligence (AI) K-12 portal. Working closely with UNESCO, Dr. Helen Crompton and Dr. Wayne Holmes developed content  to provide educators, curriculum developers and students with quality information about the benefits and shortcomings of artificial intelligence.  Crompton and Holmes also collated resources for the portal and worked with Ericsson to develop and design the  portal as a free online resource that has an extensive repository of AI-related sources. The portal is particularly well-suited as a resource for remote-delivery, and is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

The portal is organized into three main sections: 1) learning about AI, 2) teaching about AI, and 3) developing AI. Learning about AI covers the fundamentals, including an introduction to AI, the ethical and social implications of AI, myths about AI, and applications of AI. The second section, teaching about AI, allows educators to find resources that would fit well into their own curricula. These resources can be filtered by topic, age range, and resource type. Resource types include written work, videos, lesson plans, online courses and more. Curated carefully by researchers at UNESCO and Ericsson, this portal will serve as a quality one-stop destination for educators interested in learning about AI and teaching AI-related lessons to their students. This work continues as sections of the website are being extended and further resources included.

The AI K-12 portal will help address a current lack of knowledge about AI in the EdTech sector. Nowadays, with services like Siri and Alexa available at the touch of our fingertips, children are exposed to AI more than ever. The AI K-12 portal will equip educators with the necessary tools to teach children how to navigate AI safely, understand where their data goes, and learn how biases are amplified with AI. Like any technology, AI has its benefits and challenges. As AI continues to evolve, it is important for educators to stay informed about the implications of AI, and pass on this knowledge to their students. 

For more details contact the researchers: 

Website: http://teachingaifork12.org/ 

Researcher names: Helen Crompton & Wayne Holmes

Researcher email: [email protected] 

The Mobiles for Education (mEducation) Alliance is a non-governmental organization focused on the evidence-driven and sustainable role of technology in education to advance quality educational outcomes. Initially formed in 2010, the mEducation Alliance is a unique, multi-stakeholder convening platform for government and donor policymakers, other investors, researchers, and practitioners to work together, particularly in lower-resource, developing country contexts. For more information about the Alliance, including about our signature activities, visit the organization web page.

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Jax Chaudhry

Jax Chaudhry leads Project Invent, a national nonprofit that empowers youth with future ready mindsets for individual success and global impact, through invention. Originally from the Southside of Chicago, Jax loves working with students, families and partners to ensure every student can attain success as they define it. For more than 10 years, she has worked with elementary schools, high schools, education nonprofits and led regional teams and operations to ensure student success.

Michael Leventhal

Kenneth Y T Lim operates at the intersection of neuroergonomics, the learning scienceMichael Leventhal is co-founder of RobotsMali, a pedagogical and AI4D laboratory and STEM education center in Bamako, Mali. RobotsMali has trained thousands of students from elementary school to high school in computer science, robotics, and artificial intelligence, coached national robotics teams that have won 32 medals in international competitions, and developed technologies using AI and robotics for the social and economic development of Mali. Before becoming an educator in Mali, Michael worked as a technologist in Silicon Valley.s, and cognitive psychology. In 2023, he and his team were identified by UNESCO to share their work on the affordances of Generative AI for meaningful teaching and learning, during UNESCO’s first annual flagship event Digital Learning Week, international forum on the implications of Generative AI for education, in the session on ‘Preparing students and teachers for responsible use of AI’.

Enouce Ndeche

Enouce Ndeche is the founder and Director of Vijana Amani Pamoja ,VAP a community scheme based in Nairobi Kenya that uses the power and the popularity of the game of soccer/football as a catalyst for social, educational and economic empowerment.Enouce holds a degree in sociology from Egerton university and he is also the 2020 individual award recipient “Diversity and Inclusion Eminent Leader Award Enouce is also a certified Sports Philanthropy and Executive, George Washington University and is a 2023 Gratitude Network fellow.

Kenneth Y T Lim

Kenneth Y T Lim operates at the intersection of neuroergonomics, the learning sciences, and cognitive psychology. In 2023, he and his team were identified by UNESCO to share their work on the affordances of Generative AI for meaningful teaching and learning, during UNESCO’s first annual flagship event Digital Learning Week, international forum on the implications of Generative AI for education, in the session on ‘Preparing students and teachers for responsible use of AI’.