Learn AI in High School: 7 Reasons To Do So

Source: Inspirit AI

A Guest Blog from Inspirit AI, originally published on the Inspirit AI Blog.

What is Artificial Intelligence (or “AI”) exactly? 

Many people don’t really have a good understanding of what exactly artificial intelligence is, so here’s a quick breakdown. Artificial Intelligence is the process of using machine learning with accurate data analysis to solve a problem. Some might think that AI is just restricted to geeky guys who like numbers and computers, or that AI is figuring out systems and algorithms. 

However, these assumptions are wrong. AI is starting to become the norm of technology, and will also make a giant impact towards the future. 

Why learn AI?

Whether you’re a student or not, and do or do not have an interest in technology, I recommend that you should learn AI for the following reasons:

1. AI is the future of technology and will be incorporated into our everyday lifestyle

You might not think that AI is implicated in your life now, but you are wrong. Most likely, you have a device or machine that is using AI right now without you knowing it! For example, you might have the latest iPhone, which uses face recognition to unlock the phone. This process of scanning and analyzing a user’s face is done through artificial intelligence. 

Likewise, automakers like Tesla incorporate self-driving functions which are based in AI learning algorithms. To no surprise, these functions also use AI in order to observe and learn patterns, and perform specific actions based on what’s happening. Although these AI processes might seem innocuous, these will become the norm in the future. The possibilities of how AI will be utilized are endless, and its impact in the future will be tremendous.

2. Learn AI to combine it with other interests & passions

The usefulness of AI can be applied to any industry, such as the fashion industry and farming industry, among others. How each industry could incorporate AI is endless. 

For example, if you like designing styles for clothes, AI could potentially help. You could use data of popular trends and styles, and then generate new designs based on what patterns and trends the AI learned. By using AI, you essentially are able to come up with new designs for shoes, clothing, and much more. AI is not just restricted to analyzing and creating images, but also predicting outcomes. 

For the farming industry, AI can be used to compute multiple variables such as the crop health, the soil health, or the amount of fertilizer to use. It can help predict what the harvest would be, and also estimate what variables are steady and what variables need to be adjusted. There are so many uses for AI in any field of interest.

Source: www.pexels.com

3. Learning AI leads to many opportunities in college and jobs

With AI having the ability to be useful and versatile in many areas, this creates more opportunities in colleges and jobs. Since AI is becoming more and more important and impactful in industries, jobs surrounding this field are becoming more prevalent. Thus, learning AI in school or college, even if it’s only an interest rather than a career, can be useful for marketing new skills. 

4. Learning AI will stay in your brain longer than the stuff you learn at school

Learning AI is not something you will learn quickly. It requires time to learn the programming language, and then apply it to the problem. The stuff we learn in school, such as the history of ancient civilizations, or how to interpret themes of a book aren’t going to stay in our brain. This is because there is no use for them in your future (unless you become a History or English teacher). 

With AI however, you need to know how it works in order to use it. It’s the same process over and over when you work on a project, so you need to know how AI works and the process behind it. Likewise, with AI becoming more relevant to the future of technology, it means that more people will need to know programming skills.

5. You can learn artificial intelligence to improve your computer science & programming skills

Whether you have little knowledge of programming and computer science, or know multiple languages of code, learning AI also enables you to understand and advance your skills. With technology becoming more and more significant in the years to come, so will the skills of programming and computer science. Thus, programming will be beneficial in your journey through AI. 

In my opinion, I definitely found it more fun to learn how to code and program stuff than learning about the history of ancient civilizations, or writing three-page long essays. You don’t need to know everything about programming and computer science, but at least trying it and even understanding it will help you in the future.

Source: Inspirit AI

6. AI is more than just systems and algorithm–it’s also problem solving and understanding limitations

AI is an intricate system of algorithms, systems, and networks right? Although AI does include those in the making, there are many other variables that need to be taken into consideration. Such variables include problem solving, the design process, and understanding limitations. These variables also take place in the real world. For example, in AI, you need to figure out what the problem exactly is and how you will approach it. 

Let’s say you need an AI to identify emotions and expressions of a user’s face. How exactly will you approach this? This can relate back to how you interpret someone else’s emotion just by looking at them and understanding body language. The design process is another thing that is important not only for AI, but also for creating anything in general. Last but not least, understanding constraints and restrictions of AI are key factors needed to make an AI work. 

Let’s say someone is making an AI to look at a camera feed and images of people driving, and this AI is supposed to detect when a driver is distracted or attentive. Some problems might be the angle of the camera, the lighting, how good the quality of the camera is, and much more. Just like any problem in the real world, there will be limitations, and problems that need to be addressed to come up with a solution. So implementing AI will help improve your design process skills and understanding of problem solving and constraints.

7. You can use AI to make an impact within your community and the public

AI can be very impactful to not only you or a company, but also to the public. Take facial recognition, self driving cars, deep fakes, robotic limbs, or even computer generated pictures of people or objects. All of these had an impact, whether positive or negative, on how we look at technology and advancements. By learning and utilizing AI, you could potentially make an impact in your community, and even be recognized for your creativeness and be an influencer. 

Such influencers consist of Andrew Ng (Head of Google Brain and a Professor at Stanford), Cassie Kozyrkov (Google Cloud’s Chief Decision Scientist) and Vladimir Naumovich Vapnik (main developer of the Vapnik-Chervonenkis Theory of Statistical Learning). All of these influencers have had significant impacts on technology advancements, and so could you!

AI is not limited to only specific people, jobs, or interests. It’s something anyone can utilize and learn, and incorporate into their daily life, hobbies, and career. The variety of uses for AI allow it to be used by anyone in almost any scenario. This is why AI is becoming so significant in technology. AI will be impacting our lives almost every second in the future, so being a part of this new era and even contributing to it will help make our world better. 

MORE ABOUT...

At Inspirit AI, AI Scholars inspires curious high school students globally by exposing them to the defining technology of our times: Artificial Intelligence. AI is already present everywhere: in our voice-activated devices, smartphone face recognition systems, and autonomous vehicles. The potential to apply this technology for good is limitless.

We recently sponsored a webinar on this topic entitled, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Afterschool Programs. To view the webinar recording, click here.

How High School Students Can Prepare for an AI Enabled Future

Source: Inspirit AI

A Guest Blog from Inspirit AI, originally published on the Inspirit AI Blog.

Artificial Intelligence is Everywhere

While Artificial Intelligence today is nowhere near having the broad intelligence and context-adjusting abilities of the human brain, the diversity of its applications is astounding. We interact with artificial intelligence more than we even realize.

For example, Alexa and Siri are virtual assistants that we interact with every day, empowering us to be more productive. Netflix, Spotify, Google, Amazon, and countless other services of everyday life are driven by artificial intelligence at their core.

In addition to these applications, AI can drive significant positive impacts across sectors such as healthcare, journalism, agriculture, and many more.

From helping doctors to identify diseases more easily and treat more patients, to detecting and preventing the spread of fake news, the possibilities of AI for social good are limited only by our imagination.

AI Leaders of Tomorrow Need to Start Today

Today’s students are poised to be the drivers of this revolution. However, education around AI remains inaccessible to most. Given its widespread effects, AI innovation should involve not only computer scientists but also policymakers tasked with regulating this powerful technology. It is essential to introduce students to AI early on and give them the tools to navigate its complex ethical implications.

Source: Inspirit AI

Through education, they can advance these technologies in an effective and responsible way. It is also critical to empower students with diverse backgrounds and interests to participate in AI — the design, production, and deployment of AI should be led by people who reflect the diversity of our rapidly changing world.

High school students can explore AI by enrolling in programs like Inspirit AI to pursue this exploration in a guided environment. Even a general understanding of AI can be a huge leg up in almost any field.

For those interested in developing a deep understanding of cutting-edge developments in AI, there are a number of entry points. For example, you may consider majoring in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or Information Sciences. Beyond college, knowledge and passion for AI will set you up for a rapidly expanding career market as well.

MORE ABOUT...

At Inspirit AI, AI Scholars inspires curious high school students globally by exposing them to the defining technology of our times: Artificial Intelligence. AI is already present everywhere: in our voice-activated devices, smartphone face recognition systems, and autonomous vehicles. The potential to apply this technology for good is limitless.

We recently sponsored a webinar on this topic entitled, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Afterschool Programs. To view the webinar recording, click here.

High School Afterschool Programs: One Size Doesn’t Fit All

Source: FAB Youth Philly

By Guest Blogger: Rebecca Fabiano, MSED, Executive Director of FAB Youth Philly 

(previously published on FAB Youth Philly)

 

For seven years I ran a high school out-of-school time (OST) program that I started from scratch. It was by far one of the most rewarding jobs I’ve ever had. I did a LOT of on the job learning from, and with my students. Here’s what I came to know that helped me to design activities and programs for participants.  

High school students come to our programs for various reasons and they utilize our program in accordance to their developmental needs. This means that we need to develop activities, supports, etc. that intentionally meet those needs, and making sure that staff is adequately trained and supported to meet those needs. 

Here are a few tips that I’m excited to share with you, which you can use to design your high school OST programs: 

Ways OST programs can support 9th graders making the transition to high school. This includes: 

• Developing new friendships (have a buddy or big bro/sister program with older/experienced youth in the OST; workshops on peer pressure, bullying etc.) 
• Developing study & time management skills (offer workshops, games like Minute to Win It, Jeopardy, etc.) 
• Understanding how to ‘be’ a high school student (what classes to take, how to read transcripts through workshops, etc.) 
• Lots of exposure activities (that also involve making new friends- trips, movies, guest speakers, etc.) 

Source: Beyond Expectations- The Power of High School Afterschool

Ways OST programs can support 10th graders by helping them to build their friendships, explore their identity and other life skills and start to expand their networks towards post-high school goals-college/career. This includes: 

• Health & wellness & sexuality activities (Sept-Dec) 
• Identity exploration through guest speakers (Sept-Dec) 
• Prep for 1st summer job (Jan-June) (bring a nurse on campus to expedite work papers, etc.) 
• Help them develop skills and experiences that will prep them for work including civic engagement/ project based learning activities. 
• Offer PSAT classes 

Ways OST programs can support 11th graders by focusing on college and career exploration via work-readiness clubs, leadership opportunities (this could be the big bro/sister program) and internships; continue with civic engagement activities: 

• Career panels (fall) 
• Career days (fall) 
• Develop a workshop on a fave topic for younger youth (spring) 
• Developing career related documents (cover letter, resume, etc) (spring) 
• Start college tours/hold college spirit days, etc. (spring) 
• College essay writing workshops/games/contests, etc. (spring) 
• Offer SAT classes (fall & spring) 

Ways OST programs can support 12th graders by zooming in on the college prep and post high school process: 

• College tours (fall) 
• College panelists (fall) 
• Essay writing workshops/games/contests, etc. (fall) 
• “Now that you’ve been accepted to college” workshops also: getting along with roommates, developing resistance skills (avoiding peer pressure for drinking, sex, etc.), how to avoid using all your meal plan points in one week, etc. (spring) 

Let us know: How do YOU design programs to intentionally meet the developmental needs of young people? Email your ideas to: info@temescalassociates.com.

[For more information on high school afterschool, check out Temescal Associates High School Afterschool Resources.]

MORE ABOUT…

For nearly 25 years, Rebecca Fabiano has worked in various capacities across nonprofit and youth-serving organizations, served on boards and helped to build solid youth programs that engage, encourage, and create spaces for positive development. As a program leader, she has successfully raised funds and managed program budgets; hired and supervised staff; developed and sustained strong community partnerships and designed award-winning programming.

 

Fab Youth Philly (FYP) has a unique, holistic model for youth development. Their three-pronged approach to youth development is aimed at creating relevant, engaging, and empowering learning opportunities at the individual, professional, and community level. First, they provide innovative, award-winning summer and afterschool programs for teens with a focus on workforce development programming. Second, they connect with youth development professionals working with or on behalf of youth through their Center for Youth Development Professionals (CYDP), which offers competency-based professional development and networking opportunities. Third, they consult with other youth-serving organizations to provide a range of consulting services, ranging from curriculum development to retreats and small

conferences.

UPCOMING WEBINAR:

To learn more and register, click here.

Practice Q&A: Distance Learning with High School Youth

By Sam Piha

Being a youth worker is a very difficult job. They face a variety of challenges and dilemmas, as they work with a diverse group of young people. We collected a number of questions from youth workers and promised to engage experts and field leaders for their answers. Below are some of the questions we received and the answers that we sought out from field leaders, content experts and innovative practitioners. If you want to submit your own question, click here.

This blog is part 1 of our Q&A series. Stay tuned as we continue to explore questions from youth workers. (Note: we know that there are many answers to any question. Below, we offer some well-thought-out answers that we received. Because schools and agencies may have specific policies, we
recommend that youth workers share their questions with their immediate supervisor.

Q: Distance learning with high school students (over 1,200) who can choose to attend or not seems overwhelming. Coming up with ways to engage students in order to take attendance will be a challenge to say the least! What do you suggest or can you offer resources that may help with this issue? - Youth Worker, Fresno County, CA

Bill Fennessy, Director of Work-
Based Learning and Community
Partnerships, Think Together

A: "The sudden change to education due to the pandemic has greatly decreased student participation and therefore increased the need for individual student supports, and is and continues to still be a huge challenge for BOTH the Instructional Day and Expanded Learning Programs.

As a real-world example, upon the initial school closures our California After School Safety & Enrichment for Teens (ASSETs) high school programs in Compton Unified School District immediately started working with all 4 respective site's administrations in a highly collaborative partnership to reengage the large numbers of "missing" students.


All 4 site's administrators were respectively in complete agreement and highly supportive of ASSETs leadership reaching out to students to create and offer a "Virtual Teen Center" which would be the first step towards reengagement. The goal was to create a safe place and environment with easy access for students to be able to participate. This would allow students to see each other and have conversations as they wish, and also allow for engagement or reengagement with ASSETs staff to continue those relationships. Once students begin attending, their expressed "wants" would then initiate the "student-driven" activities, programs, and classes that would be introduced moving forward.

Source: www.healthblog.uofmhealth.org

For these "missing" students, intentional recruitment had to be a very key strategy, as reaching out to 1,200 students/parents was a more than daunting task. So each separate site's administration determined which specific grade levels/groups/subgroups/etc would be recruited in a then determined prioritized order. This allowed ASSETs staff to break up the task into "recruitment groups" with reasonable student numbers. This also allowed ASSETs staff to map out a reasonable amount of time to complete the task.

Note: Our biggest challenge has been in attaining/securing "parent permission" for the "Virtual Programming" so that students may attend."

- Bill Fennessy, Think Together

................................
Bill Fennessy is Think Together's Director of Work-Based Learning and Community Partnerships. He supports High School ASSETs Programs in collaborating with Career Technical Education Programs at school districts and sites to better support Workforce Readiness and Work-Based Learning activities, with a special focus on internships. Bill is passionate about out-of-school time because he believes in the great potential of Older Youth, and wants to support their dreams by providing opportunities for their greater success. Bill was motivated to join the California Afterschool Network's Leadership Team because he feels this is the next significant step in his over 15 years of being able to serve the Expanded Learning Field as a thought leader, pioneer, innovator, and practitioner.

Preparing Youth for Work and Career Success

By Sam Piha

Sam Piha

I first met Bill Fennessy when he innovated a new high school afterschool program in Pasadena, CA. Bill was part of the first run of ASSETs programs - before people knew what high school afterschool was. He subsequently joined THINK Together as their Director of Community Engagement. 

At THINK Together, Bill continued his work as an innovator when he introduced a comprehensive approach to workforce preparation within their high school afterschool programs. We invited him to present at our last How Kids Learn Conference and write a paper on the topic of preparing youth for work and career success. Below is an excerpt from his paper and a link to the entire paper. 

PREPARING YOUTH FOR WORK AND CAREER SUCCESS IS THE RIGHT ROLE FOR EXPANDED LEARNING PROGRAMS

By Bill Fennessy

Preparing youth for work and career is now rapidly becoming an integral part in

Bill Fennessy

preparing youth with the skills they will need in school and life.  This is clearly supported by the most current research such as RTI International’s “Employability Skills Framework”, as well as the “Foundations For Young Adult Success, A Developmental Framework” from the University of Chicago.  In addition and very importantly to the Expanded Learning Field, preparing youth for work and career clearly aligns with what should now be the very familiar “LIAS Learning Principles”, “Youth Development Framework”, and the “California Standards for Expanded Learning Programs”.

All youth regardless of their age can begin expanding their ideas of what they might do as adults. Coupling those ideas with the experience of related work in the real world brings the important relevance which results in greater engagement in their work at school.  This is clearly embodied by California’s Linked Learning approach to education, which has now demonstrated clear evidence of effectiveness as students in Linked Learning pathways have shown substantially positive shifts in credits accumulated, attendance, A-G completion, and reduced drop-out rates.   The result of this data has spawned an exponential growth in the numbers of schools and school districts that are now offering or planning to use the Linked Learning approach.

Recent and intentional changes made by the CDE Afterschool Division has made allowable work-based learning as a potential ASES and ASSETs grant foci.  These changes well position the Expanded Learning field to do more than just put work-based learning components into their programs, it actually encourages the field to collaborate in building work-based learning platforms from which to support many new programming opportunities and engage many other partners in this important work.  

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About the Author

Bill Fennessy is Director of Community Engagement and Work-Based Learning at THINK Together. Bill began his career as the PasadenaLEARNs Site Coordinator for Blair International Baccalaureate Magnet School, serving grades 7 – 12. Bill was the leader of BlairLEARNs, a middle school afterschool program. He was a pioneer in the high school afterschool movement and was part of the first cohort of ASSETs programs.

Bill is also a Temescal Associate. He has conducted a number of training sessions on high school afterschool and was a presenter at one of the recent How Kids Learn Conferences focused on Preparing Youth For Work And Career Success.