Artificial Intelligence (AI) is among us! Among the challenges impacting on the present and future of children, AI is one of the most important and complex to manage. AI has great potential, but also risks and dangers (privacy, data protection, fake news, etc.). What can we do as parents and teachers? How can we orient children? It is important to train them from an early stage in a critical, conscious and creative relationship with AI technologies. How to do this in an innovative and fun way? Through the immersive virtual experience that we propose in the LIFE laboratory. We are Emanuela, Francesca, Giorgio and Antonio, teachers, researchers and technicians of the Department of Philosophy and Educational Sciences of the University of Turin and WE NEED YOU to help us reach more and more children! With your precious contribution we will give children from out of town the chance to enjoy a unique experience!
The story of our project
Where did the idea of ‘GaIA’ come from and what do we actually propose?
It stems from the conviction that it is important to train the new generations from primary school onwards in a critical and creative relationship with Artificial Intelligence technologies.
It can be done and we are a testimony of this!
We started our research experience with the CAIRε (Child-AI Rεlationship) project, in collaboration with two other universities: West University in Timișoara and Middlesex University in London. So far, we have achieved exciting goals!
With your help, we will be able to prioritize funding for schools in the province of Turin that are located in areas outside the metropolitan area and the province of Cuneo and that might be excluded from the educational experience precisely because of the costs they have to bear.
The schools involved
In concrete terms, we are proposing a training course aimed at the girls and boys of three primary schools chosen from the area of Piossasco, Villar Perosa, Giaveno and Fossano.
The schools involved are: I.C. ‘David Bertrand’ of Piossasco (TO), I.C. ‘Franco Marro’ of Villar Perosa (TO), I.C. ‘Francesco Gonin’ of Giaveno (TO), I.C. ‘Federico Sacco’ of Fossano (CN).
© OpenStreetMap - openstreetmap.org/copyright
The route includes:
(A) AT THE SCHOOL:
- a preliminary training activity
B) AT THE LIFE INNOVATION LABORATORY of the Department of Philosophy and Educational Sciences, University of Turin (Palazzo Nuovo premises):
- a semi-immersion experience in a virtual aesthetic environment;
- an interaction activity with the humanoid robot Pepper (provided by the ‘Luciano Gallino’
Behavioural Simulation and Educational Robotics Laboratory of our Department).
We will accompany and guide the classes during the course we have designed and set up, which was already a great success last school year with the girls and boys of the city of Turin!
We strongly believe in this project because we think it is essential to promote, from an early age, a critical and creative relationship with Artificial Intelligence technologies, so that children reflect on their humanizing power and the importance of responsible handling.
We need you!!!
Your contribution is essential in order to be able to extend the ‘GaIA’ project to other schools outside Turin and to disseminate and valorize the scientific results obtained at the most relevant conferences in the field of schooling and education.
Support us with a donation!
If we reach the 7,000 goal through donations, UniTO will double the amount. With the 14,000 euro we will cover:
- 6,000 euros: the expenses for the trip to Turin for the three selected schools, so that we can guarantee the possibility for more children to live this precious and unrepeatable educational experience, created entirely by us with passion, dedication and team spirit!
- 4,000 euros: to finance a scholarship for a researcher to support us in carrying out training and research activities with the children
- 2,200 euros: to support the costs of disseminating and enhancing the results of our research at one of the most important national events on educational innovation: Didacta Italia
- 1,800 euros: the costs of using the online platform needed to carry out preliminary activities in schools
With your help we can contribute to quality education, for everyone!
THE ADVENTURE DOES NOT END HERE!!!
We raise the stakes again!
If, thanks to donations, in addition to the first 7,000€ we raise another 2,000€ (until we reach 9,000€), then we could guarantee the participation of the fourth school as well!
If we add another 6,000€ to the initial 7,000€, we will also be able to finance a second 3-month scholarship.
And if we even total a further 7,000€ in donations, we will be able to bear the costs of disseminating and valorizing our results at an international conference.
Donate and help us achieve this other valuable goal!
How will the schools be chosen?
In the boxes on the right (or below if you are reading from a smartphone), there are many options for donating. Many have the same amount. How come? Because IN ADDITION TO the amount you want to donate, you can CHOOSE the option with the name of the school you would like to participate in the project.
The three schools that manage to attract the most funds at the close of the campaign will be the ones to come and experience the Lab with us!
The fourth school will also be able to participate if at least another 2000 euro is added to the initial 7000 euro donation.
LET'S GIVE AN EXAMPLE:
You donate 10 euro using the box with the name of the ‘Mario Rossi’ school, in this way you have donated 10 euro to the campaign as a whole and have helped to move the ‘Mario Rossi’ school up in the rankings. The three schools that attract the most funds will be the ones selected for the experience!
ATTENTION! The €10 donated will go to fund the school you ‘voted’ for ONLY IF it ranks in the top three. If it does NOT place, your donation will contribute to the TOTAL SUM available to the other three winning schools.
At the end of the campaign each of the three selected schools will receive THE SAME AMOUNT.
The training course
The course we are proposing to the schools will include a preliminary training session in the classroom and, subsequently, a semi-immersion experience in an environment created ad hoc by us teachers, researchers and technicians, giving the children a unique experience! The girls and boys will have the opportunity to explore our Pachamama (‘mother nature’) and reflect on the role that technology and now Artificial Intelligence technology play in the life of human beings, helping to promote the functionality and human quality of their existence.
Exploration of the virtual immersive environment (Pachamama)
The original relationship between man and technology
The relationship with technology has deeper roots than we can imagine! Since ancient times, in fact, human beings have invented and used ‘technologies’ (think of the stick, fire and tools to leave a trace). It is these technologies that have contributed in large part to refining his more properly human capacities, such as those of thinking, inventing (creating objects), communicating and socializing (think of the times that prehistoric men and women spent around the fire!).
Exploration of the virtual immersive environment (indoor cave)
This activity, which the children will do as ‘explorers’, will include interaction with the humanoid robot Pepper. Through this interaction, accompanied and supervised by the teachers, researchers and technicians, the children will be able to obtain some hints and clues that will guide them on their journey of discovery of Artificial Intelligence technologies and their responsible handling.
The social robot Pepper with the GaIA team
