The Day of AI has been developed by i2Learning and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to introduce secondary school students to the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in a world that will be powered by AI. The Day of AI involves a series of creative, fun and hands-on activities. Topics cover everything from the basics of what AI is, through to design and creation exercises using AI and understanding the benefits and potential risks of AI.
The Day of AI was launched in Massachusetts this year by i2Learning and MIT, following the state’s highly successful STEM week. Across the United States, schools in almost every state are participating. Now, we’re excited to be bringing the Day of AI to Australia.
AI is no longer tomorrow’s technology. It’s here and it’s an increasing part of our everyday lives. As AI continues to transform the way we live, work, learn and play, it’s essential that secondary school students and their teachers understand what AI is, how it works and how to harness its power in safe and ethical ways.
The Day of AI is on Wednesday 27 July 2022.
The Day of AI is open to all secondary schools in every state and territory across Australia.
In its first year, the Day of AI is open to all students from Years 7-10. In 2023, we hope to expand the program to include additional year levels.
Thanks to the generous support of our partners, the Day of AI is free for schools to participate in.
All that schools need is an internet connection and laptops for students. We provide everything else including the program content and online training for teachers.
It would be ideal for each student to have access to their own laptop for the activities, but students can share a laptop if needed. We would recommend that no more than two students share one laptop to ensure each student can equally participate in the activities.
The Day of AI is an introduction to AI for students, so no prior experience is necessary. The activities are also designed to suit students of all ability levels.
We encourage as many students as possible from participating schools and year levels to take part in the activities, but not every student is required to. We understand that schools are a busy environment, so it’s up to individual schools to determine how many students are involved.
There is no limit on how many students can participate. In fact, we are eager for as many Years 7 – 10 students to participate as possible.
The learning focus for students on the Day of AI include what AI is and how it is currently applied to everyday life, how AI is designed and created, and what the benefits and potential risks of AI are.
We encourage schools to complete the activities on the dedicated day if they can. However, you can complete the activities on another day or across multiple days if that is easier for your school.
We encourage schools to complete all the activities to ensure they get the most out of the day, but it is okay if you are unable to complete them all.
Once your school is registered, your school’s nominated contact person will be sent the program content.
The program content was originally designed by i2Learning and MIT and has been modified by our Australian partners, including teachers, to suit Australian schools. All the program content is consistent with the Australian Curriculum standards.
Parents can access more information about the Day of AI on the website. We also have a Day of AI fact sheet that principals or teachers can share with parents via their established parent-communication portals or processes. The Day of AI website is dayofaiaustralia.com.
The activities can be easily delivered by teachers, regardless of how little or how much experience they have in computer science, AI or any other digital technologies. Participating teachers will also be invited to a free online training workshop ahead of the Day of AI to go through the program content and activities and ensure they feel confident delivering them.
Once your school is registered, participating teachers will receive the details for the online training workshop.
To ensure teachers are familiar with the program content and activities ahead of the Day of AI on 27 July, we plan to close registrations two weeks before.
All participating schools will be in the running for some great prizes, including work experience opportunities for students at some of Australia’s leading tech companies.
