Park Avenue School teachers, Ms. Angelica Berrio, STEM and Computer Literacy - Grades 2-7, Dr. Denise Harlem, Technology Coordinator, and Ms.Linda Martelli, Media Specialist, completed the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE ) University and General Motors (GM) Artificial Intelligence course on April 19, 2020. The online class was made possible through a grant for educators.

The course is part of a the ISTE-GM Artificial Intelligence Explorations in K-12 School Environments program. The main goal of the course is to learn how to harness the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help improve teaching, learning, and, ultimately, student outcomes. "I learned so much about data mining and how to use it to help our students," said Ms. Martelli.

The teachers studied machine vs. human perception, expert systems, machine learning, chatbots, language recognition, voice experiences, AI power searches, Watson, data mining, ethics, and AI in the classroom. "Being selected for this grant was an honor because I can use so much of what I learned with my STEM students," said Ms. Berrio.

This program is a groundbreaking K-12 STEM Education collaboration between (ISTE) and General Motors Corporate which promotes artificial intelligence AI explorations and their practical use in school environments. Park Avenue staff members joined approximately 250 technology educators and educational leaders for this extraordinary professional learning experience. "The power of AI has yet to be seen, but many of our educational programs are already harnessing its great potential," said Dr. Harlem.

The teachers created a presentation for their Capstone project that they plan to use to teach the STEM students about AI. The interactive presentation will introduce students to the world of AI that is developing before and will also present career opportunities in the technology world that will undoubtedly include AI. The teachers are ready to inspire their students!