Dubai Heights Academy Teachers Participate in Worldwide Day of AI

On 12th May 2022, over 343 teachers from across Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Garhoud, including several of our very own teachers from Years 4 through 8 here at Dubai Heights Academy participated in Day of AI, a worldwide outreach initiative by MIT dedicated to teaching and learning about artificial intelligence. Developed by MIT researchers, Day of AI is a novel low-barrier, yet high-impact short curriculum offered free of charge to K-12 students and their teachers targeting in-classroom learning. It introduces AI literacy, responsible design and use of AI and highlights the implications of AI on digital citizenship and literacy. 

The curriculum is free to use, customise and redistribute under the International Creative Commons CC-BY-SA license and the activities are designed to be student-relatable and hands-on and to inspire creative design, critical thinking and reflective discussion. It is currently offered in four tracks – one track each for Years 4-6, Years 7-9 and two tracks for Years 10 and up (general and computer science focused) – and contains four hours of modular curriculum containing both online and unplugged activities in 30-60 minute blocks that support teacher customisation. All tracks start with a professionally-produced video of AI researchers who help define what AI is in their own words. Each track focuses on a salient AI theme that allows the classroom to dive deeper into the content. These thematic elements are: machine learning and bias, creative AI and digital media, AI and social media (for everyone), and AI and mobile computing (for CS students). All tracks also include a Careers in AI module showcasing a video highlighting the breadth of careers in AI told from the perspective of diverse professionals from a multitude of industries and academia. Interviewees range from astronomers to product designers across industries and uses spanning climate science, consumer products, law and policy, to insurance and healthcare. MIT's vision is to show the pervasiveness of AI in any industry, not just the tech-centric ones, and to show a diversity of professionals that any student can relate to.

Worldwide, over 3,100 teachers participated in Day of AI, which will take place annually. Among the countries represented by teachers, there were over 2,100 in the U.S., followed by the UAE (346), India (121), Canada (53) and Spain (50) represented the largest share of 93 countries participating. Based on the registration information provided by the teachers, they self-reported reaching over 500,000 students worldwide. This level of engagement far exceeded MIT's goals for their first year of this remarkable program aiming to boost AI literacy among school children.