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Hi Niamh,
This is really strong. I love that you went with Teachable Machine because there is nothing like letting children train a model themselves to make machine learning click. They stop seeing AI as magic and start seeing it as something built from the examples/data they feed it.
The Imposter Test is the standout for me. Showing the model a green apple when it only ever saw red ones is such a fantastic way to make bias visible/concrete and your critical question lands it perfectly by pushing them to blame the data rather than the machine.
One thought to build on it. When pupils write their Model Report, you could ask them what they would add to the training data to fix the mistake. That moves them from spotting the problem to solving it.
If you use this in the classroom, we would love to know how it goes. 😊
Hi Paddy,
Apologies, you have shared a link to MakeCode micro:bit code.
Could you please share the link to your MakeCode Arcade game.
There were 3 game styles demoed in module 3: Timed catch/collect, chaser or invader.
Please watch the MakeCode Arcade website tour video in the module or follow the steps below to share your MakeCode Arcade project link:
- Open your project in MakeCode Arcade.
- Select the Share icon in the top-right corner.
- Add a title for your project.
- You can also add a thumbnail image or animated GIF, but this is optional.
- Select Share Project.
- Copy the link that appears and paste it into your forum post.
Hi Marie,
I really like this. Building AI fact checking into a debate is a clever move because it gives the children a genuine reason to interrogate the information. Having to spot the false facts in their own pack and listen out for the other team’s shaky claims turns critical thinking into something active and a bit competitive which will really pull them in.
I also like that you plan to model critical thinking yourself and bring authorship and sources into the discussion, since who created the information and whether it is reliable is right at the heart of AI literacy.
One question back to you. When they highlight the false facts, would it be worth asking them to jot down how they knew, whether it was their own knowledge or a source that gave it away? That makes their reasoning visible and those sheets would give you richer evidence for SSE.
Hope you enjoyed the course. 😊
Hi Chelsey,
Eat the Pizza tutorial on the MakeCode Arcade website is a fun one and I like how you tied it to both Maths and SPHE. Framing it around hand-eye coordination, problem-solving and interpreting the final score gives the game a clear learning purpose.
I liked that you talked through the algorithm design too. Planning the sequence of how the player moves, how the pizza changes location, how the score increases and how the timer ends the game is a good, clear way to describe how the pieces fit together.
One thought for your next one. It would be worth building a game from scratch in one of the three set styles we worked through in this module, a timed catch or collect, a chaser or an invader.
Hi Luke,
Luke in Outer Space is a great variation on the chaser style. Having both an alien that chases and a meteor bouncing around gives the player two dangers to track at once which makes it more challenging and more fun than a straight chase and it fits your space hazards objective really nicely.
I like that you used bounce on wall for the projectile. That keeps the meteor bouncing unpredictably around the screen which adds real tension and makes the dodging feel different every time.
Your iteration account was spot on too. Tuning the alien’s speed, the firing rate and the win threshold until it felt challenging but fair is exactly what iteration is and it shows you were really thinking about the player’s experience.
One small suggestion. You have stay in screen switched on for the projectile which is great, but it would be worth adding the same block for Luke so the player stays in the screen boundaries.
Hi Ciara,
Healthy Food Catch is a lovely idea and the market setting with a basket catching apples, carrots and bananas fits your healthy eating objective really well. I also liked that you chose iteration as your computational thinking process. Testing different speeds, timer lengths and scoring rules and improving it step by step is exactly what iteration is about.
I had a look at your code and it is a great start, but it is not quite finished yet, so the game will not play through as you are hoping.
My best suggestion is to watch the timed chase/collect game tutorial video again and build alongside it, pausing as you go. That will walk you through getting the food spawning and falling and the overlap and scoring working and you will have a fully playable game at the end.
Looking forward to a go at Healthy Food Catch once it is up and running. 😊
Hi Grace,
Chase the Pizza tutorial on the MakeCode Arcade website is a fun one and I liked the personality you gave it. Pixelizabeth and the Valhalla line made me smile and that playful framing is a nice way to keep the children engaged.
Your debugging account was clear too. Spotting that the countdown was sitting below the change score block and reordering it until the game ran as expected is a good, honest example of testing, finding the problem and fixing it.
One thought for your next one. It would be worth building a game from scratch in one of the three set styles we worked through in this module, a timed catch or collect, a chaser or an invader.
Looking forward to seeing what you come up with. 🙂
Hi Megan,
Chase the Pizza tutorial on the MakeCode Arcade website is a fun one and I like how clearly you have tied it to PE. Framing it around reaction time, hand-eye coordination and decision-making is a nice way to give the game a real learning purpose.
Your debugging account was good too, testing, making small changes and testing again until the character and the pizza behaved. That step by step fixing is exactly the habit you want the children to pick up.
One thought for your next one. It would be worth building a game from scratch in one of the three set styles we worked through in this module, a timed catch or collect, a chaser or an invader.
Looking forward to seeing what you come up with. 🙂
Hi Helen,
Please watch the MakeCode Arcade website tour video in the module or follow the steps below to share your MakeCode Arcade project link:
- Open your project in MakeCode Arcade.
- Select the Share icon in the top-right corner.
- Add a title for your project.
- You can also add a thumbnail image or animated GIF, but this is optional.
- Select Share Project.
- Copy the link that appears and paste it into your forum post.
Please note that this link is anonymous and is not connected to your MakeCode account. Make sure to copy or save the link, as it cannot be recovered if it is lost.
The link is also a snapshot of your project at the time you share it. If you make any changes afterwards, you will need to create and share a new link with the updated version.
Anonymous share links cannot normally be deleted or unpublished.
Hi Kate,
Cat and Mouse is a great little chaser game idea and I really like how you framed your learning objective around testing and balancing the game. That focus on finding where it is too hard or too easy and adjusting until it plays well is a lovely, honest description of the design process.
Your debugging account was great too. Spotting that the cat was frozen while the mouse moved, fixing it, then noticing the ten seconds was too tight shows you were working through one problem at a time which is just how it should be done.
Two small tweaks that might help. First, it is worth adding a block to keep your player on screen, otherwise the cat can wander outside the screen boundaries. Second, you could set a fixed starting position for the mouse. At the moment both sprites spawn on the same spot by default which is why you score a point the instant the game starts. Giving the mouse its own starting position fixes that.
Hi Michelle,
I love this. Two Truths and a Lie, AI edition is such a clever hook because the game format gets the children reading closely and arguing their case without it ever feeling like a comprehension exercise. Slipping one AI-generated false statement in among the three is a lovely way to make the accuracy point real and having them fact check means they are practising exactly the habit you want to build.
Your critical question is well pitched too since that idea of something sounding right while being wrong is right at the core of AI literacy.
One question back to you. When groups fact check, would it help to ask them to note what tipped them off, whether it was their own knowledge or the trusted source that settled it? That makes their reasoning visible .
🙂Hi Aisling,
This is such a strong, grounded plan. I really like this idea!
The fact that it grew out of a real issue in your school, pupils pasting ChatGPT text straight into projects, makes it instantly meaningful and comparing an AI text against Britannica School or Scoilnet is a brilliant way to make the accuracy point land. Children get to catch the errors themselves rather than just being told AI can be wrong/hallucinate.
Your critical question is spot on too because that gap between looking correct and being correct is right at the heart of AI literacy for this age group.
One question back to you. When pupils spot inaccuracies, would it be worth asking them where they think the AI got it wrong, whether it made something up or mixed two things together? That nudges them from spotting errors into thinking about why they happen.
Hi Catherine,
Burstin Balloons is such a fun choice and I have come across this one before so I know how nicely the two player mode works. There is something great about a game that gets two children competing side by side and the carnival setting really suits that playful energy.
One thought for the classroom. If your pupils do not have much coding experience yet, the three set styles are easier options to start with, a timed catch or collect, a chaser or an invader. Those give them a clear, contained structure to build up block by block.
Hi Colm,
I love this and it’s a great one for computational thinking. The Step Counter is one of those tutorials that instantly clicks with children because it links code to something happening in their own bodies. The running total gives them a lovely, tangible sense of a variable updating in real time which is one of the trickier ideas to make concrete.
Where this really shines is the iSTEM investigation you have built around it. Turning it into a fair test, does where you wear the micro:bit change the count, is everyone’s step count the same over the same distance, is a brilliant move. That question about accuracy pushes pupils from just using the code into interrogating it and collecting, comparing and displaying the data ties the Maths in naturally.
One suggestion you might consider, you could get pupils to agree a fixed distance and each do three trials. Then compare their averages rather than a single count. That introduces the idea of reliability and gives you richer data to work with.
Hi Niamh,
Really enjoyed this. HOC Generation AI is a great choice and I like that you focused on the idea that AI is designed by people and should be fair, safe and responsible. That framing is exactly right for primary pupils because it puts them in the position of thinking critically.
Your plan to build in extra discussion time after each challenge is well judged. I also love your plan to pair pupils up so they talk through the coding problems together.
If you try this our in your classroom in the future, I would love to know how you get on. 🙂