Good Health and Well-being with the help of Artificial Intelligence and the BBC Micro: bit

Introduction

School: 2nd Primary School of Nea Erythraia, Athens, Greece
Teacher: Georgia Lascaris
Class: 6th Grade (11 to 12 years old)
Implementation period: March 2021

Goal: Solving real world problems for Sustainable Development Goal 3 Good Health and Well-being” with the help of technology: coding, Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence – Machine Learning

Abstract

New technologies as Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things and smart mobile devices are already influencing and shaping every aspect of our daily lives and can be a powerful ally to help us with real global problems.
Through the European eTwinning program “Micro Circuits for Mega Solutions”, with the participation of schools from Greece, Croatia, Turkey, Spain and Latvia, the 6rth grade students from the Primary School of Nea Erythraia, Athens, Greece, are introduced to the basic concepts of:
a) coding using BBC Micro: bit (palm-sized computer )
b) The Internet of Things (IoT) 
c) Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
d) 17 Sustainable Development Goals

Through fun, collaborative and interdisciplinary activities, they dreamed, designed, coded, and implemented applications to simulate smart devices that could be a solution to real global problems and improve people’s daily lives. By understanding the way those new technologies work, they could realize their possibilities as well as their limits and how to use them for good (Technology for Good).

After schools’ closure because of the Covi19 pandemic, these activities were implemented through synchronous  and asynchronous distance education (Webex, eclass) using online tools such as breakout rooms, micro: bit MakeCode platform, Web2.0 simulators…. 

In March, all our activities were based on Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Wellness as the Covid19 pandemic reminded us in the harshest way of how valuable good physical and mental health are.

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BBC Micro:bit to help Children with Rare Diseases

General Informations:

School: 2nd Primary School of Nea Erythraia, Athens, Greece
Class: 5th grade (10 to 11 years old)
Teacher: Georgia Lascaris
Implementation dates: 15/2/2021-19/2/2021
Subject: interdisciplinary, ICT and Computer Science

Introduction

This activity was part of the European programs Erasmus+ KA3, “Teachers For Europe: setting an Agora for Democratic Culture” and eTwinning Teachers For Europe: Democratic Values ​​in the Era of Artificial Intelligence. It aimed not only to raise awareness about children with rare diseases but also to involve the students to use the technology (BBC Micro:bit) to create real-life solutions for those children.
This activity was implemented synchronously and asynchronously (Webex, e-class) during Covid19 schools’ closure, using web2.0 tools and the micro:bit Classroom tool.

Implementation

First,  the students, through a variety of activities, became aware of the issue of rare diseases through videos and testimonials, created flyers with supporting messages and collaborated with their classmates from other schools across Europe through a digital board – Rare Disease Day 2021.

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