Virtual High School Workshops

Pitch Black is a FREE workshop for grade 9 science classes, taught by Ontario Tech engineering undergraduate students. The objective of this activity is to restore power to a breadboard community after a power outage. Using basic electrical components, students will work collaboratively to complete a circuit, restoring power to the community and turning on their lights. Through this experience, we hope students will be inspired to consider future education in engineering while learning about electrical circuits and electricity in a hands-on environment.

This activity aligns with the Grade 9 science curriculum.

Powering Up is a FREE workshop for grade 11 physics classes that teaches renewable energy and circuits through hands-on learning, taught by engineering students from Ontario Tech University. The workshop combines the principles of electricity and physics with the topics of renewable energy and circuits. Students will collaboratively design, build and troubleshoot a microgrid system for a city of the future using breadboard circuits. At the end of the Powering Up workshop, we hope students will have a better understanding of what it means to be an engineer and be inspired to pursue engineering in the future.

This activity aligns with the Grade 11 physics curriculum.

In this FREE workshop, students will be exploring the basics of Artificial intelligence, the history and evolution of AI and the different types of AI.

Activity:

This activity offers students the opportunity to explore the world of Artificial Intelligence in two exciting ways. In one activity, students will attempt to identify if responses to questions are human-based or computer-based, recreating the Turing Test. In another activity, they will dive into the fundamentals of AI, exploring algorithms all while enjoying a game of tic-tac-toe against a piece of paper. These activities provide a comprehensive introduction to AI, combining interactive fun with insightful learning.

Curriculum Connections:

Science

• Grade 9 De-Streamed Science
  • A: STEM Skills, Careers, and Connections - A1.2, A1.3, A1.4, A2.2

Math

• Grade 9 De Streamed Mathematics
  • A: Mathematical Thinking and Making Connections - A2

Open Technologies

• Grade 9-12 Computer Engineering Technology
  • C: Simple Algorithms, connections to society, condition statement - C2.1, C2.2
• Grade 10 Computer Technology:
  • C: Connections to the idea of digital logic - C2.1, C2.2

Computer Science

• Grade 9-10 Computer Science
  • A: Simple Algorithms, connections to society and condition statements A4.4, A4.5

In this FREE workshop, students will explore the importance of Machine Learning and how to develop a Machine Learning model. Students will discover the depths of Deep Learning and the different branches of AI in more detail and learn about how Machine Learning and Deep Learning techniques are used for different applications.

Activity: Neural Network Classification

This activity, we will divide into groups, each tasked with the essential role of identifying and classifying images to determine whether they depict cats or not. What makes this task particularly interesting is that each group will be assigned to a specific node within a neural network, offering us a firsthand experience in understanding neural networks, as we delve into the process of image classification

Curriculum Connections:

Science

• Grade 9 De-Streamed Science
  • A: STEM Skills, Careers, and Connections - A1.2, A1.3, A1.4, A2.2
• Grade 10-12 ALL Science
  • A: Scientific Investigation Skills and Career Exploration A1.8, A1.10, A1.11, A2.1, A2.2

Math

• Grade 9 De Streamed Mathematics
  • A: Mathematical Thinking and Making Connections - A2

Open Technologies

• Grade 9-12 Computer Engineering Technology
  • C: Simple Algorithms, connections to society, condition statement - C2.1, C2.2
• Grade 10 Computer Technology:
  • C: Technology and Society - C2.1, C2.2
• Grade 10 Digital Technology and Innovation in the Changing World
  • A: Computational Thinking and Making Connections A1.1, A2.3, A3.1

In this FREE workshop, students will explore the power of Artificial Intelligence and how these techniques have been used to influence and leverage applications in the real world. This module will cover some key areas including anomaly detection and how businesses are able to detect anomalies through different techniques.

Activity: Incorporating AI into Business

This activity is focused on using Numpy to explore trends within companies and how to interpret the data.

Curriculum Connections:

Computer Science

• Grade 9-10 Computer Science
  • A: Simple Algorithms, connections to society and condition statements A4.4, A4.5
• Grade 11 & 12 Computer Science & Computer Programming
• A: Programming Skills and Concepts A 4.4, A 4.5, A 4.2
• A: Programming Skills and Concepts & D: Computers and Society - A 3.5, D3.2 A 4.3, D 3.3

Natural Language Processing (NLP) is a field of artificial intelligence that focuses on the interaction between computers and humans through natural language. It enables machines to understand, interpret, and respond to human language in a way that is both meaningful and useful. This FREE workshop will cover the basics of NLP and will help students understand how some AI systems, like SIRI and ALEXA, understand us.

Activity: NLP Activity

As we all learned from the course, we need a lot of text data to train an AI models. In this activity, we will explore how to train a MLP on text data, and we will create our own personal assistant using Scratch.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Please ensure that your school has a stable and reliable Wi-Fi connection, as this workshop depends on it for the activities.

Curriculum Connections:

Math

• Grade 9 Math: Data collection: Data modelling and collection

• Grade 12: Data Management: Probability of an event

Science

• Grade 9: STEM Skills: STEM Investigation skills

Open Technologies

• Grade 10 Comm Technology: Digital logic

In this FREE workshop, students will explore the societal and ethical implications of AI, key concepts in AI ethics and learn how to apply it so that AI is beneficial to all individuals and to society as whole.

Activity: Ethics of AI on Vehicles

This activity examines and engages in a class discussion regarding the forthcoming ethical dilemmas and the profound societal implications posed by self-driving cars in the future.

Curriculum Connections:

Social Science

• Introduction to Anthropology, Psychology, and Sociology
• Challenge and Change in Society
• Philosophy: The Big Questions
• Philosophy: Questions and Theories

 Note: This workshop relates to every course so if you are interested in having us join your class to discuss Artificial Intelligence and ethics please choose this workshop.