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Virtual High School Workshops

Engineering Outreach at Ontario Tech University offers offer a variety of virtual workshops for grades 9 through 12. Our workshops are designed to target specific curriculum topics and increase student understanding of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Our virtual elementary workshops run in blocks of 75 minutes. For online workshops, students will need their own computer and internet access with a minimum download speed of 5 Mbps. Virtual workshops are $50 CAD each unless otherwise stated.

Electricity Workshops

  • Pitch Black - Grade 9 Science

    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 - Grade 11 Physics

    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.

Thriving in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

  • Module 1: Introduction to AI (Grades 9 - 12) - Alan Turing Test Simulation

    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
  • Module 2: Machine and Deep Learning (Grades 9-12) - Neural Network Classification

    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
  • Module 3: Applications of AI (Grades 9-12) Data Analysis with Numpy

    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
  • Module 3: Applications of AI (Grades 9-12)- Incorporating AI into Business

    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 in which AI has been used to optimize businesses and their operations by looking more into the impact on business models, uses of recommender algorithms.

    Activity: Incorporating AI into Business

    This activity consists of designing a business plan to incorporate AI into the business.

    Curriculum Connections:

    Marketing

    • Grade 11 Marketing

    Business

    • Grade 9 and 10 Information and Business Communication Technology in Business
    • Grade 9 and 10 Introduction to Business
    • Grade 11 Information and Communication Technology: The digital environment
    • Grade 12 Information and communication technology: Multimedia Solutions

    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
  • Module 4: Core Skills for Thriving in the Age of AI (Grades 9 - 12) - NLP Activity

    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

  • Module 5: The Societal and Ethical Impacts of AI (Grades 9 - 12)

    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.

 

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Actua provides training, resources and support to its national network of members located at universities and colleges across Canada in the delivery of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education outreach programming. Each year, these members engage over 350,000 youth in 500 communities nationwide. Please visit Actua at www.actua.ca

 

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