Course Overview

Have you ever wondered how Alexa could always find an answer to your whimsical questions? We have and we figured that out, in Scratch. Using the proprietary AI platform built by Thinkland.ai, we introduce grades 4-8 students to the concept of machine learning and its applications in real life. Learning with 10 projects from different AI focuses all implemented in Scratch, the kids will explore the meanings of artificial intelligence in our daily life and the engineering principles behind these AI-based applications.

Session 1:

  1. Introduction to Machine Learning
  2. Image Recognition & SpongeBob and Friends
  3. Natural Language Processing & Simple Smart Home
  4. Sentiment Analysis & Praises and Criticisms

Session 2:

  1. Facial Recognition & Facelock
  2. Decision Trees & Flappy Bird
  3. Decision Trees & Pacman
  4. Speech + Speaker Recognition & Voice Lock

Session 3

  1. Brainstorming Ideas + Workshop
  2. Create your own project & Implement Multiple Machine Learning Concepts

Curriculum in Detail

AI002 Session#1 (16 hours)

  • INTRODUCTION TO MACHINE LEARNING
    1. Introduce concepts of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Strong AI vs Weak AI to students. Discuss what a machine learning model is. Also briefly discuss future topics. Includes a project that teaches computers the ability to identify an apple from and orange.
    2. Project: Apple or Orange. Create a Machine Learning model that can allow the computer to identify an apple from and orange.
  • IMAGE RECOGNITION & SPONGEBOB AND FRIENDS
    1. Discuss image recognition, including how it works, applications. Also create an image recognition model that helps the computer to identify images and create a scratch project that utilizes this model.
    2. Project: Spongebob and Friends. Help the computer send different images of SpongeBob, Patrick and other characters to their home/destination using a machine learning model.
  • SENTIMENT ANALYSIS & PRAISES AND CRITICISMS
    1. Discuss sentiment analysis, how to teach the computer to recognize sentiments, as well as applications of this concept. Create a project that utilizes the corresponding machine learning model.
    2. Project: Praises or Criticisms. In Scratch, create a program that reacts accordingly to the user’s comments; if the comment is positive or is a praise, the program will react happily. If the comment is negative or a criticism, the program will be sad.

AI002 Session#2 (16 hours)

  • FACIAL RECOGNITION & FACELOCK
    1. Discuss facial recognition, how a computer can recognize and identify a person through facial features, as well as applications. Create a project that utilizes the corresponding machine learning model.
    2. Project: Facelock. Create a simulation of a phone that will unlock depending on the user’s face, similar to an iPhone X.
  • DECISION TREES & FLAPPY BIRD
    1. Discuss decision trees, an machine learning algorithm, and how computers can use this concept to make decisions. Create a flappy bird project that uses this machine learning algorithm.
    2. Project: Flappy Bird. Create a flappy bird game through Scratch, in which the computer will learn and adapt a human player’s strategy, and be able to play flappy bird by itself.
  • DECISION TREES & PACMAN
    1. Continue the discussion on decision trees and create another scratch program that uses decision trees to allow the computer to play a game.
    2. Project: Pac-Man. Create a Pac-Man game through Scratch, in which the computer will learn from the human player to play a simplified version of Pac-Man.
  • SPEECH+SPEAKER RECOGNITION & VOICE LOCK
    1. Discuss speech and speaker recognition, their differences, and their applications. Further discuss the idea of two factor authentication. Create a scratch project that utilizes both machine learning concepts.
    2. Project: Voice Lock. Create a simulation of a phone in which it can be unlocked if the speaker’s voice matches the owner’s voice. Further enhance the project by implementing two factor authentications, which forces the user to say a randomized specific phrase in order to bypass the security.

AI002 Session#3 (16 hours)

  • Problem Solving through Brainstorming Ideas + Workshop
  • Capstone A.I. Project
    1. Create your own project & Implement Multiple Machine Learning Concepts