20.04.2021

Students develop an app in Artificial Intelligence classes

By Bruna Cronfli and Matheus Alves

Beacon students may choose, from a range of options starting in Middle School, a curricular elective subject. This year, one of them is “Artificial Intelligence.”

In the beginning, studies were guided by the process of literacy in coding and programming. After learning how to program, they went through several steps until reaching a level to develop something autonomously. Students have already learned how to create commands, understand the internal workings of a computer, how data is processed, what a system variable is, and how to manipulate it.

The teacher stimulated students’ curiosity, starting with inquiries that triggered the research on data manipulation: “Where and how is the information sent? How can it be returned? What should you do to have this information processed? ”. Based on what they learned when trying to understand how valuable the study on data flow is, students questioned whether it was possible to program a translator. Thus, the idea of ​​programming the Beacon Translator was conceived.

The creation method was to use a library named API in computing and use it as a Web Service. The user types the information into the created app and returns the information to be read. Each of the 15 students in the group, including 8th, 9th, and 10th-grade levels  (Y8, Y9, and Y10),  built their translator as a challenge, working synchronously online. From the research they carried out together, they found the API they wanted, called Yandex API Translate.

Creating this app is to promote computational thinking and train programmers who understand the logic of programming. Also, they aim to learn the basic concepts and their functions: what is a variable, what happens when changing the value of that variable, what is a procedure, a repetition event, and a control variable.

The Artificial Intelligence discipline is of great relevance. It provides essential knowledge in the area of ​​computer science and assists in the development of logical-mathematical thinking. By knowing these concepts, students acquire skills to perform day-to-day tasks, encouraging young people to envision different ways to solve the same problem.