Closing the Digital Divide: Lecturus Interns Collaborate with Amerikids Productions Promoting Education & Film
This fall, 2024, Lecturus.org interns are taking a bold step toward closing the digital divide by collaborating with Amerikids Productions. Our internship program focuses on providing students with hands-on experience in cutting-edge technology, and this partnership offers a unique opportunity to implement AI-driven educational tools.
Together with the D-ID platform https://www.d-id.com/, we are introducing AI-powered avatars, or digital characters, capable of interacting with users in a human-like manner. These agents can answer questions about the lives of historical figures such as Sacagawea, Lewis & Clark, Charbonneau, Chief, and York, offering students an immersive and interactive learning experience. This initiative not only brings history to life but also makes it accessible to students worldwide, helping to close the gap between those with access to quality education and those without.
Our interns are not only witnessing the power of AI; they are actively learning to implement these tools themselves. They are gaining valuable skills in deploying AI technologies, such as D-ID Agents while mastering essential analytics tools like Google Analytics. By gathering and analyzing data through these platforms, interns can track the effectiveness of the AI tools, optimize user interaction, and drive impactful results for educational platforms.
In addition to the D-ID platform agents, Lecturus and Amerikids interns are exploring Runway AI tools to enhance Amerikids’ award-winning film Bird Woman, which is currently streaming on Familytime.tv https://bit.ly/familytimetvbirdwoman. By leveraging AI, we aim to create a more engaging, interactive viewing experience that deepens understanding and promotes a rich learning environment.
Amerikids Productions, led by Professor Lynn Rogoff, is also researching how AI can improve education, thanks to a grant from the New York Institute of Technology. This research focuses on investigating how teachers interact with AI-driven tools and exploring the feasibility of integrating these tools into the curriculum. For example, characters from the Lewis & Clark Expedition can interact with students, answering questions about their journey and adding a new dimension to history lessons.
Lecturus is working hand in hand with Amerikids to gather data and analyze the impact of AI on education. By combining technology, analytics, and educational content, we are empowering learners and contributing to a more digitally inclusive world.
However, both Lecturus and Amerikids recognize the potential negative impacts AI could have on society. Ethical concerns are carefully considered and evaluated as we move forward with these technologies, ensuring that we implement them responsibly.