The momentum that distance education systems have gained over the past year has opened up the possibility of testing alternative models, in order to explore the development of other skills. For example, the STEM model focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, which are related areas mainly with a scientific or engineering profile.
Applying the mentioned educational method, PictoBlox, a graphic programming tool designed for children, teaches through a playful and interactive mechanism about artificial intelligence, through the creation of their own games, animations, interactive projects and work with robots.
This initiative was created in India by STEMpedia, a startup dedicated to technology in education. In addition to developing the software we mentioned, they made available a series of online courses, offered for different age ranges, thus allowing to take advantage of the time at home while promoting skills that are projected to remain highly demanded in the future.
Without going too far, thanks to the development of artificial intelligence, technologies such as autonomous vehicles, virtual assistants and facial recognition have been promoted. Just as today we can see how these advances are coming out of their emerging stage, it is estimated that the next generations will coexist with advances in this category that are totally consolidated.
Understanding this scenario, STEMpedia brought to life PictoBlox AI, its graphical programming tool enabled to work on projects with artificial intelligence and machine learning, which uses resources that promise an engaging experience for children by basing its learning methodology on project execution.
Unlike the traditional mechanisms applied to the study and development of AI, being a child-oriented initiative, PictoBlox AI can generate the first approaches to these technologies, through practical applications such as creating a face detector, identifying celebrities in an image and recognizing printed text, among other attractive and stimulating activities.
Currently, STEMpedia is working on adding new features to PictoBlox, such as the possibility of learning about the development of applications programmed in Python, both at a graphic level and also at a syntax level, in order to get into direct work on the code. Also, among the plans of this Indian startup is the implementation of a space for the community of students and educators to share ideas and collaborate online.
The PictoBlox application is currently available for Windows, Mac and Linux. A mobile version will be available soon.
If you’d like to learn more about the program, check out their official Youtube Channel.