Artificial intelligence and robots are making schools in rural areas

Guanshan Middle School in Suining County, Jiangsu Province, east China, is unusual in the area. Not in the county seat, but in the countryside and on the border with neighboring Anhui Province. The number of schoolchildren has increased from 300 just five years ago to nearly 2,000 now. what is the reason? What special changes have occurred in this rural school in recent years? Recent school unique robotics competition provides important answers.

Drones, robots and 3D printers can be seen on the field of competition. More than 100 robots were shown at the event. Intelligent software (AI), advanced sensors and of course children control the machines that were delivered to the rural school as part of the support program. Kids controlled robots to perform a variety of fun tasks.

Wang Yuen, a teacher at Guanshan School, said, “We started programming to give students the knowledge and skills, to program artificial intelligence, and use robots. The students who participated in the competition have been trained for a long time. Our Guanshan school is a rural middle school. Children had nothing to do with robots before. So they were all overjoyed. “

Peng Yuelong, principal of Guanshan School, said, “Our students are all from rural areas. The school’s teaching staff is relatively weak. Rural schools usually do not conduct such high-tech activities. We pride ourselves on having created something in this field. We regard scientific and technological promotion as tantamount to A breakthrough in the development of our school. We want to develop students ’research spirit and problem-solving skills.

Many of the students at Guanshan School come from poor rural families in the area. To them, the robots that were delivered to the school by the Jiangsu Provincial Education Bureau looked like objects from another world.

“Providing quality education for children in poor areas is an important way to escape poverty in rural areas. Nowadays, robots are very popular in cities, but they are rarely seen in rural areas,” said Chu Feng, in charge of the Jiangsu Provincial Education Promotion Program. We are striving to give children in rural areas the same education and platform as their urban peers. ”

Thanks to the efforts of various parties, Guanshan School now has three professional teachers who teach how to use artificial intelligence, such as programming and making robots. In addition, the three AI specialists regularly ensure that the appropriate activities and competitions are organized.

Student Zhang Junjie said, “I really like the AI ​​course. In the classroom, the teacher encourages us to do things by ourselves and does not restrict us in programming. We feel very free.”

Student Zhang Wentao also shares his point of view: “I especially love operating a robot. It’s very good. It opens my mind and helps me improve problem-solving skills in math. I look forward to spending time with the robot every day and it has become a part of my life.”