Conference Program

We present a techno-pedagogical ecosystem of Active Triangles Kids (ATK) (Mena & Lorite, 2022), an interactive game in which 3- to 6-year-old children connect real objects with digital avatars through the use of Augmented Reality (AR). It consists of a physical component: a set of geometric figures: triangles, circles, squares, and hexagons that, depending on certain combinations, act as interfaces that prompt digital avatars called ‘genies’ in the AR goggles. This is achieved through the coordination of technologies based on the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) Augmented Reality (AR), and mechanics and physical components of the ATK serious game ATK. The 162 possible manipulative combinations (color and shape) activate different learning situations on technological devices such as augmented reality glasses, computers, tablets, or electronic whiteboards. The game fosters different patterns of interaction with two objectives set: (1) Promote interactive learning (manipulation) in remote and IoT environments (learning) and (2) create automatic and interactive digital support for teaching at early ages.

ATK is also aimed as a children's game for family use as well as a technological complement to digital whiteboards that are now commonly used in most nursery and primary schools.

Most educational games on the market aimed at the child population from 3 to 6 years old have two essential characteristics: (1) they are digital (e.g. watching animation on video) and are usually (2) interactive (e.g. video games) (Avvisati, Borgonovii & Young, 2023). However, few of them allow the manipulation of real objects that can be combined with the digital plot offered by the electronic device. We argue that manipulation should be the third functional characteristic for these materials to guarantee meaningful learning in the early stages as shown by the theories of discovery learning and social constructivism (Brunner, Jolly & Sylva, 1977; Vygotsky, 1979) as they facilitate the acquisition of knowledge previously to the activation of the figurative and abstract representation phases.

A product with these characteristics is guaranteed a market niche by combining the manipulation of physical objects with digital projections based on IoT and AI. The ATK's added value is that it allows the digital world to be combined with the real world to adapt to children’s experiential learning patterns. ATK, through the symbiosis between the methodology of Game-Based Learning and the IoT, allows us to move from passive virtual learning to active self-regulated virtual learning.

Currently, the game is technologically finished. The recognition of physical combined elements (e.g., geometric shapes) has been developed with YOLOv5 and it is sufficiently trained to be able to activate the AR animations. The next step ahead is to try the game with a sample of five 5-year-old children to test the usability, gameplay, and learning outcomes. Also, 5 parents will be interviewed to test their reactions towards the game.

It has been predicted that AI will have an increasingly impact on the education of people, in general, and on the training and professionalization of teachers. The proposal intends to focus, in general, on the change in perspective that implies the transition from teacher training conducted through technologies to one carried out within technologies - such as the scenario that looms with the entry of the metaverse as AI technology. Specifically, the work intends to prefigure a rereading of the 'relationship' - as an elective mediator of educational action - in light of the potential, in terms of challenges and opportunities, posed by the metaverse as an immersive training environment governed by the Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS).

The process and the first results of a critical synthesis with the CLAS-WE approach (Efron & Ravid, 2019) of the systematic reviews on the relationality characteristics of intelligent tutoring in an immersive learning environment are presented. The study is conducted by the XXXX research team of the University of XXXX, coordinated by XXXX.

The aim of the study was to present current systematic reviews on an emerging topic with the aim of identifying possible elements for further investigation; specifically, it aimed to clarify and define the key terms and concepts linked to the teacher-student 'relationship', associated with intelligent tutoring processes provided in immersive learning environments (extended reality, metaverse etc.) and used in thematic studies. Through the study, the following research question was posed: what characteristics does the concept of teacher-learner relationship present in systematic reviews on intelligent tutoring in immersive training environments?

The synthesis of the systematic reviews carried out allows to highlight some potential (such as on-demand feedback and personalization) as well as risks (such as alienation from the curriculum) with respect to the teacher-student 'relationship' associated with intelligent tutoring processes.

The work therefore allows to extend the debate on the potential and risks associated with teacher training conducted within immersive contexts, such as the metaverse. It raises awareness of structural elements of teaching-learning processes (such as the teacher-student relationship, the curriculum, personalization) which could be affected if the design of immersive training environments lacks careful pedagogical guidance.

Artificial intelligence, a field that has been developing since the 1950s, encompasses technologies designed to emulate human intelligence or to perform tasks traditionally entrusted to humans (Mitchell 2022, Natale 2022). The impact of these technologies extends beyond the world of work, profoundly affecting culture, education, scientific knowledge and, more recently, popular culture and communication (Taddeo 2023).

As a result, there has recently been a need to integrate analysis and experimentation on the development of AI literacy into the already established frameworks for digital literacy development. This rapidly expanding field of study involves disciplines such as computer science, education, psychology, sociology and ethics, with the main aim of equipping people with the skills needed to understand, communicate and use AI technologies critically and responsibly.

According to a literature review by Long and Magerko (2020), 16 key competency areas for AI literacy have been identified. These include recognition of AI, understanding of different forms of intelligence (human, animal, artificial), the ability to use and interpret data critically, awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of AI, and its more or less obvious role in influencing decision-making processes or modelling reality through prediction and feedback (Beer 2009; Gillespie, 2014; Pasquale 2015; Airoldi 2021).

In this respect, existing frameworks for the analysis of digital literacy, such as Digicomp, which includes up to 80 items dedicated to this literacy, have been updated, but specific tools have also been developed to support its implementation, such as the "K-12 AI Guidelines" of the AI4K12 project (https://ai4k12.org/).

In addition to the creation of theoretical models and operational tools for the implementation of this emerging competence, numerous training initiatives have been launched by public and private bodies with the aim of experimenting concretely with training, especially for the younger generation, as documented by UNESCO (2022), which carried out a worldwide comparative analysis of formal curricula on the subject.

In this dynamic context, the paper examines a concrete experience of AI literacy training among young people in Turin. The workshop, conceived within the PNNR Changes research project, explores the use of text-to-image generative AI tools (such as Stable Diffusion, Dall-E, Midjourney) to stimulate creativity and critical reflection on the concepts of "elsewhere", "far away" and "exotic".

Through prompts and image generation, we aim to encourage young people to reflect on social imaginaries related to the concept of "elsewhere", but also on individual stereotypes and the dynamics of standardisation and cultural homogenisation triggered by algorithmic logics (Broussard 2018, Eubanks 2018; Noble 2018).

The aim of the experiment is therefore twofold: to reflect on the role of AI tools in supporting young people's creativity and civic participation, and to activate AI literacy processes as innovative ethnographic tools for the exploration and analysis of the society.

Increasing digitisation has revolutionised approaches to education, with new multimedia technologies increasingly integrated into teaching and learning processes.

Design Thinking (DT) has over time become a pervasive approach to innovation that has had a major impact on the basic constructs that characterise the innovation process (Beckman and Berry, 2007; Martin, 2009; Brown, 2009; Cross, 2011; Liedtka and Ogilvie, 2011; Liedtka, 2015; Elsbach and Stigliani, 2018). Although it did not originate as a teaching methodology, it is still used in the educational field to support creative and innovation processes. Design Thinking is an active methodology capable of solving a complex problem in an innovative way, using creative management of the tools at one's disposal. But Design Thinking is much more: it is a way of seeing the world and approaching it (Woolery, 2019). What really distinguishes the Design Thinking methodology from previous methodologies is its human-centred approach, i.e. its being built around the needs of the individual. The concept behind this approach is to put oneself in the shoes of the 'product' user, empathising with the context in which he or she is inserted and prioritising his or her needs. Design Thinking is a human-centred innovation process that emphasises observation, collaboration, rapid learning, visualisation of ideas, experiential learning and prototyping of concepts that become tangible artefacts (Liedtka, 2011).

But with the advent of new technologies mediated by Artificial Intelligence (AIEd) that in some ways redefine the way students learn, teachers teach and institutions operate, (Baker, Smith, 2019; Hinojo-Lucena, Aznar-Díaz, Cáceres-Reche, Romero-Rodríguez, 2019; Pedró et al., 2019) it is incumbent to think carefully about the challenges and opportunities emerging from this educational revolution. This contribution will analyse the opportunities that new technologies, mediated by Artificial Intelligence, through innovative methodologies such as Design Thinking, can offer students and teachers for improving the teaching-learning process. A study carried out on 250 students of the Single-Cycle Degree Course in Primary Education Sciences at the University of Bari 'A. Moro' will also be presented. These students, future primary school teachers, designed and created cross-media digital artefacts during a teaching innovation workshop using the Design Thinking methodology. The objective was to design and create highly inclusive digital products that would facilitate the learning of the young pupils for whom they were intended. At the end of the workshop, the students also filled out an online questionnaire to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the digital methodologies and tools used, the impact of Design Thinking on their learning process and, finally, to evaluate the digital products created during the workshop.

The results of the survey show how new AI-mediated technologies and Design Thinking represent a winning combination, an innovative resource, for teaching and learning processes today.