Unusual Electives: ORISE’s Harnessed Atom and AI and Us

 ORISE is the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. They have loads and loads of lessons.  (Be sure to take a look at the Oak Ridge History Museum.  Oak Ridge was once a ‘secret city’.)  Their middle school nuclear program is the Harnessed Atom—which is the program I use in Chemistry, if we can get to nuclear chemistry.  Do a mini-unit about nuclear energy.  ORISE is also offering AI and Us, an introduction to AI.  Here is the guide.  Explore AI as a family.  Try different versions of AI.  Have a deep discussion about AI and cheating.  I’ve taught professionally in private and public schools, as well as at a small college. Cheating is a huge issue which seems to be getting worse and worse with AI.  Let’s examine AI as a family and make it another interesting elective.