Beringen (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Belfius Digitruck made its first test stop at OBAMA Primary School in Beringen, marking a key step in digital learning innovation for local students.
It is a shipping container that has been transformed into a mobile classroom where kids may playfully learn about artificial intelligence. In the upcoming months, the truck will go throughout the remainder of Flanders.
Artificial intelligence has become an indispensable part of our society.
“But it’s important to look at it critically,”
is the message of the AI for Youth project.
“With the AI applications in the Digitruck, we want to make children aware of the mechanisms behind artificial intelligence,”
says Barbara De Weyer.
“Children are already using ChatGPT, but they don’t approach it critically. We want to make children resilient and media-literate. In this way, we also want to bridge the digital divide, which many children still face.”
Today, Leonie and Emiel experienced the vehicle for the first time.
“I use ChatGPT regularly,”
says Leonie van Dyck-Appels.
“Today we learned how to write a good prompt, and we were able to ask ChatGPT for it.”
“AI can help me with schoolwork,”
Emiel continues.
“If I have to write a story, I sometimes use ChatGPT to find a topic. We also learned that AI isn’t always 100% accurate.”
Children should think critically about AI, according to the Beringen school.
“We want to teach our children that there are advantages,”
says principal Maura Smeyers.
“But that there are also pitfalls and disadvantages to AI. Over the next two weeks, we’re going to immerse our children in this world so they can use it effectively.”
In the upcoming months, the Digitruck will travel throughout Flanders, stopping at towns, municipalities, and schools.
How does Digitruck support bilingual English French lessons?
No vindicated information links Belfius Digitruck directly to supporting bilingual English- French assignments, as its primary focus remains general digital knowledge and banking education rather than language-specific classes.
The mobile unit could enable bilingual interfaces on its workstations, allowing switches between English and French for apps, tutorials, or banking simulations, abetting scholars in OBAMA Primary School’s multilingual terrain.
Interactive modules might incorporate binary- language prompts for digital chops like online navigation or fiscal knowledge, fostering absorption; still, this would depend on customized software rather than standard Digitruck programming.
Belfius Digitruck tenures Belgium to bridge digital gaps, offering hands- on tech training; an academy airman aligns with edtech trends, conceivably boosting fiscal knowledge or STEM programs locally.
