Big data
A list of resources on the subject of big data.
Debate kit - big data
The Big data debate kit discusses whether we should sequence the genomes of one million people, to find out more about living longer and healthier lives. The aim of the kit is to explore the social, ethical and political issues behind mass genome sequencing. Suitable for students aged 11- 16, a good resource for cross-curricula projects particularly with the science department or a suitable activity for a ‘super-learning’ day.
Introduction to big data
A detailed presentation from Ben Houghton, data scientist at Barclays PLC. It is good introduction to Big Data and the three Vs (volume, variety and velocity). Other topics covered are machine learning and its use in fraud detection, legal and data privacy challenges and technology bottle necks caused by traditional computing architecture.
Aimed at students aged 16 and over, this would be a great flipped learning exercise or a starting point for a research NEA on big data and NoSQL databases.
Pandas cheat sheet for data science in Python
The Python pandas library is an important tool used by data scientists to manipulate and analyse large data sets. This Pandas cheat sheet will guide students through the basics of the Pandas library, includes data structures, I/O, selection, sorting and ranking, applying functions and data alignment. This is everything a student needs to start an A-level data mining project.
A defence of humanity in the age of the computer
An RSA lecture by the American author Brian Christian. He discusses the potential impact, advances in artificial intelligence will have on society. He postulates that the march of technology is not just changing how we live, it is raising new questions about what it means to be human.
Artificial intelligence
This is a five lesson module exploring the world of artificial intelligence. This is an introduction to the topic covering the history, ethics and the portrayal of AI in the media. The scheme of work includes activities, assessments and a multitude of embedded and linked resources. Suitable for students aged 14-16, it would be a good starting point for a AI project or presentation.
AIinSchools: utopia vs dystopia
This is a Year 9 scheme of work but is suitable for most students aged 13-16. The resource comprising of five individual lessons, that introduce students to the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine and Deep Learning. Lesson 1 is an introduction to the topic and focuses on how AI is already being utilised in today’s society. Lesson 2 is an unplugged activity that investigates neural networks and the Turing Test. Lesson 3 is all about the Maths of AI, concepts like ‘back propagation’ and ‘weighting’ are discussed in detail. Lesson 4 is a practical lesson, students train a cloud based GPU to identify images. Lesson 5 considers the future of AI and it’s impact on our society and economy. The final lesson is a plenary of the scheme of work and incorporates a short assessment.
Debating Matters: humanity should fear advances in artificial intelligence
This resource is a topic guide to Artificial Intelligence and is suitable, for students aged 13 -18. The purpose of this guide is to facilitate a student debate on AI. It could also be used to support a student project or as preparation for long answer exam questions. The guide is split into a number of sections, the first two introduce the topic and provide summaries of the key issues. The remaining sections provide links to relevant research, up to date news articles and explanations of key terms.
Big data: big what?
A lesson plan suitable for students aged 14-16. The main aims of this resource are to explain what big data and how it is processed and analysed. As well as the lesson plan, there are a number of linked resources that demonstrate how to interpret and visualize big data . There are also a series of case studies describing careers and industries that work with big data.