Saturday, July 24, 2021

Semantris



I’ve been looking for ways to explore ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE with my middle school Computer Science classees. I just happened upon this gem that mixes AI (aka machine learning) with vocabulary, keyboarding and mousing support features in a pretty cool way.

In Semantris, a project by Google AI, there are two types of games. One where the user types in clue words in an attempt to remove blocks that highlight like-words on the page. There is no time limit to come up with the clue, so you can take your time and be creative. Once typed, the program will match it with other words and remove them from play. It’s learning meanings or matching what users would associate with other words. 

The other game is a bit more intense. It’s an arcade game where you type clues to match the highlighted words on a list. The faster you type, the more points to win in a quest to earn a spot on the leader board. This one is fun as well, but you have to think and type pretty fast, in a rapid-fire manner, to keep up.

I would rate this site for 2nd grade all the way up the ladder. It was easy to access and easy to play. 

Artificial Intelligence, or machine learning, has become so popular in learning circles. This app demonstrates well to younger users just how the technology works.