Find your future in technology Hello digital native Yes that means you reader Yours is the very first generation in history to be born into a high-tech world You use technology to play video games watch movies and do homework You may not know it but there is a world out there called Information Technology or IT for short each letter pronounced I T Exciting opportunities exist for kids interested in computers and all kinds of technology Soon there will be too many IT jobs and not enough IT workers Things like artificial intelligence nanotechnology and robotics bring game changing discoveries Expect big surprises ahead in everything from entertainment and business to medicine and transportation 4
This book and the entire Find Your Future series is for kids who like computers and digital gadgets and want to explore how people use IT at work Some people even use technology to make the world a better place Read on and imagine if you can the opportunities waiting for digital natives like you In each of the following chapters you will find three activities that you can do to dig deeper into the subject matter Surf the Net Type the words in bold into your favorite Internet search engine like Google Bing or Yahoo to find more information about the subject Be sure to have permission and SUPERVISION from a trusted adult like a teacher or parent when using the Internet Explore Some More The Internet offers terrific resources to explore the world around you in websites in the news and even in fun online games Here’s your chance to goof around and learn some more Ask Big Questions Curiosity opens the door to learning and fun Ponder the questions posed here Each question comes with an activity idea so you can share your answers with others through posters games presentations or even a good discussion where you consider both sides of an issue Go online to download free activity sheets at www cherrylakepublishing com activities 5
Artificial Intelligence Scientist Surf the Net Search for IBM Watson Jeopardy videos Watch a smart computer taking on humans in a game of Jeopardy Artificial intelligence is everywhere you look People use it in big and small ways every day You use it when you get cash from a bank’s ATM automated teller machine You use it when you watch computer animated movies You use it when you play video games like Minecraft and SimCity Artificial intelligence or AI is asking Siri or Cortana for local movie times AI is using GPS to find directions for a field trip Facebook uses AI technology to analyze 6
Ask Big Questions Can computers become smarter than humans Some scientists worry it could happen someday Others say no way because the human brain is far too complex to program into a machine Answer the question by drawing a picture showing the world as either a better or a worse place thanks to robots and describe photos so a visually impaired person can see In a word AI is awesome Even so scientists are just starting to figure out all that artificial intelligence can do It is one of the brave new frontiers of science and the possibilities are very exciting Artificial intelligence scientists are very specialized technology engineers who teach computers to remember and mimic human like behavior Computers are not humans They do not have emotions They can’t come up with new ideas or make decisions Computers have to be programmed to be told exactly what to do and how to do it That’s what artificial intelligence experts do To teach computers scientists and technological engineers use rules like models databases and algorithms to tell computers how to act or respond with different commands These rules teach things like computers robots and cell phones how to analyze responses and adapt or think like a very smart person As it turns out computers can be very good students 7
