By Kelli Shrewsberry, TECH CORPS Chief Innovation Officer
2024 TECH CORPS Hackathon
Artificial intelligence is already changing how young people learn, find answers, and explore opportunities for their future. And as AI continues to evolve, students will increasingly face decisions about when, why, and how to use it.
According to Common Sense Media, seven in ten teens use AI for schoolwork, yet only three in ten report that a teacher has discussed how to use it safely.
Students are already using AI. At TECH CORPS, we believe they deserve opportunities to understand how it works, question its limitations, and make informed decisions about how it should be used.
That’s why AI is the focus of this year’s TECH CORPS Hackathon. We want students to explore how AI could shape their communities and futures and share their own ideas about what comes next.
AI education is about more than learning to use AI tools
At TECH CORPS, learning is hands-on. Our approach to AI is no different. Rather than simply teaching students to use AI tools, we help them understand how AI works, explore its possibilities and limitations, and think critically about when and how it should be used.
Many of our AI learning experiences are unplugged, allowing students to explore these concepts without screens or AI applications. Students investigate how examples shape predictions, consider how missing information affects recommendations, and work together to test ideas, explain their reasoning, and solve problems.
For example, when presented with an AI-generated recommendation, students might ask: What information supports it? Whose needs does it consider? What’s missing? Could there be a better solution?
Through experiences like these, students learn that AI can offer answers, but they still have an important role in deciding what to do with them. Their questions, experiences, and judgment matter. And they’re building skills that extend well beyond technology: critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, and problem-solving.
The tools may change. The need for student thinking remains.
Bringing student perspectives to this year’s Hackathon
TECH CORPS students share their experiences and perspectives with TECH CORPS CEO Lisa M. Chambers.
This year’s TECH CORPS Hackathon puts those skills into practice. High school students in Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Elyria will explore how AI is shaping their world and share their perspectives on questions like:
- What possibilities excite them?
- What concerns them?
- Where should AI be used and where should human judgment remain essential?
During the Hackathon on November 7 and 14, students will work in teams to explore how AI is shaping their world, dig into the tough questions, decide what they believe, create something original, and pitch their perspective to judges.
And, of course, there are prizes: each member of the first-place team wins a $200 gift card, while runners-up each receive a $50 gift card.
Why experiences like this matter
A student in a TECH CORPS program this past summer reflected that his team’s AI project failed again and again before it started to work. What stayed with him was that each failure gave the team something new to learn from. By the end, he said he had grown not only in his technical skills, but also in his confidence as a leader and teammate.
This resonated with me because it captures what our programs are really about. Students learn that ideas can change, setbacks can lead somewhere useful, and their perspective has value.
That matters especially now. Young people have a stake in how AI shapes their future, and their experiences can reveal possibilities and concerns that adults may overlook. When we give students opportunities to explore complex questions, wrestle with different perspectives, work through problems together, and communicate what they believe, we help them recognize that they have something meaningful to add to the conversation.
Students deserve a voice in the future they are being asked to prepare for.
Our role is to help them build the understanding and confidence to use that voice. And to listen to what they have to say.
Hope to see you at the Hackathon!
There’s still time to get involved in the Hackathon! Student spots and volunteer opportunities are available. Register to participate, sign up to volunteer, or help spread the word so more students can experience what’s possible.
Kelli Shrewsberry is the Chief Innovation Officer at TECH CORPS, where she leads the development of hands-on technology learning experiences that help students build technology skills, gain confidence, and prepare for what’s next.
