Localized Implementations of AIED Unplugged in Brazil

• In Event: AIED Unplugged: Advancing equity and peace through artificial intelligence in low-resource contexts

Proposal

Brazil offers a critical case for examining the promise of AIED Unplugged, given its sharp regional inequalities in digital access (CGI.br, 2022). This presentation, led by the Núcleo de Excelência em Tecnologias Sociais (NEES), will share practical experiences implementing unplugged approaches across diverse Brazilian contexts, from rural municipalities in the Northeast to schools in the Amazon. Implementations were conducted in partnership with local education secretariats, with strong emphasis on co-design with teachers and adaptation to curricular needs. Evidence from these experiences highlights increased student engagement in problem-solving and computational thinking activities, along with strengthened teacher capacity to integrate AI literacy without reliance on internet connectivity. These initiatives also fostered closer collaboration between schools and local governments, promoting pathways to policy integration. The discussion will reflect on challenges of scalability and sustainability, while demonstrating how unplugged innovations can function as equity-oriented strategies in low-resource settings (Papert, 1980; Mitra, 2019). This Brazilian experience provides valuable lessons for other countries facing similar connectivity gaps.

Author

• Diego Dermeval Medeiros da Cunha Matos, Federal University of Alagoas