Public Open University Čakovec took part in the programme of the 2026 Science Festival, which this year was dedicated to the theme of energy. As part of the festival, a hybrid workshop entitled “Tesla’s Unrealised Ideas” was organised, combining science popularisation, the history of technology, creative work and the responsible use of artificial intelligence.
The workshop was delivered online by Miljenko Hajdarović on behalf of Public Open University Čakovec and involved seventh-grade pupils from Ladimirevci Primary School. The classroom activities were facilitated by teachers Krunoslava Duka and Danijela Lovrečić. The hybrid format made it possible to bring together an external expert, teachers and pupils in a shared research and learning process.
A particular emphasis of the workshop was placed on how artificial intelligence can be used in education – not as a substitute for thinking, but as a tool for research, asking questions, developing ideas and creative expression. Pupils were also reminded that information obtained using AI tools must be critically evaluated, as artificial intelligence responses may contain inaccuracies, oversimplifications or incomplete information.
As an example of the creative and meaningful use of artificial intelligence, the Erasmus+ project HERAITAGE, implemented by Public Open University Čakovec, was also presented. The project connects cultural heritage, oral traditions, traditional ecological knowledge and contemporary digital technologies. As part of the project, stories from local communities in Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia were collected and digitised, with each story accompanied by AI-generated illustrations and voice narration in multiple languages. HER[AI]TAGE therefore served as a concrete example of how artificial intelligence can contribute to the preservation, interpretation and contemporary presentation of cultural heritage.
![Erasmus+ projekt HER[AI]TAGE](https://pou-cakovec.hr/wp-content/uploads/teslina-radionica-05.webp)
The central part of the workshop focused on Tesla’s unrealised ideas, which the pupils explored using the Gemini AI tool. By carefully formulating prompts, they obtained simplified explanations, examined the reasons why these ideas could not be realised during Tesla’s lifetime, and transformed them into visual representations.
By participating in the Science Festival, POU Čakovec continued to develop activities that connect education, science, heritage and contemporary technologies. The workshop demonstrated how topics from the history of science can be used to foster curiosity, critical thinking and digital competences, while also showing how projects such as HER[AI]TAGE can introduce pupils to the possibilities of using artificial intelligence responsibly and creatively.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes (AMPEU). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
