KCC JOURNAL

In an era where artificial intelligence is reshaping our world, a recent "CS in English"  brought together young minds from across the globe to explore the frontiers of AI-powered creativity. Themed "Creativity Unlocked: Unleashing Everyone's Imagination with AI," the virtual gathering on June 30, 2024, connected 86 participants from six countries, including Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Canada, Vietnam, and the United States.

Kids experienced "AI prompt generation" to create a similar image as the reference picture (left)

A Global Classroom

The event featured engineers from tech companies like Google and Amazon, based in Seattle and Japan, as instructors. The organizers divided participants into breakout rooms based on their English/Japanese proficiency levels, ensuring a tailored learning experience for all.

Nanami's warm interaction with the kids really lightened the mood

Demystifying AI Image Generation

The main lecture, delivered by Justin (Google), Greg (Google), and Utako (Amazon), delved into the intricate workings of image-generating AI. Participants learned about various types of generative AI and the fundamental differences between human and AI approaches to creating images. This knowledge laid the groundwork for the hands-on activities that followed.

First, we learnt about the types of generative AI, and how generative AI learns and creates new content

Then, lecturers explained the difference between the process humans follow when drawing pictures and the mechanism generative AI uses to create images. Humans and AI have different approaches to creating art, so understanding this difference and leveraging it effectively is key to using generative AI skillfully

This time, we use Google's Gemini, a generative AI, to have AI draw pictures for us. So... we'll get advice on how to effectively communicate our mental images to the AI so it can draw them

Hands-on with Google Gemini

Armed with newfound knowledge, participants embarked on a series of fun and engaging the following three activities:

1. Using Google's Gemini, they attempted to recreate specific images through text prompts, honing their skills in AI communication.

2. Teams collaborated to craft unique stories, which they then transformed into AI-generated images using Gemini.

3. The creative process culminated in using Suno, an AI music generation tool, to compose soundtracks inspired by their stories and images.

These activities not only showcased the capabilities of AI but also sparked the participants' imagination and problem-solving skills.

Kids came up with various words and phrases to describe this model image in Activity 1 

Showcasing AI-Powered Creativity

The event climaxed with a presentation of the teams' creations. From eerily accurate image recreations to whimsical story-inspired artworks and AI-composed melodies, the showcase demonstrated the vast potential of AI as a creative tool.

A participant remarked, "It was exciting to think about how to get closer to the ideal image when the AI-generated picture was different from what I imagined."

This (right) was one of the closest image generated by AI

During Activity 2, one group came up with a story about a gorilla, George, which generated the image above

The list of all the AI-generated songs based on kids' stories

Learning Through Play

The event concluded with an interactive Kahoot quiz, reinforcing the day's learnings in a fun, competitive format. This blend of education and entertainment left both participants and staff eagerly anticipating the next event.

Impact and Reflections

Feedback from participants and parents alike was overwhelmingly positive. One parent noted, "It's amazing how quickly you incorporate cutting-edge technologies like generative AI into the curriculum. We didn't realize that the technology we saw on TV was already so accessible at home."

The event not only educated participants about AI but also fostered cross-cultural connections and boosted confidence in English communication. A shy participant's parent observed, "By the end, they were communicating with a smile, which seems to have been a great opportunity to start communicating in English."

Looking Ahead

As AI continues to evolve, events like "CS in English" play a crucial role in preparing the next generation for a tech-driven future. With its blend of cutting-edge technology, hands-on learning, and global collaboration, this event exemplifies the exciting possibilities that lie at the intersection of education and innovation.

The organizers have already announced plans for a special online Tech Career Workshop in August, promising to further explore the future of technology careers.

As one enthusiastic participant summed it up: "This was so fun, I'm excited for season 7!!!" It's clear that the spark of creativity ignited by AI at this event will continue to burn brightly in the minds of these young innovators for years to come.

▼ Next Event Preview

✅ Special Edition: Exploring the Future - Tech Career Workshop
✅To be held online! <Japan Time> Sunday, August 25, 2024, 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM (tentative)

Feedbacks from Kids, Parents and TAs

✅From Kids:

Did you enjoy today's event?

【Values】　1：Boring　　5：Fun

Do you want to join the next CS in English event?

【Values】　1：Won't join　5：Will join

Please tell us what you liked, what made you happy, or what was fun✨

• It was fun to think about how to get closer to the ideal when the image was different from what I had in mind.

• It was fun to create our own stories and to put into words and send the images I saw by myself.

• It was fun to create stories together with everyone.

• I liked to participate in the break room activities we had so much fun doing AI and creating a song with the story! and the Kahoot was so much fun!

• The part where we all shared our opinions.

• It was fun to see what other teams created with AI.

• The TA was kind.

• It was fun to write sentences and talk in class.

Other messages:

• nothing I had fun, and this was so fun I excited for season 7!!!

• I couldn't generate on my own PC, so the teacher typed it in for me. Thank you. I was happy to learn a lot of the latest information.

• I thought this might be a way for everyone to enjoy English.

✅From Parents

Was the event a good experience for your childen?

【Values】　1：Don't think so　5：I do think so

Will you join the next CS in English event?

【Values】　1：Won't join　5：Will join

Please tell us about anything that made you happy or was good about this event, any changes in your own feelings, or any episodes with your child😊

• We were able to hear from engineers we don't usually interact with, and also connect with students from other prefectures. I was very happy that my child was able to speak up voluntarily in this context.

• It was a very timely topic as we had just been talking about ChatGPT in our family.

• Although my child is shy, towards the end they seemed to be communicating with a smile, so I think it might have been an opportunity to start communicating in English.

• When we first participated, my child's English was shaky and it was a class where Japanese was spoken, but now it's all in English, and as a parent, I can't keep up with the English conversations the children are participating in - I'm just amazed at their growth. I thought it was really amazing that you could immediately incorporate and introduce the latest technology like generative AI, not past technology. I didn't know that the technology we saw on TV was already so close at hand that we could do it at home. My child found it interesting and started trying it out on their own during class, getting really into it.

• I am glad this instance worked well with my kids' schedule, and they finally got a chance to participate. (I wanted my kids to join this program since last year but they always had schedule conflicts.) I thought this program mainly covered ML in the past instances so I expected the same for today's instance, and it was a good surprise to see today's class covered generative AI in different media types.

If you have any other impressions, comments, or messages for the instructors and staff, please let us know!

• Thank you for kindly supporting the children. Interacting like this gives them a chance to think about English, AI, and questions like "Where is Seattle?", greatly expanding their world!!

• Thank you for always planning fun events. We were literally counting down the days until the event day. We look forward to participating again next time.

• For my son, it was a stimulating experience to connect with people overseas and many others. He was impressed that he could create pictures in a group and make cool music in an instant. Thank you for providing such a valuable experience.

• Thank you! This program is amazing!

<For TAs> What did you find fulfilling?

• Have a lot fun to help students to learn

• Have more chance to volunteer while I am into Japan culture, language.

• I enjoy sharing the knowledge and at the same time we can learn from children

• Because I've always been interested in education and can contribute to children's interest in IT.

• Because I was able to spend valuable time with the children and it also led to improving my own knowledge.

• The children's raw reactions are stimulating, and ideas come to mind about what I'd like to teach my own children.

What were the things that went well at the event?

• Working with students to complete Activities

• All 3 topics were good

• Being able to facilitate the workout according to schedule.

• Being able to complete the works within the time limit. There was a lot of dialogue between the children and TAs.

• This time, we were able to have interactive conversations with all the participating children and let them experience generative AI. The parents were also very cooperative and showed interest, and I myself was able to have a very enjoyable time.

✅From TAs

What do you find fulfilling?

• Have a lot fun to help students to learn

• Have more chance to vonlunteer while I am into Japan culture, language.

• I enjoy sharing the knowledge and at the same time we can learn from childrens

• Originally, I have an interest in education, and I can contribute to the children's interest and enthusiasm for IT.

• I was able to spend valuable time with the children, and it also led to the improvement of my own knowledge.

• The children's real reactions are stimulating, and ideas come to mind, such as wanting to teach my own children these things.

What were the things that went well at the event? 

• Working with students to complete Activities

• All 3 topics were good

• I was able to facilitate the workout according to the schedule."

• "We were able to complete the work within the allotted time. There was a lot of dialogue between the children and the TA.

• This time, I was able to let all the children who participated experience generative AI interactively while having conversations. The parents were also very cooperative and showed great interest, and I had a very enjoyable time myself.

Participating TAs:

Aadila（Atlanta, GA）
Aya （Tokyo）
Charles（Seattle）
Chenyi（Seattle）
Erin（Tokyo）
Greg （Seattle）
Haruka （Georgia）
Isabelle（Mountain View）
Johnny （Mountain View）
Junko（Sunnyvale）
Justin（Seattle）
Keigo（Fukuoka）
Kenji（Seattle）
Li（Seattle）
Masaki（Seattle）
Masataka（Fukuoka）
Mateusz （Mountain View）
Matthew（Tokyo）
Michelle（Seattle）
Mingyuan（Seattle）
Naoko（Fukuoka）
Rachel（Seattle）
Reiko（Seattle）
Ryan（Mountain View）
Ryuichi（Seattle）
Sam（Mountain View）
Shinsuke（Tokyo）
Srinivas（Tokyo）
Utako（Tokyo）
Yu（Seattle）

Thank you very much, everyone!!

☆☆CS in English Project Team☆☆

Seattle Team： Seattle IT Japanese Professionals
Kumamoto Team： 特定非営利活動法人くまもと L R ネット
Fukuoka Team： 一般社団法人Kids Code Club

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