School of Fun for Children in Fukushima

Please find a Japanese version of this report here.

In March, during Japan's another scattered holidays, we held another online camp called "Academy Camp VR 2023.2-3 'POWER TO THE PEOPLE' (March Edition)." The camp was attended by 10 children from 2nd grade elementary school to 3rd grade junior high school students. Our primary objective was to help the participants harness the power of AI technologies like ChatGPT and Stable Diffusion to create their desired VR experiences, while fostering human creativity and collaboration through innovative use of AI.

The camp began with the children playing a word-chain game with ChatGPT Model: GPT-4, which demonstrated an impressive ability to remember the items in each participant's room. The children also engaged in conversations with the large language model using only emojis, which proved to be challenging but enjoyable. They discovered that by providing prompts with situational descriptions, ChatGPT could generate a Role Playing Game (RPG) for them to play together. The participants used an online whiteboard to share their ideas for the RPG, once again filling it with sticky notes. The generated game was so strange and funny that we played it with laugh after laugh.

Throughout the camp, the children continued to develop their ever-expanding "Unprecedented World," adding new features and locations based on their interests and ideas. As a result, the virtual environment became an increasingly engaging space for them to explore and interact with. Even after the camp concluded, the digital creations continued to evolve, demonstrating the lasting impact of the experience.

Links:

• Academy Camp Facebook page in English

Please find a Japanese version of this report here.

In February, during Japan's scattered holidays, we held an online camp called "Academy Camp VR 2023.2-3 'POWER TO THE PEOPLE'." The camp was attended by 8 children from 2nd grade elementary school to 3rd grade junior high school students. Our main objective was to help the participants harness the power of AI technologies like ChatGPT and Stable Diffusion to create their desired VR experiences and to help humans showcase their abilities by doing so.

The camp began with the children engaging in a word-chain game with ChatGPT. They then asked the AI to assume various roles including cicada larvae, create comparison tables for similar words, and come up with prompts for image generation. The children also challenged ChatGPT to a deduction game, but the AI proved to be a formidable opponent, posing difficult questions for the participants.

During the camp, the children revisited two VR worlds they had previously created: the Cell World and the Unprecedented World. For the Unprecedented World, the participants brainstormed new ways to play together. They generated so many ideas that the online whiteboard was filled with sticky notes, showcasing their creativity and collaboration.

Finally, this camp ended with a promise to meet again at the March camp and to try to make some progress on what we want to do before then.

Links:

• Academy Camp Facebook page in English

Please find a Japanese version of this report here.

During a three-day weekend in January in Japan, we held our first physical camp in over three years. In this camp, children created picture books with AI, using a large language model, automatic translation (from Japanese to English to feed the text into generative AI) and picture generation. Thirteen children, from 2nd to 9th graders, participated from over Japan, including Fukushima.

For safety and emergence, we used the buddy system throughout the camp, children working in pairs or trios. The children worked with their buddies whether they were using metropolitan transportation, spending time in the accommodation, or creating picture books.

At first we learned from existing picture books. Then we learned how to use AI, and about 3 hours later, some kind of work was already born. Children enjoyed eating, playing games, and even inventing a new sport while brushing up their works. Finally, the "storytelling session" was telecast live on the Internet for the children's families to watch.

At the closing ceremony, a junior high school student commented, "At first, when I heard that the AI was to create both the pictures and the story, I thought, well then, don't they need us at all? But when we actually tried it, I thought it's great that humans and AI can work together to create a work of art." Isn’t it? Let's challenge more from now on!

Links:

• Academy Camp Facebook page in English

Please find a Japanese version of this report here.

We held an invitation-only VR (Virtual Reality) camp on the Japanese national holiday of November 3 and the following weekend. This time, we all thought again about what surprising things will happen when we find and use the eggs that everyone has hidden in the Unprecedented World that is still in the process of being created.

Also, just during this camp, the VR-world service was updated to track hand movements and perform various actions without holding controllers, so we all tried that out right away. At first, we could not move from the spot at all, and children took the initiative to learn how to move using hand gestures. We had a great time and was able to once again experience the same feeling we had the first time we experienced VR.

Besides, we played together as various cute avatars and came up with a game of tag where the person who finds the hidden egg becomes the one who chases every others.

PLEASE HELP US BEGINNING PHYSICAL CAMPS AGAIN

We are gradually resuming our physical camps starting this coming January.

GlobalGiving holds this year's Giving Tuesday campaign at November 29, 2022, on which matching funds will be distributed proportionally to your donations. Please take this great opportunity to further help children in Fukushima, in Japan, and Academy Camp.

Links:

• Academy Camp Facebook page in English

Please find a Japanese version of this report here.

On September 3 and 4, Academy Camp exhibited at Maker Faire Tokyo 2022 held in the Tokyo Bay Area. It was the first time in three years that we exhibited in person at the event. A total of 12 Academy Camp children, parents and staff members participated as "makers" (exhibitors). Unfortunately, there was no in-person participation from Fukushima, but there were those who participated online. There were also friends who visited the event.

This year, following last year's online exhibit, "Academy Camp VR" was displayed. We demonstrated four virtual reality worlds that we have created with children: "Lunar Society," "Exploration of Life on Europa, a Satellite of Jupiter," "Cells and Immunity World," and "Unprecedented World." The last world is still in the process of creation, but we incorporated some new features to realize the children's ideas to demonstrate at this exhibition.

Many children who visited the event were riveted by our Minecraft and VR constructions and adventures. Our young makers were very inspired as they looked around at the work of other makers. The parents told us that they could sense the fun and tremendous energy of the people making what they want to make.

The reason why Academy Camp values this annual event is because we want the participating children to become makers, not visitors to society. That is why we think this event is one of the best opportunities where children can communicate with visitors, wearing the exhibitor tag that says "maker". So, what kind of makers will they be next year?

PLEASE HELP US LITTLE BY LITTLE

GlobalGiving holds the September 2022 Little by Little Campaign from September 12 to 16 (EDT). All eligible donations up to $50 per unique donor per organization will be matched at 50% during the campaign! Please take this great opportunity to help further the children in Fukushima, those in the rest of Japan, and Academy Camp.

Links:

• Academy Camp Facebook page in English