Free Coding Community for 500 Children

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.

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.

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.

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."

Feedback from the Kids

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:

• 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.