Bumper Cars on Ice, Coding with Minecraft, and the Latest GIANT AI Report!
Things We Love:
Bumper Cars On Ice!
New York City has no shortage of fun winter activities, and four years ago, the Winter Village at Bryant Park introduced Bumper Cars on Ice. This weekend, the bumper cars are back at Bryant Park, and riders can glide, spin, and bump their way across the ice while controlling their cars with joysticks! Similar to the GIANT Battle Bots and other vehicles that GIANT kids have constructed throughout the years, these ice bumper cars are powered by DC motors.
Creative STEM in Action:
Coding Can Be Fun and Playful - Minecraft Coding Class at Hunter Elementary
GIANT coding classes are a staple and a perfect example of our commitment to teaching kids about STEAM and innovation. These classes give kids the perfect opportunity to tap into their creativity while also learning problem solving and STEM based skills. In addition, instructors find that these classes have a uniquely collaborative energy that many wouldn’t expect from coding.
Learning to Think Outside the Box...With the Box!
“Try thinking outside the box” is a phrase many of us have heard throughout our lives as words of encouragement and inspiration. Coincidentally enough, one of our favorite books here at GIANT is about just that, but it also involves the box itself. Not A Box, a children's book by Antoinette Portis is all about taking something as simple and basic as a box and turning it into something extraordinary!
The GIANT Room Partners with NYC DOE Software Engineering Program for the First PD Session at Cooper Union
Recently, we had the pleasure of conducting a professional learning session for teachers aimed at integrating computational thinking, game design, and unplugged computational learning in elementary schools. As part of this city-wide effort to incorporate coding and computational thinking into K-5 curriculum, funded by the NYC Department of Education SEPjr (Software Engineering Program Junior) Program, The GIANT Room will be conducting three Professional Development sessions this year, with our inaugural session held at Cooper Union.
Connecting With Kids Through Their Questions
As the parent of an 8 year-old, I have been asked hundreds of thousands of questions by said kid. Research has shown that kids can ask an average of 200 questions each day. Some of these questions require me to answer, “Good question. Let me think about it and get back to you.” Whether it’s a question that I would rather answer when she’s 18 (or, quite frankly never), or a multi-layered question about politics or what my favorite song in the world is (I could write an essay on this)–I find many of my child’s questions to be exhausting. However, there is one kind of question that I never tire of. When my kid begins her question with “Would you rather…”, it’s game on!
Have You Checked out The GIANT Game Set: Would You Rather…?
Co-designed and co-written by more than 25 GIANT kids, AI, and a multidisciplinary team of artists, educators, and writers at The GIANT Room, this game set invites all kids (and adults) to answer the silliest, grossest, most interesting, and weirdest “Would you rather...” questions! These questions will help you reflect on your emotions, make you smile with a rhyme, gross you out, spark a debate, and give you the giggles!
A conversation catalyst that is perfect for bonding moments, empathy-building, and flexing those creative muscles, our GIANT "Would You Rather" Game Set prompts players to write, draw, or even finger paint their responses in a super fun comic book format AND via a deck of cards–invite your family, friends, pets, teachers, and neighbors to play!
The GIANT AI Report!
The fast-paced AI landscape may seem overwhelming, as we are constantly inundated with new developments and breaking news. The GIANT AI Report is here to break it down into digestible bite-sized pieces that are currently relevant to parenting and education.
The fast-paced AI landscape may seem overwhelming, as we are constantly inundated with new developments and breaking news. The GIANT AI Report is here to break it down into digestible bite-sized pieces that are currently relevant to parenting and education.
Samsung details ‘Galaxy AI’ and a feature that can translate phone calls in real time Samsung is emphasizing its commitment to AI in smartphones through a new blog post, introducing "a new era of Galaxy AI." The company plans to integrate artificial intelligence into its smartphones, featuring a real-time translation service named "AI Live Translate Call" that operates on-device for enhanced security and privacy. Expected to debut with the Galaxy S24 lineup in 2024, Samsung's AI push aligns with the race among smartphone manufacturers, with competitors like Google and Apple also investing heavily in AI-powered features to stay competitive in the market.
Microsoft's Copilot AI app expands to iPhone, iPad - here's what you can do with it Microsoft's Copilot app, initially exclusive to Android, is now available for iPhone and iPad users, featuring advanced AI models GPT-4 and DALL-E 3. Released on December 29 on the App Store, the app leverages generative AI chatbots for interactive conversations and tasks. Users can engage with the app without an account, but signing in with a Microsoft account unlocks additional features, allowing for extended conversations and more in-depth queries, including the ability to analyze uploaded images.
Microsoft wants to add a Copilot key to your PC keyboard Microsoft aims to make 2024 the "year of the AI PC" with the introduction of a physical Copilot key, which will join the standard PC keyboard layout alongside keys like Control, Alt, and Windows. Positioned to replace the right Control key, the Copilot key is designed to streamline engagement with the Copilot in Windows experience, marking the first significant change to the Windows PC keyboard in nearly three decades. Soon your kids will have AI right at their fingertips–literally!
OpenAI's ChatGPT App Store Is Already the Wild Wild West OpenAI has recently unveiled its ChatGPT app store, reminiscent of Apple's App Store, marking a significant development in the field of custom chatbots. The platform has encountered initial challenges with some bots violating store rules, a common occurrence in the wake of groundbreaking tech launches. With over three million GPTs created in just two months, OpenAI envisions a marketplace akin to Apple's, offering opportunities for smaller businesses to tap into new revenue streams. While the monetization strategy remains somewhat unclear, a "GPT builder revenue program" is set to launch in Q1, initially compensating US builders based on user engagement. Kids and Parents, commence the GPT creations!
The Homepage of AI Thinking of creating your own GPT? Or perhaps you are looking for new ways to incorporate AI into your daily life, or even your kids’ daily lives. Check out the AI Tool Report’s Homepage of AI, a very comprehensive database of AI tools that fall under a wide spectrum of different categories including copywriting, fitness, search engines, human resources, video generator, education assistant, transcriber, research, finance, and so much more!
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