Wat Bo Primary School in Siem Reap uses AI to boost cultural exchange with Malaysian students.,Students utilise tools like ChatGPT, CapCut, and Canva for projects on traditional food, games, and more.,The school has two computer labs and offers advanced technology programmes.
Imagine a classroom where students are not just learning about other cultures but actively engaging with them using cutting-edge AI technology. This is not a futuristic dream but a reality at Wat Bo Primary School in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The school has launched an innovative co-educational initiative with Malaysia, harnessing the power of AI to promote cultural exchanges and enhance learning experiences.
AI-Powered Cultural Exchange
Wat Bo Primary School's project encourages students to share cultural experiences through presentations such as essays, photos, posters, and videos. "The project encourages students to share cultural experiences through presentations such as essays, photos, posters and videos, making the cultural showcase more engaging and modern," said On Kunrath, the school's principal.
AI technology plays a pivotal role in this project. Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, VN, CapCut, Renderforest, and Canva assist students in creating and presenting their cultural findings. These tools help students develop new skills, from creating text summaries to editing photos and producing videos.
Prompt:
Ask ChatGPT: "What are the key points about Malaysian culture that a primary school student should know?"
Ask ChatGPT: "What are the key points about Malaysian culture that a primary school student should know?"
This prompt encourages students to use AI to research and understand the key aspects of Malaysian culture, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation.
Developing New Skills with AI
Throughout the project, students develop various new skills. They create 70-word text summaries using AI, edit group photos for a Facebook group with CapCut, and produce one-minute video summaries using the same tool. These activities not only enhance their technical skills but also foster creativity and collaboration.
Kunrath explained that students research key points about individuals from Malaysia using Google, ChatGPT, and Gemini, documenting their findings in Microsoft 365 Note. They also meet with principals, vice-principals, class teachers, assistant teachers, and team members from both countries via Zoom for discussions, write resumes in Microsoft 365 Note, and post personal photos.
Exploring Cultural Topics
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The project focuses on ten topics, each selected to encourage groups of schools from both nations to explore various aspects of one another’s cultures. These topics include traditional food, games, handicrafts, clothes, music and dance, classical musical instruments, children’s traditional songs, folk tales, words of daily culture, and historic sites.
Prompt:
Ask ChatGPT: "What are some traditional Malaysian games that primary school students can learn and play?"
Ask ChatGPT: "What are some traditional Malaysian games that primary school students can learn and play?"
This prompt helps students discover and engage with traditional games from Malaysia, promoting cultural understanding and interaction.
Advanced Technology Facilities
Wat Bo Primary School supports its technology curriculum with two modern computer labs. The first lab, equipped with 40 computers and 30 iPads, serves younger students who learn typing, Microsoft Word, Excel, painting, and ThinkkThinkk. The second lab, with 38 computers and 33 iPads, is used by older students for project-based research in various subjects, as well as interactive games like Kahoot, Quizziz, and Mentimer.
These facilities are also available for additional research by teachers and students, ensuring that everyone has access to the tools they need to succeed.
Leading the Way in Education
The school is recognised for its advanced educational standards. It offers a regular curriculum in addition to the cultural project, with most project activities occurring outside regular class hours to minimise disruption.
In 2023, the school made headlines as 40 of its teachers completed a cutting-edge information technology training course provided by South Korean educators. This initiative, spearheaded by the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport, focused on integrating AI into the curriculum, enhancing teaching methods, and keeping pace with global digital advancements. For more on how AI is impacting education globally, you might find this report from UNESCO insightful: AI and education: A guide for policymakers.
A Model for the Future
Under the leadership of previous principal Peng Kimchhen, the school successfully combined traditional values with modern educational practices, earning it recognition as a model school. The current administration continues to develop the school into a model institution, aiming to ensure that students are on par with their peers locally and regionally, particularly in English proficiency and technology skills. This aligns with broader efforts in the region, such as Singapore wanting its workforce to be AI bilinguals.
Embracing the Future of Education
Wat Bo Primary School's innovative use of AI in education is a testament to the transformative power of technology. By integrating AI into the curriculum, the school is not only enhancing learning experiences but also preparing students for a future where technology plays an increasingly important role. This approach mirrors the growing focus on AI in Southeast Asia's economy.
To learn more about AI in cultural exchanges tap here.
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Latest Comments (5)
This is fantastic lah! Reminds me of when my niece, who attends a neighbourhood school here, got to collaborate with kids from Japan on a STEM project using some clever online tools. It really broadened her perspective, you know? Seeing how AI can facilitate such meaningful cultural exchanges is truly inspiring. Hope more schools, even in Singapore, adopt this kind of foresight.
This is truly fascinating research from Wat Bo Primary, and it’s commendable how they're harnessing AI for cultural exchange. However, my thought is, are we perhaps putting the cart before the horse a bit? While technology is a great enabler, the bedrock of cultural understanding, I feel, still lies in genuine human interaction and experiencing traditions firsthand. AI can bridge gaps, sure, but can it truly replicate the *feel* of a festival or the *taste* of a local dish that truly fosters empathy? We should be careful not to diminish the priceless value of real-world engagement. Just my two cents.
Napakaganda! This is truly inspiring, Wat Bo. While AI offers exciting possibilities for educational advancement and cultural exchange, I do wonder if it might, in some ways, lessen the hands-on, face-to-face community work that's so vital for preserving local traditions. Just a thought from over here.
This is great news coming out of Siem Reap! AI in education, brilliant. I'm just wondering, how are they addressing the digital divide for students without home internet access or devices? That's a real sticking point for us back in the Philippines. Definitely keeping this article bookmarked; loads to unpack here.
This is fascinating! I'm just discovering this, but it really gets me thinking about the scope for AI in Indian schools, especially for bridging those rural-urban divides. We have so much rich cultural heritage here too, imagining tech fostering those connections, like at Wat Bo, is quite the thought. Definitely bookmarking this for later.
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