What do dancing Yetis, Scooby Doo, and LEGO robots have in common? They were all standout stars at the second-annual Google I/O Youth event held on May 29 in San Francisco, California.
The youth event was held on the last day of the two-day Google I/O conference, now in its seventh year. I/O stands for “Input/Output”, as well as “Innovation in the Open.” The conference includes inspiring talks, hands-on learning, and an introduction to Google’s latest projects. Many web developers from around the world attend the event. A web developer’s job is to design, build, and maintain websites and web applications. At the conference, developers learn about advances in coding and get a sneak peek into upcoming technology.
The Google I/O Youth event is open to students, parents, and educators who are interested in computer science. I/O Youth attendees get to see the coding used for robotics, web design, and gaming. Google worked with many organizations, including Black Girls Code and the Boys and Girls Club of Alameda, to bring more than 250 kids to the event this year. The kids are from San Francisco Bay Area schools, ranging in age from 7 to 15.
Pavni Diwanji, Google’s Vice President of Engineering, told TFK that the company hopes the I/O Youth event inspires kids to use their natural curiosity. She says that many projects at Google started with a simple question.
“We wanted to encourage kids to really question the norm, and ask ‘What if…’” says Diwanji. “We want all kids to
embrace coding, which we believe is the language of the future.”
The Art of Coding
Kid attendees rotated between stations in 45-minute sessions to learn about new tech projects from on-site “Googlers,” or Google employees. At one station, kids colored Yetis and then coded them on computers to move and dance. This can also be done at home on madewithcode.com.
At another station, a PIXAR employee taught kids how to create a powerful story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Kids learned how to animate and voice their own Scooby Doo mystery using the new Google App Toontastic. At the third station, kids coded a LEGO robot to move around a simulated moon surface, using the coding technology Chrogramming.
Maddy Maxey, co-founder of The Crated, an innovation studio focused on developing wearable technology, calls the event “inspiring” for kids. “Curiosity is the key to unlocking anything you’re interested in,” she says.
Astro Teller delivered the keynote speech. He is the director of Google X, the company’s research laboratory. The Google X team created Google’s self-driving car, Google Glass, and Project Loon, a program to deliver Internet access to every area of the world through giant balloons flying in the stratosphere. During his speech, Teller said the Google I/O Youth event helps the company learn from the coders of the future.
“By watching kids make things and interacting with them, we can learn how to make our tools better,” he said. Teller also told kids not to be afraid to make mistakes. “Mistakes mean that you can improve your ideas.”