CoolThink@JC Competition 2023 empowers students to become digital creators

Creativity, logical thinking and problem-solving are skills that are often overlooked in traditional lecture-based teaching approaches. The CoolThink@JC Competition has been created therefore to promote computational thinking education and equip students with innovative mindsets to enable them to thrive in the new era of AI.

Created and funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the CoolThink@JC Competition 2023 was the 7th annual competition organised by CoolThink@JC, co-organised by the Association of I.T. Leaders in Education and The Hong Kong Association for Computer Education, with support from the Education Bureau and Hong Kong Education City. This year's competition attracted 312 teams from 129 schools - its highest participation rate ever.

Innovate to enhance people’s quality of life

Designed to promote computational thinking education among students in Hong Kong, the CoolThink@JC Competition inspires students to code and innovate in ways that can enhance people’s quality of life. The competition is open to students from primary four to six, who are deemed to have both the physical and mental maturity to comprehend basic computational thinking concepts. By developing apps using Scratch or App Inventor and explaining their innovations to judges, students can hone not only their logical thinking and problem-solving skills but also their presentation skills.

Mr. Daniel Lai, Programme Director of CoolThink@JC, expressed his admiration for the participants’ exceptional conceptual thinking, programming abilities, problem-solving skills and teamwork. “The student-centered educational approach of CoolThink@JC has nurtured a group of creative and innovative young people,” he said. “Talent and sector development, as well as children and youth development, are key areas of the Club’s charitable work.”

I-smart school bag

This year, Pui Kiu College’s OAC Coders team was named Champion in the App Inventor category and picked up the Best Team Collaboration Award for their innovative multi-functional device and app called the “I-smart school bag”. The team addressed the prevalence of overloaded backpacks and improper usage among children and developed a solution to help users prevent back pain and spinal problems.

‘FREE’

Yan Chai Hospital Law Chan Chor Si Primary School’s LCCS team was named First Runner-Up in the App Inventor category for their creative and environmentally friendly program. Their invention leverages IoT and AI technology to provide users with a platform for exchanging goods. Users can store their items in a smart box equipped with sensors that detect and record images. With AI technology, the program recognizes the item’s name, allowing other users to view what can be exchanged. By providing an accessible solution for exchanging items, ‘FREE’ promotes responsible consumption and waste management practices.

Professor Stephen Cheung Yan-Leung, President of The Education University of Hong Kong and chairman of the competition’s grand final judging panel, was impressed to see the number of participating schools continued to increase. “It shows that computational thinking education is becoming more and more important,” he said. “EdUHK has always been committed to promoting innovative teaching, and is honoured to be invited by the Education Bureau to develop the curriculum materials for the newly added ‘Enriched Module on Coding Education for Upper Primary Level’,” he added. CoolThink@JC was adopted and adapted by the Education Bureau in its creation of the curriculum.

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