AI for Kids

How a Kid Combines Coding and YouTube to Make a Difference (Middle+)

• Ehsan Adouane • Season 1 • Episode 16

Share episode

Send us a text

Get ready to be inspired by the incredible journey of Ehsan Adouane, founder and host of the Ettan Ehsan Youtube Education channel. Discover how Ehsan's fascination with technology and coding began at just nine years old, and how he has already started making waves in the educational space. From his love for C++ and science to his innovative idea of an AI tool for teachers, Ehsan's story is sure to ignite your passion for learning and creativity.

Unlock the secrets of artificial intelligence with a focus on making complex subjects accessible and enjoyable. We break down the importance of algebra and math, showing you how mastering the basics can make advanced topics more approachable. Ehsan also emphasizes the value of coding tutorials and shares his mission to create an archive of easy-to-understand resources for future learners. His insights will help you see coding not just as a skill, but as a gateway to building your own 'new brain' through AI.

Finally, we delve into the essentials of meaningful content creation and computer science. Ehsan offers practical advice on starting and growing a YouTube channel, targeting specific audiences, and adapting your content over time. Join us and get motivated to pursue your own passions in coding and technology!

Resources:

Support the show

Help me become the #1 (number one) podcast and podcaster for AI for Kids.

Social Media & Contact:

Listen, rate, and subscribe! Stay updated with our latest episodes by subscribing to AI for Kids on your favorite podcast platform.

Like our content, subscribe or feel free to donate to our Patreon here: patreon.com/AiDigiTales

Amber Ivey:

Welcome to the AI for Kids podcast, where playtime, learning and creating collide bit by bit. Ever wonder how your phone recognizes your face. How does a game learn to get harder as you get better? This is AI. This podcast is designed for kids like you and your human parents, making the complex world of AI easy to understand and, most importantly, fun. So are you ready to unlock the mysteries of artificial intelligence? Subscribe and join us on AI for Kids. Hi everyone, welcome back to AI for Kids. I am beyond excited. Anytime we get a young person on who's doing amazing things on this podcast. I just get elated and I can't wait to talk with Ehsan, the founder and host of the Ehsan Teen Education Channel. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and why you started a YouTube channel?

Ettan:

I'm Ehsan. I'm 11 years old now and well, I have a YouTube channel, like you said, named Ehsan Ehsan. And well, I started it because when I was nine, I was actually bored, like I didn't even know what to do, and so then I felt like I should do something useful. I felt like, if I am this person that just has nothing else to do, well, why don't I use this life to help us live? So I was like, well, it's better if I help someone else. So then I started this YouTube channel, and it was also one of my passions because, like I said, I had nothing else to do. So, with that passion in mind, I was like what is buzzing, what is a very revolutionary thing nowadays? Well then, I was like coding, right, I wanted to start out with that, and I was just so interested in building and creating. This is basically a YouTube channel meant for people who don't know what to do or who just want to be able to improve their skills even more, just like find their way.

Amber Ivey:

So that's why I started it. I absolutely love that. And what age did you say you were when you had this epiphany? Nine, nine. It's been almost three years. Awesome. I wish I was as far as you are, at the age of nine. What is your favorite subject right now, and did you always enjoy technology and coding?

Ettan:

fascinating to be able to build things from different states of matter and from different magnitudes heat, energy. That's really just what fascinates me and blows my mind. I'm just trying to inform myself the most as I can and then I take courses to try to learn more about this, because I just love to build, and so that's really my favorite. Subject to your question of that, I always like coding.

Ettan:

Well, no, no, before I was nine, I mean, I didn't even like gaming at the time. So, really, because, first of all, I didn't really know much about it and, second of all, I was just not that interested at the time. So, honestly, coding I only really started to learn about it when I actually heard about it because, honestly, at that age I only heard about scratch and I was like scratch can't be, itatch, is not really what I want to do. So then I found out about the more scripting, coding with the text, and then I was like that's what interests me, that's what fascinates me because there's no limits to blocks. It's like a full library with a bunch of books, with a bunch of data, a bunch of different things I can do. So I was really just fascinated by that.

Amber Ivey:

I love that because, to your point, scratch is for, like, very early learning, like here's how you code with blocks, but other things like Python, they have these libraries of information. I love the way you explained that, like a library of books where you can pull everything you need to be able to build, whatever it is it trying to build. Speaking of building, you mentioned that you like building. If you could build any AI tool to solve a problem, what would it do and why? I?

Ettan:

would say that I'd have an AI tool which could actually help teachers go through their learning. I see a lot of teachers who have trouble actually teaching. A lot of them are really good, but some of them just need help, and I think that's really useful if you can make an AI tool to actually put your needs in so the teacher can put out what do I actually want to be able to make my class do at the end of this year and what are my ideals, what is my main focus on the class, where do I want the class to go, you know, and what are your needs. And then it tells you oh, you can do this, this is a possibility too. So I think that's really just a great idea that I just really love to build one day.

Amber Ivey:

I think teachers would love that idea as well, especially as they're trying to navigate in a world where they have so much to teach they're not able to focus on students. Being able to have like a playbook, almost from an AI, that would be so cool.

Ettan:

It takes a lot of time to actually think about it and make it.

Amber Ivey:

That's so true because they spend a lot of time doing their lesson plans, which they could be spending that time tweaking the lesson plan, if the AI helps, and then actually focusing on the students. I love that idea and I know you started coding when you were very young three years ago almost now and I know you talked about what got you interested in coding. But how did you learn it? Like, what did you do after you got the interest? How did you actually dive into this topic?

Ettan:

Well, I started with Python and I started by just getting tutorials, going back to a Python editor typing in some print statements, that stuff. But then I found out about this kind of game which would help you learn. Then I got into courses on that. Then I stopped because I was getting too much into the actual game and not actual on the coding. So then I actually moved to lessons, you know, to courses, online courses, and then by the time I stopped with that kind of online coding game thing. Then I moved to C++, which people consider a middle level language. So I'm just gonna quickly go over that.

Ettan:

In coding you have three different levels. You have high-end, middle-end and low-level. So, like in the high level, you have like scratch, python, basic, very simple things, and there it's some of the most simple languages in all of coding. But you can't do as much as if you were to go down to middle level or even low level. If you go to middle level then you have things like Java, javascript, c++, c, and then if you go to low level then you get to things like binary and then you get to other things like that. So very deep low level and well, c++ plus. People say that it's like six levels, two binary, so it's like one of the closest ones to binary. Like I said, the lower you get then the more control you have over the actual computer. So that's very useful.

Ettan:

And c plus plus. It's supposed to be an upgraded version of c and what it did is basically did this thing which we call object oriented programming, which is basically having classes which are like these huge files that contain a lot of data and that you can manipulate throughout so many files. So I just really think it's fascinating, because C++ is really meant for fast running systems, for like microchips, all that stuff. So I'm really just fascinated about that. And, as you can see, the computer over there that is actually a Raspberry Pi computer. I didn't start learning yet, but I'm soon going to start learning and soon be able to program chips with C++. So I'm just really excited.

Amber Ivey:

Tell the listeners what Raspberry Pi is? I don't think we've talked about that on any of the published episodes yet. What?

Ettan:

Raspberry Pi is. I don't think we've talked about that on any of the published episodes yet. So basically, raspberry Pi is its own brand, which lets you actually program microchips. So microchips are like these green shit that you see inside of anything, any device. You can see it inside of remote controls or you can see it inside of your phone if you open it, if you break it by mistake, or it's basically inside of any device and it's basically what helps you to actually run it. So, for example, my keyboard here this is run by actual microchips and actually helps you actually make it run. So Raspberry Pi is one of those kind of softwares which lets you use C++ for a sort of code language to actually power and code with Raspberry Pi.

Amber Ivey:

Oh yeah, and for kids that are listening, your parents can get you one of those type of computers to help you if you're really interested in the fundamentals of some of the coding pieces. So definitely check that out. We'll attach some links in the bio as well for folks who want to explore that more. Why do you think it's so important for kids to learn about coding, as it relates to their future?

Ettan:

As we can see nowadays, it's a new era. Now, all the jobs that we used to use with our own body, like our own hands, that we can actually manipulate safely and we can manipulate physically, now it's completely changed. For example, in the groceries, in the supermarkets, all of that in that industry, nowadays it's just getting controlled by these kind of machines, you know, like those self-checkout things. That's not run by a person. It's not a person behind that. Actually, that's actually a program made by coding, and a lot of things, like even this thing that we're using to actually make this podcast, is actually made and programmed by coding. Honestly, coding is all around us and we really need to use it, because even Tesla's self-driving cars, even when we had to launch the rocket Apollo 11 to go to the moon yeah, I mean, who saved the program? Who saved the program? It was this woman who just saved it with actually coding, because everything's made by coding nowadays.

Ettan:

Some of the biggest accomplishments in mankind and all this history is made by coding. Nowadays, if you want to make something revolutionary, you need to use coding and math combined. So I really think that's very important. I'd recommend go through coding and learn coding because, honestly, it's the future. It's the future if you want to make anything, if you want to make anything new, if you want to make anything revolutionary, if you want to make something that you really love, anything that you want to do. There's very high chance that involves coding.

Amber Ivey:

How can kids not be so afraid of math when they think about coding? Because sometimes people get a little bit nervous about the thing math.

Ettan:

Well, coding itself is not that involved in math. If you go to the basics of coding, then it's not really involved in math. But then when you get to the more complicated things, when you go to the more different libraries, like I said, like when you go to new concepts, then that's where math gets into place. And even the most simple thing that you might think of it really involves math. And the way to not get scared of it is that math isn't that scary at all. I mean, even algebra. Algebra is not that scary at all. It's just that the actual new concept of it that you never actually saw, that's what makes you scared of it. It's like your first day at school ever like in your whole life. It's a whole new thing. Like you start seeing numbers, it's like what is that? And same thing with letters and alphabets, like what is that? And now with coding, which uses a lot of math that you actually learn at school and university and college and all of that, then that's you apply to coding.

Ettan:

So, honestly, you should not be scared of of math, because then you might be saying, oh, but you said university, or even in college or high school you don't know math. What if I'm middle school or even like elementary. Well, don't be scared. Just ask one of your teachers to teach you some of this. Or maybe just ask your parents to teach you this, because it's not frightening at all. Once you learn the basics, it's easy. Like I don't even know why we say algebra 2. Why do we even call it algebra 2? Because it's not scary at all. Once you learn algebra 2, you can go with the next level's algebra easily Learn the basics. Then you can go through everything, so you should not be scared.

Amber Ivey:

It's not necessarily that math is scary. It's because it's something new, and I can resonate with that. People are always scared, like you said, the first day of school it's new, but if you have a teacher who's excited about it, or platforms like Khan Academy teaches it in a way that takes away the fear level. So thank you for reminding folks that it's not scary and the thing I love about math, there's a right answer two plus two will always equal four and that will not change.

Ettan:

so why is coding important for this thing called ai in ai? Once we go in depth into it, we can see that it's really like. It's amazing and fascinating because machine learning side of it it takes a lot of what we think of neuroscience nowadays and puts it into actual coding Everything like the nucleus or the cell or the neuron. All of that stuff is very nerdy, that's for sure. But what I'm trying to say is that all of this in nature how our body is made and our brain is made, and all these nervous systems that contributes to AI and machine learning. So, honestly, coding is how you make AI and coding is just how you make it like a layer deeper, like you make a whole new brain. When you make AI, when you make machine learning, you make like a whole new system, like a whole new life.

Amber Ivey:

Someone once said to me think of it like a fake brain, and you kind of are talking about that. You're making a whole new life. Someone once said to me think of it like a fake brain, and you kind of are talking about that. You're making a whole new brain, a whole new system, a whole new reality that mimics our current reality and is able to give us information and learn through machine learning and deep learning and these different methods. That's so cool and I appreciate you for talking about that. So when you think about doing your tutorials like, one of the things I really like about you is that you break things down very easily, and just interviewing you has been a breeze because you make it very simple and break it down. Can you talk a little bit about what's your favorite thing when you're making coding tutorials for other people your age, honestly?

Ettan:

I just love to be able to do these tutorials because, even if it gets one view, that's important. Because I mean, even if it gets zero views, who cares? Because one day someone might just be searching for something very specific that no one actually makes and that people just go to those very popular kind of things and signs and, like you, might be wondering specific things about dark matter that maybe chat, gpt or ai won't be really able to answer to you because they're not that developed. But what if you have deeper questions into it that no one really has answers to?

Ettan:

Well, me, honestly, I'm trying to do that with my youtube channel and now I'm starting off simple. I'm starting off with these like big topics. Then I started to go more into specific tutorials and then in the future, once I'm able to grow from this, I'm gonna be able to go to more specific things by doing all of these tutorials. Even if you just get one view, zero views, it's gonna be an archive. It's gonna stay there in history. It's not gonna be gone. I mean, if you challenge goes and it's gonna be gone, there's always gonna be there. So if one day someone just stumbles upon one of your videos and it's the missing piece to be able to accomplish something big in their life, then that can just really change your whole life.

Amber Ivey:

I love that and I love that you pointed out, especially in a world where likes and views are like how we're measuring ourselves If one view that person is able to change their life and they're able to impact so many others from that like you're able to, you're doing something that's going to have impact and that's continuing to grow and you have way more than one view. I do know that.

Ettan:

If we change someone's life, then I mean I'm okay with that. If I only change one person's life and I have a few views that I don't care. If I'm able to change more than one life that means that I fulfilled what I was supposed to do, because then that would really just fulfill my place in this world.

Amber Ivey:

And it goes back to what you said in the beginning is that you felt like you were doing that and then you created something that allows you to now actually do that. That is amazing. And again, you are wise beyond your years and I can't wait to continue to watch where you're going in the future. But before we keep going through this interview, I want to play a quick game. Are you down for it? I'm Awesome. So we play a quick game called Tech Trivia. I'm going to ask you some fun questions about AI or technology. We'll mix it up and you try to answer as quickly as you can. Are you ready? Let's go. First question. You kind of already talked about this, but oh well, it's still a question. I'm going to ask what is the base level language that computers use to understand and execute commands? Oh, binary. Yes, earlier, I didn't ask you this because I knew I was going to get into this in tech trivia. Can you explain what binary is in a way that Kit can understand All?

Ettan:

right. So basically in binary we only do the zero and one. So we don't do a base 10 number system but we do a base 2 and we have 0 and 1 and basically 0 is false in terms of binary and 1 is true. So let's say, for example, I have my computer on or off off is 0 and 1 is on. And let's say, for example, I have the lever, let's say I turn it to the right, which is true, which eliminates this light bulb, and when I turn to the left then it's gonna make it be zero, which is off. So that's basically binary.

Ettan:

You have zero and one, which is false and true, and basically we use that to make different combinations inside of what binary and which basically controls every single electrical component inside of our computer. That might be a mouthful, but basically it means in our computer we have, like I said, chips, we have these small green chips and on the chips we have, like, these tiny electrical components. We actually can control that with binary. And you might be wondering what is the use for that? Because it's only going to like, maybe illuminate a light. But no, it goes much deeper into that, because then you control the whole computer by only zeroing ones. Make up combos and make up many possibilities.

Amber Ivey:

Thank you for breaking that down, and I think it's super helpful for people to know, as they're learning these words, what they mean. As they are doing it themselves, they get. What is the basis of this language? Are you ready for question two? Let's go encoding. What is a bug?

Ettan:

so basically, a bug is this sort of error in the simplest terms. Just imagine it as this kind of bug on your back that you just want to kill and it's just preventing you from doing work, and then it just annoys you.

Amber Ivey:

I love that Last question what is a coding language that many kids start with? And we kind of talked about this already, but want to hear from you.

Ettan:

I wouldn't count Scratch as a code language. It's more programming. Programming, uh, programming is more like when you go with the blocks and that stuff. But if we're talking about coding in terms of text editing, yes, where I could type with my keyboard python most used. But if I tell you my own post review what you should actually start with, then I would say that you should start with the hardest and not really the easiest. I mean, I have no problem if you start with Python, because Python is really a beginner language. It's made for that. But I would recommend to start with C++, which is like one of the hardest languages to learn, because then you might feel discouraged at the beginning and you might feel like you want to quit. But no, try to learn a bit more and then it's really good to start from the hardest. And try to learn a bit more and then it's really good to start from the hardest.

Ettan:

And you might be asking why it really teaches you that coding is not like a walk in the park, it's not like a dog. I mean, even a dog is same thing as coding. It doesn't do what you want it to do. So you need to be able to expect failure and you need to be able to expect errors to be able to finally get the final product and to be able to make it work, because it's not some disneyland fantasy thing. You need to be able to finally get the final product and to be able to make it work, because it's not some disneyland fantasy thing. You need to be able to face the error, because all of these errors, all of these failures are part of the journey.

Ettan:

So, honestly, if you can start with c++, it will be able to teach you concepts that every single coding language uses in a very early state. Because, unlike python, where you have a lot of functions and a lot of things that you can use as a beginner, if you couldn't see fast right off the bat, you're gonna have to be using these to do anything. It's really good to learn, as still, as a programmer and as a coder, I mean, especially when you're trying to learn other things because then I recommend, start with the hardest and then, even if it's not simple, but in the beginning, just like writing the first lines, it was just like what am I getting into? So then, once you cut to the hardest part, then you can easily do the rest.

Amber Ivey:

Awesome. So let's talk about the world that you also live in, around your martial artists. You're a horse rider and an Alpine skier, all at the ripe age of 11. How do these hobbies help you with your coding and YouTube channel, or do they even connect?

Ettan:

Well, they actually don't connect. I just really do this because I think that's very important and I really just believe in having this kind of open skills, like don't be dependent on some specific thing, because then you can be slacking and lacking in other things. Also, I just need to touch grass. So it's really good to be able to not only be fit but touch grass and also to have a lot of skills. But yeah, I need to touch grass.

Amber Ivey:

I'm also a person who needs to touch grass, because it just makes you feel more grounded and reminds you that we're all here trying to make the world a better place, for sure. Can you share some tips that kids should be thinking about when they're trying to learn coding or even creating their own YouTube channel, because that's now a big thing? When I was your age, we didn't have YouTube, but now that's an actual job, career, hobby. Talk a little bit more about how kids can get involved in coding or creating.

Ettan:

Well, first of all, in coding I really recommend you to go first the principles, which includes these things called variables, which are like these small containers.

Ettan:

Then you want to go through really these functions and like, once you learn all of these basics called variables, functions for loops, while loops else if statements, like three different types, especially in C++, you have else if, and then you have else if if, and then you also have classes and then header files and once you master all of that, then really set, I mean you are good to go to maybe continue your journey in c++ and learning new libraries to expand your skills or change coding language once you've really gotten good at the basics, because once you learn that you can do whatever you want.

Ettan:

Those are the basics and then you can go over new software, then you can go over new libraries, new things that you can use to code with, or then you can go even with new code languages. I mean me didn't take me that long of a time, like it maybe took me five months, man. Then I was really able to master the basics and I mean now I already got to the point where I really hardened it and I started when I was like six coding, but I started when I was like nine C++ yeah.

Amber Ivey:

And then what about for YouTube? How do kids start a YouTube channel?

Ettan:

Depends what you're trying to do. First of all, my first recommendation is that if you're trying to go to something that you're trying to teach, or if you're trying to go to something that you're trying to teach, or if you're trying to go for something that you're trying to upload, have an audience. Try to have something specific. You don't want to go make a YouTube channel to have a whole world as your viewers.

Amber Ivey:

Right.

Ettan:

I mean, of course that would be great. But then you want to also have a specific kind of people, a specific age, to be able to actually have your channel based on them. Because then, according to the videos, then you might not really know at the beginning who really likes these videos the most. But then eventually, while you do your channel like for maybe one or two years, then you have eventually like these statistics of your channel. I mean, even when you start to have these statistics but it's better to wait like five months, six months or even one year, which is the best then you have like statistics will show you what is like the best age, what kind of gender looks the most at the youtube channel and what kind of content do they like the most and that stuff. So what are the topics according to the videos, then that can really help you with the boost of the channel. If you're trying to have like this audience which your videos are meant for all ages, then that's fine. But then if you're trying to do something with your age starting young, then you want to be able to do something for your age. If you're trying to do something for your age, then if you get older and older and then your thing, which is meant like for small kids, doesn't really work out, then I'd recommend changing, adapting.

Ettan:

I mean, it's always good to have change, it's always good to adapt. I mean, like the Romans, they did not change. I mean, first of all, they stopped working eventually and then they didn't know what change was. They didn't know how to adapt, so they weren't able to change and adapt to that. So then they crumbled and fell. So you need to be able to have a lot of change in your channel. You might think, oh, I started my youtube channel now I'm always going to be doing this, but no, you need to be able to do change and you need to be able to go on with new things, like I did. I mean, I didn't stay with one thing, then I expanded, you know, I went to new things.

Amber Ivey:

So you should really do that thank you for much for breaking that down because I think for even me, as I think about YouTube, I've seen, like the ability to need to change. If you're talking to kids, it's very different language and like if you think about the Ryans who were some of the early kid creators, ryan has to shift as he changes, or if he plans to stay with kids, he can figure out how to make sure that still work.

Ettan:

I mean now. Currently he's actually down falling. He's 13 years old and his content is more based for small kids, you know. So, it's really like you need to be able to adapt to it, you know, because then the content, then eventually it doesn't work out, you know.

Amber Ivey:

Agree a hundred percent, and I know he has like a movie coming out, all types of things, but he realized his niche is, like you said, is not taking the kids at his age with him, is going back to the kids he started with. I want to play another game. It's called two truths and a dream. So you're going to tell us two true facts about your life and one dream you had as a kid. You are a kid, so this relates very well to you, and I'll try to guess which one is the dream, and the kids at home will also try to guess. Are you ready? Okay, okay, go for it. So tell me two truths and a dream and mix them up so I can't guess.

Ettan:

Okay, and once you find the answer, be sure to laugh. Like don't be restrained to. Maybe I get offended, no problem with that. Okay, so, okay. So I started coding since I was six. Okay, I speak fluently three languages.

Amber Ivey:

Okay, and I have a lot of friends, okay, so you started coding while you were six. Kids remember the interview and remember all the things that we've talked about thus far. Second is you speak three languages. And the third is you have a lot of friends. Okay, so the first one, you kind of gave us the answer I know. Earlier you said you talked about being nine and then you talked about early coding at six. So I imagine that was scratch. So that one is likely true.

Amber Ivey:

Speaking three language? I feel like you likely do. I know right now you're in Abu Dhabi, if I'm not mistaken. No, you speak English. You likely speak a second language, so I would maybe say you speak a third, but I don't know. And then you have a lot of friends. I feel like you're also on YouTube and you're very social. I feel like you're the kid who would actually have a lot of friends. I feel like you're also on youtube and you're very social. I feel like you're the kid who would actually have a lot of friends. I think you're trying to trick me with the three languages. I think you speak two, so I'm gonna say your dream is three languages nope, I do speak two languages.

Amber Ivey:

What so?

Ettan:

the dream is a bunch of friends so I have, like I have one or two like trustworthy friends, like really good friends. You know different. But then also I mean I am sociable. It's just that a lot of people actually hate from what I'm doing, from a channel. They just I don't know why.

Amber Ivey:

I wish I was at your age doing what you were doing, so I would be in a different place. So maybe it's also they don't understand, like what you're doing, cause one thing I do want kids to realize is during your age. That's where the brain gets to mastery. So the fact that you're doing this right now interviewing, coding, et cetera you will be much better than a person who starts this at 20 and even codes for longer than you or speaks for longer than you, just because you're doing it when the brain is most primed to develop mastery at your age. So even though they don't get it, you'll be just fine and I'm not worried about you okay, so now about the three languages.

Ettan:

So guess which ones I speak I know you speak english.

Amber Ivey:

I'm assuming arabic and I'm assuming spanish, because spanish is just a top language, or maybe in mand or Cantonese, so some version of Chinese. What do you speak? I speak?

Ettan:

English, like you said fluently, french fluently.

Amber Ivey:

I was going to say French, but I was like I don't know about that one, Okay.

Ettan:

I am French, so actually you were saying Arabic, because actually I have Arabic origins from Algeria. Okay, I'm originally from there.

Amber Ivey:

I mean, I don't speak the language really well at all, but my third language is actually swedish. Swedish why swedish? My mom was swedish. Ah, there we go. Sorry, you made that really easy. I was trying to do like based on the region of the area, like I thought french, I'm like I don't think so, so I pushed that one, and then I picked chinese or mandarin or cantonese, because they're most popular languages. I'm like he probably picked the ones that are most likely to be used across the world.

Ettan:

That's good you see the poster back there that's in my channel and basically what it means is that in Swedish, etan means like the only one number one, like I mean, like a kind of joke, like the number one I like that isan, you know, it's like I was one.

Amber Ivey:

I like that, isan, you know so it's like I was going to ask you what the Etan meant, because I did not know what that meant. So I'm like it's not your name I know the second part, of course, is your name. Very interesting. What is the most important or most exciting project you've worked on so far that you want to share?

Ettan:

I haven't really been working on any projects, but now I am working on a project. I'm basically working on this application. This app I'm coding in C++ with this software called Qt Creator, so I'm coding with C++ into it. Like I said in the beginning about the AI tool for teachers, I am not doing an AI tool. I mean eventually I'm going to try to put that on it because I'm currently also learning machine learning with C++, but I actually it's meant to help teachers with their learning, so I'm building that currently.

Amber Ivey:

So the idea you had for AI earlier, we're gonna hopefully see it in the future in the hands of teachers and help them with their learning. That's amazing. How do you think kids can use AI to make positive impact in their communities?

Ettan:

Honestly, I have no clue. I don't know what they want to do. Just do what you want to do. Maybe there's something that you always wanted to do. Maybe that's some of these people that always wanted to pay back for what they did for you. Or maybe you just want to be able to help someone else in the world. Try to just make something that helps someone else. If you don't have anyone to help, just try to make something positive. Always try to use your life to help other lives, because that's much more valuable. Of course, you can have a great life, but honestly, I think it's really important to spend a bit of your time to help other people in the world and just try to change other lives.

Amber Ivey:

I love that. And how can kids stay motivated to learn coding and keep exploring new things? Kids nowadays have so many things going on in their lives. How do you suggest they keep motivated to keep going as they're trying to figure out this very new world with a whole bunch of stuff going on?

Ettan:

If you really want to do this, if you really want to build something, if you really have this kind of passion and hobby, do it. If you really just like don't have time, if you have a lot of things with your friends or if you have a lot of fun to do or if you have a lot of work, then try to control your time. Try to say okay, so if you have like any deadlines or anything like that, try to see okay, when do I have this for? You know what I mean. Like I have a test or something like that. Like, try to organize yourself and try to adapt.

Ettan:

Use your actual passion and dream, not only if it's coding, but try to use that time and try to put it in the blank spots when you just have time. Maybe it might take a bit of your fun time away. If it's really what you want to do, then it should not matter. So it's either you really want to do it or it's either you don't really want to do it or if you're like not that sure, if you want to do it but you just don't have the time and if you don't want to do it but you don't want to lose your fun time, then it doesn't necessarily mean that you don't actually want to do it. It just means that you should just try to be able to find what you like least doing, and then you can maybe X that out, use a bit of that time, and then the more that you get free time, you should dedicate that to your actual dream and your passion and what you really want to do the passion, it can be fun.

Amber Ivey:

Even though it may feel like work, it can also be fun. So I love that you point that out.

Ettan:

I mean, it might be work in the beginning, especially when you're trying to learn the new concept.

Amber Ivey:

Yeah, when you're learning it, yeah.

Ettan:

That's what I'm feeling currently. It's just like a lot of work and learning in the process. But once you're actually able to use that and apply it to actually your dream or passion, create new things that you actually really want to do, or even just like help other people, then that can really be very valuable and I'm telling you it's worth the actual effort.

Amber Ivey:

Before we go. Do you have any advice for kids who want to learn more about coding and technology that you want to share?

Ettan:

first of all, I recommend you to see my youtube channel, of course. Oh yeah, what would it be without a sound one? So I'm trying to say that. So there's the name behind here. At any sense, I really recommend you guys to go on the youtube channel if you're trying to get into coding.

Ettan:

On the top left there's like this hashtag sign and there's a number, and most of the time there's numbers. There's not a number, it means it's a bonus video. So if there's a number and try to go through those in order in the coding videos where I actually make coding tutorials, go through them in order from all the way down the first c++ video I made with the lowest number there you know what I mean like the thumbnail with the first coding c++ video, from video to video to come all the way to the new video that I've got right now that I just posted. So just try to go through these videos, learn, try to code, try to go on there, and then from that you might get fascinated, you might not get fascinated and then you might just find out what you actually want to do in coding if you really inspired. Inspired by that.

Amber Ivey:

That is awesome. So anything else you want to share with our listeners before we head out today.

Ettan:

I think that you should really just have confidence in yourself. You should go for it. If you really want to do it, then you need to be ready to be able to sacrifice.

Amber Ivey:

Oh yeah, there's a book that I just read called Find your People, and it basically talks about finding the friends that align with your life and even though right now you found two of those people, as you continue to grow and continue to develop, you're going to find your people. I have no worries about you, rahsaan. You're just an amazing person. I just want to thank you for taking time out today, because what you're doing is so cool the fact that you're thinking about kids and even adults like I'm going to go on your website to check it out. You're making it where it's easier for people to understand this topic, and you're doing it in a way that makes folks excited, like I love watching your videos on Instagram and just seeing how excited you are about topics and how you even talk to people and interview people. So I just want to thank you so much for joining us today, and I want to thank all the listeners for tuning in.

Amber Ivey:

Don't forget to subscribe to AI for Kids and stay curious. Thank you for joining us as we explore the fascinating world of artificial intelligence. Don't keep this adventure to yourself. Download it, share it with your friends and let everyone else in on the fun. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube. See you next time on AI for Kids. You Thank you, you.

People on this episode

Head Shot

Amber Ivey (AI)

Host