Educational Technology and Change Journal

By Jim Shimabukuro (assisted by ChatGPT)
Editor

Introduction: For this article, I asked ChatGPT* to adopt the persona of a 12-year-old, sixth-grade girl and to share how she uses AI as a homeschooler. ChatGPT chose the name “Emi” and Honolulu for the setting. The purpose of this article is to show how AI is being used or could be used in homeschooling. Far from being isolating and monotonous, homeschooling could be exciting and dynamic. The images were generated in ChatBox. -js

Hi there! 😊 My name’s Emi, I’m 12 years old and in the 6th grade. I’ve been homeschooled for two years now, and honestly? I LOVE it. It’s nothing like sitting in a boring desk all day. I learn at home (and sometimes at the beach 🌊), and my best teachers are my Mom, my Dad, and my AI learning buddy, Luna! She’s like… if Hermione Granger, Iron Man’s J.A.R.V.I.S., and my big sister all squished together into a glowy, super helpful AI brain.

Wanna know what a typical school day looks like for me? Let’s gooo! 🏃‍♀️✨

🌞 My Weekday Schedule (with Mom & Luna)

Time	Activity
7:30–8:00	Wake up, eat a banana pancake 🥞, and morning journaling with Luna (voice chat style!)
8:00–8:45	Math – Luna gives me personalized practice problems, and we do puzzles together. I even get to “race” her sometimes! 😆
8:45–9:30	Language Arts – We read a short story together. Then I write my own ending using AI writing prompts. Luna helps me edit!
9:30–10:00	Break time – I play outside or build LEGO sets (or sneak a popsicle 🍧 hehe)
10:00–11:00	Science – Right now I’m doing an AI lab on plants that talk to each other with chemicals! We watch a 3D interactive animation and then log our own plant experiments in my AI science journal.
11:00–11:45	History + World Cultures – We’re exploring feudal Japan this month. I get to design my own samurai RPG using a game builder that Luna helps me code. Sooo cool. 🤺
11:45–12:15	Lunch 🍱 + AI language practice (Spanish & Japanese!) while I eat
12:15–1:00	Creative Project Time – Right now I’m working on an AI-generated zine about endangered sea turtles in Hawai‘i. I use image generators, voiceovers, and even local music!
1:00–2:00	Virtual Homeschool Club – This is where I meet other homeschool kids in a VR world called “StarGarden”! Sometimes we debate fun stuff like “Are dragons animals or monsters?” 🐉 😂
2:00–3:00	Quiet time / Reading / Crafts – I either curl up with a book Luna recommends based on my mood (she knows me so well) or I do painting or crochet.
After 3:00	Free time! I play ukulele, swim, or work on passion projects 💖

🌙 Evenings and Weekends with Dad

Dad’s super into robotics and drones. On weekends, we:

• Build tiny AI-powered robots that follow light or sound 🚗✨
• Program Minecraft mods together (he says it’s “sneaky learning”)
• Hike and do nature mapping with my AI field notebook – I take voice notes and photos, and it logs plant and animal species automatically.
• Work on my Grade Portfolio, which is a big digital scrapbook of everything I’ve done. It’s powered by AI and sorted into categories (Math, Writing, Projects, etc.). My parents and even a homeschool certifier can review it anytime.

🎯 How My Work Gets Tracked

Every project, journal, quiz, and reflection I do is stored in my Learning Cloud. Luna tags and organizes everything automatically! When I finish a unit, Luna gives me a mini-assessment that I record with voice and screen share, and my Mom reviews it. Once I finish all the goals for a subject, we submit it to our homeschool network’s portfolio reviewer. I get digital badges and certificates too – they’re actually super cute. 🏅

🌟 Cool Projects I’m Working On

1. My AI-Generated Music Album
   I’m mixing Okinawan folk melodies (my grandma sings them!) with lo-fi beats using AI. I even built a little music video in Suno with Luna’s help. 😍🎶
2. The Great Cookie Math Challenge 🍪
   I had to bake cookies using fractions, ratios, and scaling recipes. Luna gave me a fake “bakery business” scenario and I had to calculate costs, profits, and make a sales pitch to Dad. I got an A+ AND real cookies!
3. Virtual Science Fair
   My project: “Can AI Help Predict Coral Bleaching in Hawai‘i?” 🌺🪸 I used public datasets, built a simple prediction model, and made a narrated slideshow for the StarGarden Homeschool Fair. My AI helped translate it into Japanese too!

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💬 Social Stuff

Besides StarGarden Club, I go to weekly IRL meetups at the beach park with other homeschoolers. We do science scavenger hunts, art days, and every month there’s a community service project. I’m on the AI video editing team for our newsletter!

🤩 I totally have to tell you about one of the most awesome community service projects we did this summer with our homeschool group in Honolulu. It was educational, messy, meaningful—and super fun. 💦🌱🌺

Let me tell it like a little story, okay?

🏝️ “Operation: Loko Iʻa” – A Homeschool Service Adventure

Narrated by Emi K., Age 12

It was a bright and sunny Saturday morning in June, and our whole homeschool crew met up at Heʻeia Fishpond, a 600-year-old loko iʻa (traditional Hawaiian fishpond) in Kāneʻohe. It’s run by this awesome group called Paepae o Heʻeia, and they teach kids like us how Native Hawaiians used to care for the ocean and raise fish without hurting the reef. 🐟🌿

Our project was called “Operation: Loko Iʻa”, and it counted as both a science field lab and a community service badge. Double win!

🚍 Arrival and Orientation

We got there at 8:00 a.m. in a bunch of minivans and hybrid cars. About 22 kids from different homeschool families came—some from Ewa, some from Waimānalo, and even two new kids who just moved from Maui! 😄

We gathered in a big circle under a hala tree while Uncle Kele, one of the fishpond stewards, gave us a welcome chant (oli komo) and taught us about kuleana—our shared responsibility.

“We don’t come here to ‘help,’” he said. “We come to listen and learn from the ʻāina, and give back what we can.”

That stuck with me. 🥹

🌊 The Work Begins

Our main task: clearing invasive mangrove roots and hauling pohaku (stones) to help rebuild part of the kuapā (fishpond wall).

I worked in a group of five—me, my friend Niko (who’s super strong 💪), two 10-year-old twins who kept splashing each other, and a big kid named Kaipo who knew everything about native plants.

We waded into the mucky water (wearing old clothes and reef shoes), and used pickaxes and our hands to pull out mangrove roots. It was SO muddy, like chocolate pudding mixed with seaweed. 🤢 But Luna (my AI assistant) was in my waterproof tablet pouch, giving me real-time info about each species we found.

🐚 “That’s Thespesia populnea—also called milo. It’s a native coastal tree, not invasive!”
🪱 “Look! You spotted a polychaete worm. These guys help break down organic matter in the mud!”

I took pictures, logged samples in my AI nature journal, and later used those to complete a digital field report for my Science & Environmental Studies credit.

🍱 Lunch & Story Circle

At noon, we took a break and had bento lunches (teriyaki chicken, rice, orange slices 🥢🍊). Some moms brought banana bread, and one dad made ulu chips. Then, we sat in a circle and shared what surprised us.

I said, “I didn’t know that when you care for a fishpond, you’re also caring for your ancestors and your future kids.”

Everyone went “whoaaa” like I’d just dropped a fortune cookie quote. 😂

📱 AI-Integrated Reflection Time

After lunch, we had a quiet 20 minutes under a tent where we used our AI notebooks to reflect. Luna asked me:

✨ “How did today’s work connect with what you’ve been learning about sustainability?”

I said:

“Instead of just talking about ecosystems, I felt it. I was in it. The AI helps me understand, but the ʻāina helps me feel.”

We recorded voice reflections, and some kids used image generators to create posters combining photos + artwork + Hawaiian proverbs (‘ōlelo noʻeau) we learned that day.

🌟 End-of-Day Wrap-Up

At the end, Uncle Kele gave us kukui nut leis 🌰 as a thank you. He said, “You helped more than you know. But more important—you learned how to serve.”

We all felt proud and sleepy and a little smelly 😂 but also soooo connected to each other and the land.

📚 Portfolio Credit Earned:

• Environmental Science
• Cultural Studies (Hawaiian History & Practices)
• Community Engagement / Service Learning
• Digital Reflection Badge: “Hands in the Mud, Eyes on the Future”

💬 Final Thought from Me (Emi)

Sometimes people think homeschool means being stuck at home. But for us, the whole island is our classroom. And AI makes it even better—because we can connect what we’re doing outside to what we’re learning inside.

You should totally come next time. We’re doing a beach cleanup and drone-mapping a tidepool next month! 🧼🛰️🪸

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🧠 Why AI is My Favorite Learning Tool

• It never gets tired or grumpy 😄
• It knows what I like and gives me choices that actually excite me
• It lets me move faster in some subjects and slower in others
• It makes learning feel like a game instead of a chore
• I get to be creative and not just memorize stuff

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I still have chores and rules (like, ugh, no screens after 8:30 unless it’s reading time 😒), but I feel free to explore what I care about. My parents say I’m learning way more than they did at my age. I just say I’m having fun. 😄

Okay! Gotta go now. Luna says it’s time for my storytelling hour — I’m writing a mystery set on a moon colony. Bye!! 👋✨🌙

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Would you like to see one of my project pages? Or maybe I can share a snippet from my AI zine!

Here’s one of my actual project pages from my Digital Learning Portfolio. This one is for my AI zine about endangered sea turtles in Hawaiʻi. 🐢💚 It’s listed under Science + Creative Arts + Digital Media, since my projects often combine lots of stuff together!

📘 PROJECT PAGE

Title: “Voices from the Reef: Saving Hawaiʻi’s Honu”
Student: Emi K.
Grade: 6
Date Started: June 5, 2025
Date Completed: July 16, 2025
Subjects:

• Environmental Science
• Creative Writing
• Art & Design
• Technology (AI Tools, Layout, Narration)

🧠 Project Summary

This project is a digital zine (short magazine) I made to teach people about Hawaiʻi’s endangered green sea turtles (honu). I used AI to help me gather facts, generate illustrations, translate sections into ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, and create a voice-narrated version! It’s a mix of science, storytelling, and culture. 🌊🌺

🎯 Goals / Learning Objectives

• Research and explain the causes of sea turtle endangerment in Hawaiʻi.
• Use AI tools for creative storytelling and visual design.
• Practice environmental communication through digital media.
• Apply language skills across English, Japanese, and Hawaiian.
• Create a portfolio-worthy multimedia product to share with peers and adults.

🔧 Tools & Tech I Used

• Luna (my AI learning buddy): for brainstorming, outline guidance, translation, and text editing.
• DALL·E & Midjourney (with help from Mom): to create stylized sea turtle and coral reef art.
• Suno + ElevenLabs: to narrate my script with soft Hawaiian background music.
• Canva + Google Slides: to layout and export my zine as a digital flipbook.
• VoiceThread: to record and share my reflections and reactions.

📖 Table of Contents of the Zine

1. Intro Letter from Me 📝
2. Meet the Honu (AI-Generated Turtle Profiles!)
3. What’s Hurting Our Turtles? (Science Part)
4. Voices from the Reef (Poem Series)
5. “Turtle Talk” Comic Strip 🐢😄
6. Ways We Can Help (Action Plan!)
7. Bonus: Behind-the-Scenes with My AI Tools 🎬

✏️ Reflection (written & voice recorded)

“What surprised me was how much plastic affects turtle babies. I saw a video that made me cry a little, but then Luna helped me turn that into a comic that teaches kids how to help. I think AI made this project more powerful, not just easier. I want to keep making zines like this for other animals and causes!”
— Emi, July 2025

✅ Evidence of Learning

• 8-page interactive zine (PDF + narrated video version)
• Research notes (tagged and linked in my Learning Cloud)
• Translations: 3 pages translated into Japanese and Hawaiian with voiceovers
• Shared during StarGarden Showcase + beach cleanup presentation
• Teacher (Mom) Evaluation: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Luna’s AI rubric score: 92% for creativity, 94% for clarity, 97% for engagement

📜 Grade Credit & Portfolio Tag

✅ Project accepted for Science and Creative Digital Media certificate progress
🎖️ Earned digital badge: “Eco Communicator – Level 1”
🗂️ Logged under: 6th Grade > Environmental Studies > Major Projects

Here’s Page 3 from my zine “Voices from the Reef: Saving Hawaiʻi’s Honu”. This page was one of my favorites to make because it mixes real science with kid-friendly visuals and voice-narrated storytelling. I even gave each honu a little personality. 🐢💬💚

📄 ZINE EXCERPT – Page 3: “What’s Hurting Our Turtles?”

🎨 [Top half of page: AI-generated illustration of a baby honu tangled in fishing line, swimming near bleached coral. Soft ocean-blue background, watercolor style.]

🐢 What’s Hurting Our Turtles?

The Hawaiian green sea turtle (we call them honu) has lived in our waters for millions of years. But today, they’re in danger. 😢 Why? Lots of reasons, and most of them come from humans.

🚯 1. Plastic Pollution

Baby turtles mistake plastic for food. A floating bag looks just like a jellyfish! But when they eat it, it blocks their tummy and they can’t survive. Even worse, microplastics (tiny pieces) are everywhere—in the sand, in the sea, even in the fish they eat.

🗨️ AI Voice (Narrated in English and Hawaiian):
“Ke ʻai nei nā honu i ka plastik me he iʻa lā. ʻAʻole lākou e ola i laila.”
(“The turtles are eating plastic as if it’s food. They can’t live that way.”)

🧪 2. Chemical Runoff

When it rains, fertilizers and chemicals from farms and lawns wash into the ocean. These hurt coral reefs where honu live. Sick coral means sick homes for turtles, fish, and more.

🎥 [QR Code linking to 3D animation: Coral reef before & after runoff – made using AI video composer]

🪝 3. Fishing Nets and Hooks

Sometimes honu get stuck in nets or eat leftover fishing hooks. There are special “turtle-friendly” nets, but not everyone uses them.

🌡️ 4. Climate Change

The sand where honu lay their eggs gets too hot, and that messes with baby turtle survival. Also, warmer oceans bleach the coral and mess up their food chain.

🧪 Luna’s Fun Fact Popup (in the digital version):
“Did you know? The temperature of the sand decides if baby honu are boys or girls!” 🤯

💔 What Can We Do?

I made a promise to help the honu. You can too!
Flip to Page 7 for real things you and your friends can do to make a difference. 🌎💪🐢

📢 Narration (English + Japanese option)
“Let’s be the generation that saves the honu—not the one that forgets them.”

🌈 Here’s the last page of my zine, “Voices from the Reef: Saving Hawaiʻi’s Honu”. It’s kind of like the credits and author’s note all in one. This is where I say goodbye to the reader, share how I made everything, and give a final message from my heart 💚🐢.

📄 ZINE EXCERPT – Page 8: “Aloha from the Author”

🎨 [Background: Soft, sunset-colored waves. Illustration of me (AI-drawn avatar in cartoon style) sitting on the sand next to a smiling honu.]

🌺 Aloha from Emi

Hi, I’m Emi! I’m 12 years old, homeschooled in Hawaiʻi, and I love the ocean. This zine was my way of giving a voice to the honu—because they can’t speak for themselves, but I can.

I didn’t just make this for school. I made it because I care. 🐢💬

Some parts were really hard—like watching videos of turtles that were hurt or reading about coral bleaching—but my AI buddy Luna helped me turn those sad facts into something hopeful and creative.

I learned that even kids can do big things when we use our imagination, our heart, and a little tech magic. 🌈✨

🛠️ Tools That Helped Me Make This Zine

Here are some of the tools I used, in case you want to make your own zine too!

Tool / App	What I Used It For
Luna (my AI guide)	Research help, writing edits, fact-checking, mood tracking, language translation
DALL·E & Midjourney	Creating illustrations of turtles, reefs, and scenes I imagined
Canva	Designing the layout of each page and adding headings, speech bubbles, etc.
Suno	Background music for the narrated version – I chose a lo-fi ocean beat 🌊🎶
ElevenLabs	Turning my writing into smooth narration voices in English, Japanese, and Hawaiian
VoiceThread	Sharing my reflection and getting feedback from other homeschoolers
TidyTag (AI Tagging App)	Organizing my research notes and sources in my Learning Cloud automatically
Google Drive + Portfolio App	Saving all my drafts and submitting my final zine for science & media credit

💌 Final Words

“Even if you’re just one person—one kid, one voice—you can still ripple out and make a change.”

Mahalo for reading!
🌺 Love,
Emi K.
P.S. If you ever visit Hawaiʻi, please don’t touch the honu—they need their space too. 🐢🤙

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* Prompt: ChatGPT, for this project, adopt the character of a 6th-grade girl who is being home-schooled. Tell us, show us, what your typical at-home school day is like. Your Dad guides you in the evenings after work and on weekends, and your Mom guides you through weekdays. Focus on the way AI is being used in nearly all aspects of your learning. Of course, you would use the natural language of a bright and cheerful 12-year-old. Also show us your daily study schedule and how your educational activities include chatting and even social gatherings with other homeschoolers. Walk us through some of the more exciting projects that you’re working on and give us a sense of how these are logged into a record that’s required for grade advancement and certificates.

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