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From universities flipping the classroom to one man’s mission to preserve the art the Khene (learn on below), educators in Thailand are doing some pretty cool things with YouTube. Here’s a look at some of the ways bright Thai minds are using online video to create, broadcast and share new ways to learn.

Choc Chip Channel

What do you get when you take three of Thailand’s top Kids TV companies (Be Amazing Edutainment.,Ltd, Miracle Mushroom Co., Ltd, and Tamone Thai Co. Ltd) and get them to collaborate online? Choc Chip Channel, their new YouTube channel, is a dynamic digital playground for kids full of fun and wholesome video content. This YouTube channel is all about “edutainment,” or content that simultaneously educates and entertains kids across a variety of subjects, including Science, English, Art and everyday life experiences. Give the Choc Chip Channel edutainment approach a go by testing your own knowledge of floating oranges in the video above.

Ban Nong Yang Ngua school, At-Samat District, Roi Et

The art of playing the“แคน,” a Thai instrument known as the Khene, was born in Thailand’s northeastern Esarn culture. But it has quickly faded as the number of Khene masters has declined. Determined to change this, Weerachai Martluplao began creating instructional tutorials about the Khene, first using video recordings and CDs. Three years ago, Weerachai discovered YouTube and has since made his Khene tutorials fully digital. From lessons for all levels of players to his own performances, Weerachai’s YouTube channel is helping people within Thailand and around the world discover the art of the Khene again. Check out the video above to hear some of Weerachai’s students play these traditional Thai pipes.

Orm School

Thai students looking for some extra help with math or science can tune in to Orm School on YouTube. Dedicated to creating high-quality educational videos for everyone, Orm School has collaborated with some of Thailand’s top tutors to produce over 10,000 video tutorials. To date, their fans have watched these tutorials for over 43,584,217 minutes...that’s nearly 83 years of educational content watched online by students of all backgrounds! Next time you have a question about the Thai O-NETs (Ordinary National Educational Tests), check out their channel for over 100 different playlists full of easy-to-watch lessons.

Khon Kaen University

Khon Kaen University, one of Thailand’s nine national research universities, uses their YouTube channel as a platform to broadcast not only their own teaching content in Thai but also video projects created by their students. Their channel brings together university programming and student creativity through nearly 1,000 videos, which now have over 1.3 million views. Check out the video above for a taste of the content that Khon Kaen University fans can discover through YouTube.


These are just a few of the stories we’ve seen, but hope to see much more as educators and students look for new ways to learn online. For those of you interested in getting started on YouTube, head over to https://creatoracademy.withgoogle.com/page/education

Posted by Ariya Ariya Banomyong, Country Head, YouTube Thailand, who recently watched "You Can Learn Anything"

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Back in 2012, Japanese game company Square Enix released an Android version of their legendary “Final Fantasy III,” allowing fans of the 1990 hit a chance to relive their console-dominated youth on a smartphone or tablet. Today in Tokyo, we announced that Android TV is coming to Japan — starting with the Nexus Player, which will go on sale for the first time outside of North America at the end of February for JPY12,800, allowing the “Final Fantasy III” Android app (and countless others) to be played on their TV with a game controller, like in the old days.

We announced Android TV at Google I/O in 2014 as a new platform that puts Android inside televisions and set-top boxes. Just by speaking to the remote, you can find live TV shows, a new movie release on Google Play, or a cooking video on YouTube and watch them all on the biggest screen in your house. You can also use the remote, and the separate game controller, to turn your TV and Android games into a gaming console. (And pick up the game on your smartphone where you left off).

Nexus Player, a collaboration with Asus, can also stream movies, music and videos and allows you to cast entertainment from almost any Chromebook, Android device or iOS device to your TV.

In time with the launch, we’ll also have apps for Japanese content available in Japan, including Video Market, Hot Pepper Beauty, Ryori Sapuri and Hulu’s offering in Japan. And with classic games like “Final Fantasy III” and “Soul Calibur” available, Android gaming can be taken to whole new dimension.

Posted by Chie Mushiga, Product Marketing Manager, Google Japan

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Visitors to our Google Korea domain, google.co.kr, today will see a very special doodle commemorating the life of intrepid female mountaineer Ji Hyeon-ok.  She would have turned 56 today.

Ji Hyeon-ok led the first team of Korean female mountaineers to Mt. Everest, and was the world’s first female mountaineer to ever succeed in climbing peaks above 8000m without supplemental oxygen and without a sherpa.

One of many mountain views Ji Hyeon-ok must have relished, this one a photo sphere from Google Maps

In addition to Everest, Ji also climbed Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II and Annapurna—the first female Korean mountaineer to do so. But right after the crowning achievement of climbing Annapurna in 1999, she sadly passed away on the descent to the basecamp. Today’s doodle celebrates this remarkable woman’s bravery in forging paths and reaching new heights, where few have dared to go before.

Posted by Heajin Lee, Marketing Manager, Google Korea

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Editor’s note: This post comes from Jehan Ara, President of the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA), a platform to promote and develop the country’s tech industry.

Pakistan’s commercial capital, Karachi, is a city of 25 million people. It attracts people from across the subcontinent who dream of building a better future for themselves. Opening The Nest I/O, an incubator and startup space here will hopefully help some of them turn their dreams into reality.

Across Asia, we’re seeing home-grown companies expand and succeed at home and abroad. Flipkart in India and Groopic in Pakistan come to mind. While we’ve seen the Pakistani startup community grow in recent years - with local-born innovations and startups like RemoteInterview.io, Eyedeus Labs, Convo and The Markhor, paving the way - there’s still a lot of untapped potential.

By opening The Nest I/O, P@SHA is expanding support to the Pakistani tech startup community in partnership with Google for Entrepreneurs and Samsung, and with support from the U.S. State Department. The Nest’s over 6,500 sq ft of physical space will provide a home for entrepreneurs where they’ll have access to mentors, training and community events.

In our first year of operation, we plan to support over 50 startups and provide co-working space to an additional 700 entrepreneurs. As part of the Google For Entrepreneurs global community, we look forward to being able to provide startups in Karachi the opportunity to freely sit and connect with over 30 startup hubs around the world from Campus London to iHub in Nairobi.

I too am a dreamer and my dream is that the The Nest I/O will provide the right support to Pakistan’s next wave of entrepreneurs. Interested startups can apply here.

Posted by Jehan Ara, President, Pakistan Software Houses Association for IT & ITES (P@SHA)

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Editor’s note: This guest post is from Boni Pudjianto of Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication & Information Technology (KOMINFO) who attended a Google Security Cafe in Jakarta last month.

Today, 70 million—or about one in four—Indonesians are using the Internet. In the next two years, another 50 million will come online for the first time and discover the opportunities the web offers, from improved communication, to education and entrepreneurship. To make the most of it, Indonesians need to know how they can ensure a safe and positive online experience.

This is why I was excited by a recent invitation from Google to attend a “Security Cafe”. You might ask what kind of cafe this is. Yes, there was coffee available, but the idea behind it was to guide visitors through typical daily scenarios to demonstrate some simple steps that young and old Internet users can take to more easily and more confidently explore the web. We learned about everything from protecting your online identity, to avoiding scams and creating a child-friendly Internet experience.

Boni Pudjianto (first from the left) at the Security Cafe in Jakarta

I’ve now started thinking about passwords in the same way as my front door key, which protects everything inside my home. Passwords should be complex and unique: they should consist of a combination of numbers, letters and symbols, and it’s wise to use a different password for every important online account such as email and banking.

We also talked about the importance of staying positive on the Internet. The phrase “treat others the way you want to be treated” applies online just as much as it does offline. This means you should only post, comment or forward something if you wouldn’t mind someone doing the same to you. Many Internet companies provide reporting tools that every user should familiarize themselves with and use against inappropriate behavior.

Google’s taking an important step to highlight these practical tips. KOMINFO is pleased that Google supports the goals of our Internet Sehat Dan Aman (“Healthy and Safe Internet”) program to build Generasi Internet Cerdas, Kreatif, dan Produktif -- a smart, creative and productive Internet generation.

Posted by Boni Pudjianto, Deputy Director for ICT Empowerment in Urban Area, Indonesian Ministry of Communication & Information Technology (KOMINFO)