Parents, teachers and caregivers often ask NewTechKids' team members how they can prepare kids for a world of pervasive technology which is shaping almost every facet of life. They want to give their kids the best opportunities for success yet are overwhelmed, confused and don't feel well-equipped because they did not grow up in a tech-driven world. This causes a lot of anxiety so here are our top four tips for preparing kids for an
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On July 4, 2023, something momentous happened in the Netherlands. The Dutch Minister of Education Robbert Dijkgraaf issued an urgent guideline calling for the banning of all mobile telephones from Dutch high schools as of January 2024. It's just a guideline and not enforceable but it's a big deal that the Dutch government has taken this step. Individual high schools are expected to develop their own specific terms related to the ban based on input from
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Kids, teens and smartphones continue to be a topic of concern for parents and educators, sometimes even kids themselves. NewTechKids tracks developments and expert opinion and is pleased to share some great insight: Magazine Article: No One Knows Exactly What Social Media is Doing to Teens (the Atlantic, June 13, 2023) "Late last month, the U.S. surgeon general issued an advisory—a format reserved for public-health issues that demand the nation’s immediate attention. “Nearly every teenager
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With Big Tech and businesses increasingly targeting children in terms of advertising, marketing, sales, data mining and surveillance, NewTechKids encourages parents, caregivers and teachers to start thinking more critically about how technology impacts children and teens. We are one of the supporters of the Dutch Code for Children's Rights in the Netherlands. Drawn up by the University of Leiden and the Waag and commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, the Code outlines 10
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Recently, the Washington Post published an interesting article titled 'This School Took Away Smartphones. The Kids Don’t Mind.' It was about Buxton School, a small boarding school in Massachusetts which has banned smartphones from campus. Teachers have also agreed not to use theirs. Everyone has been given a Light Phone, a minimalist phone which is only used for essential communication. So far, teachers say that students are more engaged in class and students say the ban
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Mobile phones. The bane of parents around the world. Most parents end up handing kids their old iPhone or Galaxy. But herein may lay the problem. By giving kids what we are used to, we may dump kids into a world of too many choices, too much temptations, too many dangers and too many features before they've developed the mindset, digital literacy skills and willpower needed to use mobile phones responsibly. Here's a partial list
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The best, most future-proof skill that parents, caregivers and teachers can impart to kids is "learning how to learn" and mastering different ways of learning. As such, NewTechKids is organizing 'Try It Out' workshops on Saturday, January 15th and Sunday, January 16th for kids ages 8-12 at the Amsterdam Public Library. The workshops will take place each day from 13:00 - 14:30 and 15:00 - 16:30. Spaces are limited. Register here. During these workshops, we'll
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Music is the universal language for everyone, including kids. Which is why NewTechKids is excited to continue our ongoing collaboration with IT company Schuberg Philis by being one of program partners for an event this weekend designed for the children of colleagues. We'll be teaching workshops which introduce kids 8-12 to computer science, coding and robotics. Kids will explore how robots can perform music by inventing their very own robot orchestra. Other workshops given by
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The COVID-19 pandemic stressed the central role that parents and caregivers play in the education of children. Virtual homeschooling forced these adults into the roles of informal teachers and task masters. The rapid transformation of education (pedagogies, subject matter, teaching environments, technology, etc.) means that the formal school system is largely outdated and struggling to align itself with 21st century reality. No more so than preparing kids and teens for a world of constant technological
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NewTechKids was invited by the Mozilla Foundation to give two, online workshops for kids and their parents during MozFest 2021. MozFest is the Foundation's annual festival which migrated online this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During our workshops, we taught kids about how technology is designed through concepts such as resources and requirements before exposing them to the logic of coding by encouraging them to create their own coding language. We led them through
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