Yesterday, NewTechKids kicked off a very exciting project: teaching digital literacy to all 475 students at the Wereldwijs Primary School in Amsterdam southeast. We’ll be teaching students in groups 1 – 8. Older students will be taught in a combination of Dutch and English since the language of technology is English.
Wereldwijs has been designated an ‘Excellent School 2022-2025’ for primary education by the Dutch Ministry of Education in 2019 and 2022. Led by a very committed principal and professional teaching team, the school focuses on involving students in their own learning process and promoting their growth mindsets. This is especially impressive because the school is located in a low-income, largely non-white area of Amsterdam where most students struggle academically.
With technology and digital services only growing in importance in the lives of children, digital literacy is an important part of any 21st century school curriculum. NewTechKids has designed our very own curriculum which combines knowledge of digital tools with critical thinking (pros, cons, consequences, ethics) about technology and digital services, creativity and invention. Topics will cover hardware, software, digital content and automation along with topics such as dopamine and screen addiction, data and privacy and AI (art and chatbots like ChatGPT).
NewTechKids met with the principal to understand the school’s teaching approach before developing our customized curriculum for three different group ranges. We will focus heavily on interactive class discussions and hands on activities which bring concepts to life while enabling students to express their creativity.
What’s especially great? The school’s teachers will join our classes and assist with classroom management. This is a great way for them to also learn about digital literacy.