It’s hard to believe but we’re 10 years old!
From our scrappy beginnings in Fall 2014 teaching in a co-working space, we’ve taught thousands of primary, middle and high school kids in Amsterdam, other Dutch cities and in places like Dubai and Switzerland about computer science and digital literacy. We’ve also trained hundreds of primary school teachers on how to introduce technology education in their classrooms.
Our very first students are now finishing high school or are enrolled in college and university, studying in areas such as bioengineering, computer science, mathematics, law, medicine, AI, and psychology. Others are already working in cybersecurity and IT. We’d like to think that at least for some, attending our classes back then played a small part in influencing their choice of study and career.
To celebrate, NewTechKids is collaborating with researchers from the Vrij Universiteit and the University of Amsterdam on a research study which asks the thousands of parents who’ve registered their children for our programs for feedback on the impact that our programs have had on their children. We’ll be sharing a summary of the report later this year but here are a few feedback snippets:
“Mega cool that you still exist. The fun atmosphere in which kids learn to understand, think about tech, ask questions and see cohesion is super important! The mix between beginners and advanced students in your programs lays the foundation for good cooperation. What you learn young, you’ll do when you’re old.”
“My daughter gained self-confidence and now dares to experiment more with tech. She is less afraid of making a mistake. During your course, she discovered that she was just as good as the boys (who bragged that they were the best students).”
“My son really likes building with LEGO and enjoys programming. Normally, he can give up quickly if something doesn’t work right away. But during your lessons, I see that if the robot doesn’t quite do what he had in mind, he perseveres and makes adjustments.”
“Since leaving the country, NTK is the high benchmark for us when looking for kids tech camps abroad. You’ve set a great example of how to keep kids engaged, learn skills and build confidence in children.”
“Our daughter discovered all the fun things you can do with LEGO robotics such as making games and drawing in your classes. This is important because a lot of technical LEGO in the store falls mainly into the category ‘fighter jets and combat vehicles’. There are less kits that appeal to girls. Normally, she doesn’t find technical LEGO interesting and she prefers to craft and make with other materials. NewTechKids has shown her that technology (robotics) can also be used for fun and beautiful things and she now really wants more of these kind of toys.”
Thank you to all of the parents and caregivers, teachers and school leaders, companies, after-school providers, the Amsterdam Public Library and other organizations: your support has kept us going and helped us keep innovating in terms of our curriculum, pedagogy and grand vision to prepare kids for a world of rapid and constant technology development.