NewTechKids is pleased to announce that we are continuing our collaboration with the American School of The Hague (ASH) to introduce computer science into the School's curriculum. During Fall 2018, we will be working closely with the School's primary education staff (IT Coordinator, Technology Integrationist and several classroom teachers) to develop a general framework for computer science education. This includes identifying important concepts to be taught, determining the order and learning format in which these
Read moreAll posts
NewTechKids is proud to announce that Education First (EF) Tours has chosen us as one of the educational partners for its 2018 Global Summit Tour to Amsterdam in July. NewTechKids will develop, organize and teach workshops for approximately 75 students and adults from around the world. Our workshops will highlight technology's influence on society and integrate technological literacy, computer science, and exercises based on designing, building and programming of technology prototypes. Deborah Carter, NewTechKids' Business
Read moreNewTechKids works with a variety of primary schools to help them integrate computer science and technological literacy into their curriculum. While all of the schools are enthusiastic, each school is different in terms of understanding, commitment level and available resources. NewTechKids has prepared this list of suggested steps for primary schools which are interested in introducing computer science education. It's a big undertaking and success will eventually come down to recognising the need for this
Read moreRecently, we heard the story of a first-year Architecture student at a Dutch university being surprised at the novelty of 3D printing in construction projects. This despite the fact that since 2013, the Dutch architectural firm DUS Architects has been 3D printing a canal house in Amsterdam which is scheduled for completion in 2018. The project has received significant media coverage in both the Dutch and international media and President Barack Obama visited the site during a visit to
Read morePreparing children, starting in primary school, to be successful technologists requires parents and teachers to make them aware of the benefit of studying computer science, programming, technology systems and design. Case in point: any child interested in working in a sports-related profession. Technology is transforming the sports industry. Examples include: Web sites which provide stats, stream live games and competitions and provide the latest news; Online games which enable players to play sports virtually and
Read moreLEGO Mindstorms is one of our favourite tools for teaching children ages seven to 12. It is a tangible tool which provides children with a realistic experience of designing, building and programming technology. It also teaches children that hardware and software influence each other and need to work together in order to develop successful technology prototypes. Many of our students say that they first realised the power and fun of computer science after they built their
Read moreNewTechKids has been invited to be one of the workshop organisers for Theo Thijssenschool’s Kunstweken 2018 (Arts Weeks 2018) which runs from March 5 - 16. Theo Thijssenschool is a primary school in Amsterdam. Under the theme ‘Make Your Own City’, students are exploring various themes: What does the ideal city look like? How do students experience their city? What inspires them? What would they like to see changed in their city? Parents and teachers
Read moreNewTechKids is proud to announce that our non-profit arm, Stichting NewTechKids (NewTechKids Foundation), has launched a new online teacher training platform for primary school teachers around the world who want to introduce computer science, technological literacy and computational thinking to students ages 4-12. Share to Teach, the online platform, has been developed by Stichting NewTechKids' team of computer science education specialists, teachers and innovation experts especially for teachers. The platform offers a variety of online training
Read moreLast week, I had the privilege of giving one of the keynote talks at IPON 2018. IPON is the Netherlands’ leading conference/trade show devoted to innovation in education and ICT applications and services. The event showcases teaching methods, learning materials and tools, hardware and software. During my talk, I renewed my call for computer science to become a mandatory subject, starting in primary school and continuing through secondary school. Here are some of my thoughts
Read moreComputer science is all around us through our use of technology: systems, devices, software, etc. Unfortunately, we often take technology for granted and don't think about it until it doesn't work or it causes serious headaches. NewTechKids has compiled these three tips to help parents encourage their children to become more aware of the technology around them to think like technologists in creative ways. By discussing technology on a daily basis, parents can start helping
Read more