New Tech Kids | NewTechKids

7 Jun 2023

Announcing NewTechKids Intro to Generative AI Bootcamp

With every second news headline mentioning AI, ChatGPT, etc., NewTechKids has decided to launch our first 'Intro to Generative AI' after-school bootcamp for kids ages 9-14. The bootcamp of four weekly sessions will take place on Thursday afternoons from 16:30 - 18:00 at the Amsterdam Public Library near Centraal Station, starting on June 29th. Some schools have adopted a strict 'no ChatGPT' ban. Others are experimenting with restricted usage and creating new learning experiences which

14 Jun 2023

When NewTechKids gets lemons, we make lemonade!

By NewTechKids

Yesterday was hot in Amsterdam! It rose to 31 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit) in the classroom where we teaching and there is no air conditioning. We had planned a digital literacy lesson for four classes of students ages 6-8 focused on software: how the app store works and the role that branding and logos play in online usage. Students were supposed to use iPads to make a series of sketches during a series of

7 Mar 2023

NewTechKids’ 2023 Summer Bootcamps: Registration Open

By NewTechKids

Summer is around the corner so it's time to get planning you child(ren)'s activities. NewTechKids is pleased to announce that registration is open for its popular summer bootcamps. We will be teaching weekly bootcamps during the Dutch school holidays which take place from July 24 - September 1. Kids ages 8-12 will learn how to become tech inventors by designing, building and programming a series of robots and robotic prototypes using LEGO robotics tools. We'll also

28 Mar 2023

NewTechKids Teaches Kids about Generative AI

By NewTechKids

NewTechKids ended up making some important last-minute changes to our digital literacy programs for primary school students at Wereldwijs Primary School in Amsterdam Southeast. Why? The explosion of generative AI. In their article "Teaching Digital Literacy is a 21st Century Imperative & This is Why", Miah Daughtery and Laura B. Hansen write "In classrooms, digital literacy enables students to access information in new ways and then communicate what has been learned with others, giving students

7 Apr 2023

NewTechKids Kicks off Year-long Maker Education Program

By NewTechKids

NewTechKids is honoured to have kicked off the second edition of a Maker education initiative in Amsterdam called 'Plusklas voor Elk Kind' (Gifted Class for Every Child). Spearheaded by the Mokum Maakcoalitie, a group of maker education organizations led by the Amsterdam Public Library and its Maakplaats021 team, the initiative provides all students in groups 5, 6 and 7 at the Burgemeester de Vlugtschool with a year of Maker classes. This school is located in Amsterdam

18 Jan 2023

NewTechKids Teaching Digital Literacy at Wereldwijs Primary School

By NewTechKids

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

10 Jan 2023

NewTechKids Helping Amsterdam High School Plan Trip to Silicon Valley

By NewTechKids

NewTechKids is collaborating with Metis Montessori Lyceum, a high school in Amsterdam, to plan a student trip to Silicon Valley in February 2023. Thirty-five students in Metis' Coderklas will be visiting Big Tech companies as well as companies in different industries which are being transformed by technology. Students will visit Google, NASA, Blue River Technology and other organizations where they will meet leaders and technologists. This is another great way in which students can learn

13 Jan 2023

Helping Kids Develop into Empowered Digital Citizens

By NewTechKids

NewTechKids is excited to join an expert research group which is exploring how critical making (maker education tied to the ability to evaluate the consequences, implications and ethics of technology) encourages students to be active and informed digital citizens. The project is being spearheaded by Waag, a Dutch futurelab which critically examines technology, develops technological and social design skills, and encourages social innovation, in partnership with the Rathenau Institute, a Dutch research institute which researches

16 Nov 2022

Candy-grabbing Robot Race Finales to end 2022

By NewTechKids

NewTechKids is going out with a bang in 2022. We're finishing up a bunch of bootcamps at the moment and we've come up with a novel way to challenge our students to put their knowledge of computer science, coding and robotics to the test. We've been hosting a series of friendly robot races with a twist. In teams, kids design, build and code robots which can grab (wrapped) candies which are scattered on the floor

7 Dec 2022

Holiday activity with kids: Getting Creative with AI Art Generators

By NewTechKids

Can computers and AI create original art? What is better: art made by humans or art made by machines? Why? These are some questions you can discuss with your child(ren) while teaching them about Artificial Intelligence (AI) found in real life. To give a specific context to the discussion, play around with some of the free AI art generators which are available online. An AI art generator is a computer program which generates images based