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
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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
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NewTechKids is honoured to have been chosen to develop the agenda for the Erasmus+ sponsored program welcoming 50 Danish high school students to the Netherlands in early October. These students are studying business and retail at EUC Nordvest, a school which provides innovative vocational education in northern Denmark. During the 'Destination Amsterdam' visit, students (ages 16, 17 and 18) from EUC Nordvest, will learn how Dutch innovation and entrepreneurship, sustainability and culture are re-shaping the
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NewTechKids has wrapped up our computer science and robotics bootcamp for high-potential teens from Amsterdam southeast, a low-income, largely immigrant community. According to one of our teachers, it was "one of the best classes" he's taught over his seven year career at NewTechKids. The magic ingredient? The kids themselves. Every Sunday, these kids rode the subway for 25 minutes to the Library, often accompanied by their parents and group mentor. Many came early and they
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NewTechKids is teaching another cohort of 'Rising Technologists', kids from low-income communities in Amsterdam who have the potential to pursue study and career paths related to technology if they are given exposure and access to technology education. The odds are stacked against them but we have confidence that they will overcome the conditions they face in Amsterdam: Highest number of single parent households Highest number of households which earn less than welfare-level income 10-year old
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While some formal education is an important aspect of preparing for future careers, it’s not the path for everyone. Many people working in the tech industry and creating/producing/making with tech tools are self-taught, relying on books, online resources, YouTube tutorial, free software, coding forums, and hands-on experience. Shaquille Veldboom, a young black man who grew up in Amsterdam Southeast, a low-income, predominantly black community, was the recent subject of a PreparationTech interview. At the age
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EU Code Week 2018 is happening right now. From October 6-21st, kids and adults across Europe are participating in events and activities related to coding and digital literacy. According to the organisers of this grassroots initiative, "Learning to code helps us to make sense of the rapidly changing world around us, expand our understanding of how technology works, and develop skills and capabilities in order to explore new ideas and innovate." See this listing of
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NewTechKids is excited to announce our first collaboration with Maakplaats 021, the Amsterdam Municipal Library's maker space initiative: a 10-week computer science bootcamp for kids ages 8-12 which will take place in the Maakplaats 021 Reigersbos location in Amsterdam Southeast. Set to begin in January 2018, the bootcamp will be for kids ages 8-12 and provide an introduction to computer science, programming and computational thinking. Our partnership with the Library is strategic and we'll use
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Tomorrow, EU Code Week 2017 kicks off! From October 7-22, organisations across Europe will be organising activities which bring coding and digital literacy to children and adults. Many are free so please get involved! See the EU Code Week 2017 Events Calendar for activities taking place across Europe. Another great source of coding-related activities is Codestarter, a joint venture between Google Netherlands and NEMO Science Center, which provides a list covering the entire Netherlands. Every
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NewTechKids hosted a teacher training workshop on June 6th, 2017 as part of the 'Learning Fair' event organised by Projectenbureau Primair Onderwijs Zuidoost (PPOZO). Projectenbureau Primair Onderwijs Zuidoost (PPOZO) is the organization which coordinates after-school activities for primary schLearnool students in Amsterdam Southeast, one of the city's most economically-disadvantaged communities. It works with 10 school boards representing 29 schools in the area and 7017 students. Scrum: an important teaching tool to help students develop 21st century skills Scrum
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