NewTechKids is busy preparing to give summer camps at the Amsterdam Public Library beginning next week. Keeping kids healthy and safe is our number one priority (on top of teaching them about technological innovation) so we are adhering to social distancing and hygiene rules mandated by the Library. This also applies to the space in which we will teach. We are limiting the amount of kids in each camp and camps will take place in
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The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a massive shift to online learning. The NewTechKids team is joining the wave of educators who are developing new and dynamic ways to teach children online about technological innovation, computer science, programming and robotics. This summer, we'll be offering four, Zoom-based robotics courses for kids ages 8-12 under the theme "Tech Inventors to the Rescue". Kids from different countries with little to no previous experience in building and coding will
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Being able to think deeply and critically about technology and its implications is becoming as important as understanding computer science and knowing how to code. This is because the technology we currently have is directly related to the perspectives, values and even biases of the technologists who create it. To help kids develop critical thinking skills, NewTechKids is developing new lessons and teaching resources which help primary school-aged kids explore the ethics of technology. Our
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Computer Science Education Week takes place next week, from December 9-15. It's a global annual program dedicated to inspiring K-12 students to take interest in computer science. In honour of this important Week, NewTechKids challenges parents, caretakers and teachers to take the plunge and explore computer science with children. Until schools make technological innovation, computer science, programming and robotics mandatory subjects, the adults active in the lives of children will have to take the lead
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A few months back, Deborah Carter, Founder of NewTechKids, had an interesting conversation with a Google executive responsible for the company's computer science education initiatives worldwide. The executive remarked that there are huge discrepancies in student knowledge amongst first year students enrolled in university and college computer science courses. Those who have taken courses, participated in school clubs and extracurricular activities, and/or explored programming with parents or other adults have a huge advantage. Those with
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NewTechKids is super excited to announce two new 2019 summer bootcamps which will combine computer science and maker activities. The workshops will be taught in partnership with Maakplaats 021, the Maker education initiative of the Amsterdam Public Library, the largest public library in Europe. During the all-day bootcamps, kids ages 8-12 will enjoy hands-on activities related to creating tech prototypes and designing and producing physical objects in the Maker Lab. Bootcamp #1: July 15-19, 2019
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Next month, NewTechKids will head to the United Arab Emirates to teach a week-long series of computer science workshops for primary school students. We'll be teaching kids ages 4-12 during the 2019 Sharjah Children's Reading Festival, an annual mega-event dedicated to learning, reading and discovery. Themes will include algorithms and algorithmic thinking, computer and programming logic, and rapid prototyping and best practises in the field of technology design. Students will come from a mix of
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Super excited to welcome Carol Yarbrough as NewTechKids' latest teacher advisor. A high school computer science teacher, Carol is currently Computer Science Content Director at A+ College Ready in Alabama. She is also a College Board consultant who organises professional development for AP teachers through workshops and AP Summer Institutes. Before all this, she taught at the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham for 11 years. Carol graduated with a degree in Computational Mathematics
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From February 9-12, 2019, Amsterdam will host one of the most exciting events focused on new approaches to learning and education. Hosted by the Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam (the Amsterdam Public Library) in partnership with the eLearning Industry Group (ELIG), the 'Brave New Learning' conference will bring together experts from around the world to tackle four main themes: 21st century skills, learning by making, learning communities and augmented learning. NewTechKids Workshop: 'How to Raise a Tech
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NewTechKids is pleased to announce that it is collaborating with Stedelijk Gymnasium Haarlem, a prestigious Dutch high school in the city of Haarlem, to offer a new programming and robotics course. We'll provide students with a general introduction to programming, technology systems and design in the broader context of automation. The course will combine deep analytical thinking about the implications of technology with hands on design and programming experience through a series of class challenges.
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