NewTechKids teachers recently had a wake up call when we gave primary school students ages 8 and 9 MacBooks instead of tablets to use for a class which involved connecting a mini computer to a laptop. This is not the first time we were surprised by how primary school students in this age bracket struggle with the transition from tablets to laptops and computers. Tablets are a great device and very appropriate for younger students.
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NewTechKids is returning to Wereldwijs primary school in Amsterdam southeast for the third year in a row. We'll be teaching digital literacy programs to all classes in the entire school over the 2024-2025 school year. We'll be teaching an 'Intro to Technology and Responsible Usage' to the youngest students which covers topics such as online safety, responsible usage, being creative with tech (not only passive consumption) and coding. Our teaching team is testing the limits
Read moreDo you know of any schools or after-school clubs in the Amsterdam area looking to integrate technology lessons during the 2024-2025 school year? If so, NewTechKids has time slots open for Fall 2024. NewTechKids is expanding the number of classes it teaches in Amsterdam during the 2024-2025 school year. Our teaching team is available to teach during school hours (our preference) or after school. We can teach children ages 4-12 in Dutch, English or a
Read moreA large part of NewTechKids' digital literacy programs focus on helping kids understand how to use the Internet and social wisely: staying safe online, only sharing appropriate information, protecting their privacy, knowing what to do when uncomfortable scenarios arise. A few weeks back, we started the third block in a series of programs for all classes at an Amsterdam primary school. This time around, we are teaching five classes in both group 3 (approx. ages
Read moreThere's something about hackers which makes kids sit up and become interested in learning about technology. Since mid-November, NewTechKids has been teaching a digital literacy course for all group 5 and 6 students (approx. ages 9-10) at Wereldwijs Primary School in Amsterdam Southeast. Under the theme of hacker training, students are learning about digital literacy and acquiring important critical thinking, problem-solving and tech skills. Our customized curriculum covers topics such as online safety and digital
Read moreThis week, NewTechKids continued with our digital literacy lessons for kindergarten students at Wereldwijs primary school. The last few lessons have been about self-directed learning and how technology enables us to learn on our own, without teachers, parents or adults directing the process. We started the lesson off by talking about the fact that not all children have the same abilities as they do. We talked about how some children can't hear and this requires
Read moreRegister here. NewTechKids will be giving a teacher training workshop focused on introducing digital literacy to primary school students. Since January 2023, NewTechKids has been teaching digital literacy programs at schools and our after-school programs. We started teaching these classes at OBS Wereldwijs, a primary school in Amsterdam Southeast which has been designated 'Excellent' by the Dutch government in both 2019 and 2022. Our curriculum includes how technology systems work, the use of digital productivity
Read moreNext week, NewTechKids will begin our second year of teaching digital literacy programs at Wereldwijs primary school in Amsterdam Southeast. We learned a lot from teaching all 650 students in groups 1-8 (ages 4-12 on average). We taught the youngest students in Dutch and the older students in a combination of Dutch and English. Here are some of our takeaways: Our youngest students are using apps which should not be legally available to them. Students
Read moreDigital literacy is not simply 'nice to have' in 2023. It is a fundamental skill that all primary school students need to develop in order to enhance their learning and function in the world around them. NewTechKids is happy to be sharing our knowledge and experience about teaching digital literacy during a free workshop for primary school teachers during the Mokum Maakcoalitie's Maaksymposium on November 14th in Amsterdam. During this hands-on workshop, NewTechKids will give
Read moreYesterday 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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