New Tech Kids

4 sep 2017

5 Tips: How to raise successful technologists

This week, primary school children in Amsterdam head back to school. Like so many previous academic years, most of them will not have any computer science or computational thinking lessons as part of formal school curricula. As long as education systems here in the Netherlands and around the world don't integrate these, we urge parents to take matters into their own hands. Intervening early will ensure that children acquire 21st century skills and prepare them

3 sep 2017

Fall 2017 Activities

By NewTechKids

NewTechKids is pleased to announce its Fall 2017 line up of activities. We have spent the summer developing and testing new approaches to computer science education in partnership with our non-profit foundation, Stichting NewTechKids. During two, brand-new bootcamps, we taught computer science concepts along with a stronger focus on technological literacy. This took the form of presenting technology case studies and concepts for new technology and leading in-depth class discussions on the implications of technology

24 okt 2016

New Artificial Intelligence (AI) Lessons

By NewTechKids

With artificial intelligence (AI) all around us, NewTechKids decided to teach a special AI bootcamp during last week’s Fall school vacation in Amsterdam. Our goal: to kids what AI is, the thinking behind it, how it’s being used in everything from self-driving cars to customer service and Siri, Apple’s ‘intelligent’ personal assistant, and the pros and cons of this technology. Developed by Stichting NewTechKids and sponsored by Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam (Amsterdam Municipal Library), the course

1 jul 2016

New Lessons on Smart Energy Systems

By NewTechKids

Last week, we engaged our students in some serious challenge-based learning in order to understand systems thinking and how computers are embedded into all kinds of systems. We challenged the 7-12 year old kids in our 'Computers and How They Work' summer bootcamp to work in teams to design and program a smart energy system which could respond to different temperatures and activate a heating system when the room temperature dropped. In the process, they learned about conditionals and if-else statements.

26 aug 2016

Bringing Tech Ed to All Children

By NewTechKids

NewTechKids is on a mission to bring technology education to all children, including those who belong to families with low incomes who would not normally receive it. Kids with potential are everywhere and our goal is to find and nurture them. In September 2016, we will teach pilot programs developed by Stichting NewTechKids which establishes new computer science clubs for primary school aged students in two of Amsterdam's most economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods: Amsterdam South East and

24 aug 2016

NewTechKids heading to South Korea

By NewTechKids

NewTechKids is heading to South Korea in early October to give a talk at the International Symposium of Science Museums 2016. Organised by the National Science Museum of Korea, the event focuses on sharing creative and inspiring ideas from around the world which aim to develop better science museums and centers in the future, engage the public in diverse themes of science and technology, and facilitate STEM activities in informal settings. Deborah Carter, one of our co-founders, will be

24 aug 2016

NewTechKids at Uitmarkt 2016

By NewTechKids

NewTechKids is proud to be collaborating with Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam (the Amsterdam Municipal Library) to give workshops during Uitmarkt 2016. We'll be giving our 'intro to coding' workshops during the Uitmarkt in Amsterdam this weekend which takes place on Museumplain. Kids will design a robot head out of a cardboard box and then learn how to 'code' themselves. In the process, they'll learn about coding, algorithms and automation. On Saturday, August 27 and Sunday, August 28th from 12:00 - 17:00, kids ages 5-12 are

16 jul 2016

Tech Education: continuing from Primary to Middle School

By NewTechKids

There are few things as wonderful as impacting a child's interests and learning. Even in a small way. This week, NewTechKids received some great news. One of our very first students was accepted into the Metis Montessori Lyceum, the first high school in the Netherlands to offer an intensive programming stream for 12 year olds starting in Fall 2016. Students in this stream will receive five hours of schooling in programming, robotics, computers, game and app development, and

15 dec 2015

Report: EU Code Week Teacher Training

By NewTechKids

NewTechKids is proud to share our report of the EU Code Week 2015 teacher training pilot program we organised in September and October 2015. We partnered with TomTom, the Dutch technology company, to launch a pilot program aimed at creating a scaling model for technology education in primary schools. Specifically, this model engaged both primary school teachers and students around computational thinking and coding. NewTechKids trained 75 primary school teachers from schools in Amsterdam and

11 dec 2015

Museums: A New Frontier for Tech Education

By NewTechKids

(Image from"Keith Haring: The Political line" exhibition at Kunsthal Rotterdam) This week, I stepped on stage and gave a presentation which required more out-of-the-box thinking than I've had to do in a while. I was invited by the Rijksmuseum to give a talk at the Hands On! Conference organised by the International Association of Children in Museums. More than 350 participants from museums around the world converged in Amsterdam to learn about the latest trends and see firsthand how innovative museums