New Tech Kids | primary school

9 Oct 2018

Enjoy EU Code Week 2018 events and activities

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

3 Sep 2018

NewTechKids to host meeting with Estonian educators

By NewTechKids

NewTechKids will host a meeting in Amsterdam with a delegation of Estonian educators in early October. We'll be exchanging information on technology education (computer science, technological literacy and computational thinking) and discussing collaboration possibilities. Estonia has made major inroads in integrating computer science and programming into primary school curriculum. In 2012, it launched the ProgeTiger Programme which covers engineering sciences, design and technology, and information & communication technology (ICT). The Programme targets preschool, primary and

15 Aug 2018

Tips for Raising Successful Technologists: discuss tech examples

By NewTechKids

Parents and teachers often ask us how to they can move kids beyond just using technology. They ask us what they can do to how to encourage kids to think about how technology works, the implications of technology on humans, and the computer science knowledge and skills they will need to become technologists. This summer, we've launched a feature via LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to help parents and teachers who don't have a background in

11 Jul 2018

Summer School: chance for kids to discover CS

By NewTechKids

While many North Americans are familiar with the concept of 'summer school' for primary school students, it's a foreign concept for many Europeans. For many European, summer means no school: only vacation, relaxation, time with family, and recreational activities for children. We're not arguing for or against summer school. Different strokes for different folks. But we'd like to present it in the context of continuous learning and the computer science summer school programs we'll be

8 Jun 2018

NewTechKids and American School of The Hague co-developing new CS curriculum

By NewTechKids

NewTechKids is pleased to announce that we are continuing our collaboration with the American School of The Hague (ASH) to introduce computer science into the School's curriculum. During Fall 2018, we will be working closely with the School's primary education staff (IT Coordinator, Technology Integrationist and several classroom teachers) to develop a general framework for computer science education. This includes identifying important concepts to be taught, determining the order and learning format in which these

17 May 2018

Steps to introduce computer science education in schools

By NewTechKids

NewTechKids works with a variety of primary schools to help them integrate computer science and technological literacy into their curriculum. While all of the schools are enthusiastic, each school is different in terms of understanding, commitment level and available resources. NewTechKids has prepared this list of suggested steps for primary schools which are interested in introducing computer science education. It's a big undertaking and success will eventually come down to recognising the need for this

16 May 2018

Tips for Raising Successful Technologists: discover tech in various fields

By NewTechKids

Recently, we heard the story of a first-year Architecture student at a Dutch university being surprised at the novelty of 3D printing in construction projects. This despite the fact that since 2013, the Dutch architectural firm DUS Architects has been 3D printing a canal house in Amsterdam which is scheduled for completion in 2018. The project has received significant media coverage in both the Dutch and international media and President Barack Obama visited the site during a visit to

16 May 2018

Study computer science to become… a sports technologist

By NewTechKids

Preparing children, starting in primary school, to be successful technologists requires parents and teachers to make them aware of the benefit of studying computer science, programming, technology systems and design. Case in point: any child interested in working in a sports-related profession. Technology is transforming the sports industry. Examples include: Web sites which provide stats, stream live games and competitions and provide the latest news; Online games which enable players to play sports virtually and

3 Apr 2018

New Advanced LEGO Mindstorms Bootcamp

By NewTechKids

LEGO Mindstorms is one of our favourite tools for teaching children ages seven to 12. It is a tangible tool which provides children with a realistic experience of designing, building and programming technology. It also teaches children that hardware and software influence each other and need to work together in order to develop successful technology prototypes. Many of our students say that they first realised the power and fun of computer science after they built their

12 Mar 2018

Arts Weeks 2018

By NewTechKids

NewTechKids has been invited to be one of the workshop organisers for Theo Thijssenschool’s Kunstweken 2018 (Arts Weeks 2018) which runs from March 5 - 16. Theo Thijssenschool is a primary school in Amsterdam. Under the theme ‘Make Your Own City’, students are exploring various themes: What does the ideal city look like? How do students experience their city? What inspires them? What would they like to see changed in their city? Parents and teachers