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.  In the context of automation, we'll provide students with a general introduction to programming and the design of technology systems. The course will combine deep analytical thinking about the implications of technology with hands on design and programming experience through a series of class

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NewTechKids is super chuffed to announce that Margot Phillipps has joined our team as an advisor. Margot is a high school teacher in New Zealand who has taught Computing and Math at the high school and polytechnic level for 35 years. She also founded programs such as Young Women's Programming Contest and Programming Challenge 4 Girls in addition to the New Zealand Olympiad in Informatics. New Zealand is a leader in computer science education, home

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Register for the conference here. NewTechKids is pleased to continue our long-term partnership with the Amsterdam Public Library and Maakplaats 021 by becoming a programming partner for its upcoming 'Brave New Learning' conference which takes place in February 2019. We'll be teaching a workshop for educators focused on creative ways to introduce digital technology education to primary school students. We'll share our pedagogical framework, teaching approaches and observations from teaching children, including girls, minorities and

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On November 19, 2018, NewTechKids hosted a delegation of researchers from the Education departments of University of Helsinki, University of Turku and University of Tampere here in the Netherlands. During the meetings, we shared our pedagogy, teaching approaches and concept scaffolding strategies related to introducing technological innovation, computer science and programming to young primary school students. We also discussed potential research collaboration. As part of the visit, the delegation visited an international school where NewTechKids has

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Super happy to announce our newest NewTechKids advisor: Phil Rynearson (aka Mr. Phil). Phil is a technology teacher in Early Childhood Education at the American School of The Hague in the Netherlands. He gained valuable experience as a classroom teacher for 17 years before devoting the last eight years to supporting students and teachers in finding authentic and empowering methods of integrating technology into school settings. He has worked in public schools in the United States

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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 proud to announce that our non-profit arm, Stichting NewTechKids (NewTechKids Foundation), has launched a new online teacher training platform for primary school teachers around the world who want to introduce computer science, technological literacy and computational thinking to students ages 4-12. Share to Teach, the online platform, has been developed by Stichting NewTechKids' team of computer science education specialists, teachers and innovation experts especially for teachers. The platform offers a variety of online training

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Last week, I had the privilege of giving one of the keynote talks at IPON 2018. IPON is the Netherlands’ leading conference/trade show devoted to innovation in education and ICT applications and services. The event showcases teaching methods, learning materials and tools, hardware and software. During my talk, I renewed my call for computer science to become a mandatory subject, starting in primary school and continuing through secondary school. Here are some of my thoughts

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NewTechKids is collaborating with the American School of the Hague (ASH) to introduce computer science, technological literacy and computational thinking to students in its primary school division. Working closely with a team of ASH teachers, NewTechKids will help the school map key learning objectives and provide teacher training focused on computer science theory, pedagogy, teaching approaches, classroom management and educational tool selection. We will also assist teachers with the development of new lessons, some focused

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