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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Like most technology education academies, NewTechKids struggles to attract equal numbers of girls and boys to our programs. There are a lot of reasons for this. Most of the time, parents don't even present computer science and programming activities as options for their daughters. They conclude that computer science 'isn’t a fit' for their daughters although it's often 'perfect' for their sons. Girls themselves have told us that learning about technology is hard and often

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NewTechKids works with primary schools in the Amsterdam area to help introduce computational thinking and computer science programs as part of formal school curriculum. Our programs integrate pedagogy, didactics, teaching approaches and classroom management and are based on the curriculum, lesson plans and teaching materials that we've developed, tested and taught over the last three years. Below are some of the schools where we've taught: Leonardo da Vinci School, Amsterdam NewTechKids teaches computer science programs

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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.

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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

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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

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In September 2016, NewTechKids will begin teaching a new, after-school club format called the 21st Century Skills Club. Two Clubs will launch in Amsterdam South East and Amsterdam New West. The format was developed by Stichting NewTechKids, a non-profit foundation which develops, tests and improves computer science curriculum, lessons and teaching materials and trains primary school teachers. NewTechKids is teaching the Clubs on behalf of Stichting NewTechKids. The Club will feature weekly, three-hour lessons. During the Club, primary school-aged children will

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Wil je leerlingen wegwijs maken in de wereld van coderen, algoritmes en commando’s? Leer het in deze workshop. Daag leerlingen uit om laptops uit elkaar weer in elkaar zitten. Verander ze in robots, of stuur ze op een te gekke speurtocht over hoe computers data en informatie verwerken. Inhoud van de training De onderwerpen die aan bod komen zijn onder andere coderen, basiskennis informatie algoritmisch en berekenend denken, hardware- en systeemdenken. Maar ook informaticapedagogiek, onderwijsmethoden

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Computers and digital technology systems are embedded in all kinds of devices around us. Last week, Quby, an Amsterdam-based company, helped NewTechKids demonstrate this to students in our 'Systems Thinking and Hardware' bootcamp. Quby has developed Toon, a smart thermostat that enables consumers to manage their energy consumption more efficiently. Toon was developed for Eneco, a Dutch energy company. Working with NewTechKids, Dimitris Stafylarakis and Vassilis Aretakis (Quby developers) co-developed a lesson focused on the concept of feedback and its importance for technology systems which process data. Students learned

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(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

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