There'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
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Yesterday, NewTechKids kicked off a very exciting project: teaching digital literacy to all 475 students at the Wereldwijs Primary School in Amsterdam southeast. We'll be teaching students in groups 1 - 8. Older students will be taught in a combination of Dutch and English since the language of technology is English. Wereldwijs has been designated an 'Excellent School 2022-2025' for primary education by the Dutch Ministry of Education in 2019 and 2022. Led by a
Read moreThis week, NewTechKids had a dream gig: taking over two classes of primary school students in grades 7 and 8 at the Montessori Kind Centrum Zeeburgereiland for three days and teaching a project-based, computer science bootcamp. We were participating as a member of the Mokum Maakcoalitie, a network of organizations in Amsterdam dedicated to Maker education, which is coordinated by Maakplaats021 and the Amsterdam Public Library. NewTechKids and five other organizations took over teaching responsibilities from the
Read moreNewTechKids is teaching another cohort of 'Rising Technologists', kids from low-income communities in Amsterdam who have the potential to pursue study and career paths related to technology if they are given exposure and access to technology education. The odds are stacked against them but we have confidence that they will overcome the conditions they face in Amsterdam: Highest number of single parent households Highest number of households which earn less than welfare-level income 10-year old
Read moreWe often tell our students that technology, whether devices or software, wasn't invented in a day. The phone, TV or gaming console that they use was developed over years by multiple people and is still being improved upon now. All invention processes start with protototyping. Inventors create a quick and dirty object and then test and refine it. There's often a lot of failure involved and inventors need to develop resilience to keep trying and
Read moreStarting this week, NewTechKids will be bringing technology education via music, art and culture to students at the Cornelis Vrijschool in Amsterdam. We are teaching a customized, after-school program which aligns with the school's focus on the arts, music and culture. Students in groups 6,7 and 8 will discuss how technology is transforming the arts before inventing a series of robot prototypes. In the process, they'll learn about computer science, programming, robotics and design. It
Read moreThis summer, kids ages 8-12 have been participating in NewTechKids' bootcamps and acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to be inventors, innovators and technologists. Every week, we use a different theme as the context for teaching kids how to think critically about the technology around them and to learn how to design, build and program robots and tech prototypes. Below are some highlights of some of our classes. There are still spaces available in our
Read moreNewTechKids has occasionally invited alumni of our programs and students who are taking computer science courses in local high schools to assist our teachers, especially when we teach large groups of students. This summer, we are pleased to introduce a new summer internship program for three high school students from Amsterdam who will assist us during our six weeks of summer vacation bootcamps. These teens all have experience with the teaching tools we use and will
Read moreNewTechKids is making it easier for kids to experience computer science and programming education and discover why it's so much more than sitting behind a desk and coding boring stuff. We will organize two, separate 'Try It Out' workshops for kids ages 7 - 12 at the Amsterdam Public Library on Tuesday, March 18th and Tuesday, March 25 from 16:15 - 17:25. During each workshop, kids will discuss technology and then work in small groups
Read moreStarting today, 75 primary school teachers in Amsterdam and Delft will teach NewTechKids ‘intro to coding’ lesson to their students as part of EU Code Week celebrations (October 10-18). The teachers participated in NewTechKids’ special training sessions which took place between 10-17 September. During the sessions, NewTechKids shared its pedagogy and teaching approaches and trained teachers to give the lesson while adjusting it to their teaching style. NewTechKids partnered with TomTom, the global technology company founded in the
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