New Tech Kids | technology

1 Jun 2015

EU Code Week Brainstorm

The great thing about technology and programming education is that it is a relatively new field and ripe for innovation and experimentation. So that’s exactly what NewTechKids did last Thursday when we organized a brainstorming session at Google’s Amsterdam headquarters. We brought together a group of Dutch and international teachers, teacher trainers, curriculum experts, designers, developers, and technology professionals dedicated to expanding technology and programming education in schools. Joe Fletcher, Creative Director at frog design

20 Apr 2015

Brainstorming with NewTechKids

By NewTechKids

One of the nice things about launching a technology and programming academy is asking for input from different kinds of professionals. In NewTechKids' case, we organised a brainstorm session last week which brought together teachers, international education experts, designers, programmers, city government policy makers, branding specialists, event curators and executives working for technology companies. Our goal: sharing information and ideas on how to get kids and their parents excited about technology and programming education. Here are some of the ideas we shared.

9 Apr 2015

NewTechKids TED talk

By NewTechKids

Deborah Carter, NewTechKids' Co-Founder and Business Director, gave a TED talk at TEDxAmsterdamED in March. Her main point: technology and programming education should start in primary school (aged 4-12 years) in order to give kids 21st century skills (problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, collaboration) and prepare them for a future full of technology. The world needs thinkers and

29 Mar 2015

TEDxAmsterdamED: amazing!

By NewTechKids

It's a wrap. Last Thursday, I gave my TED talk at the fantastic TEDxAmsterdamED event. This one day conference was dedicated to the theme, 'The Education (R)evolution', and asked the question 'Is revolution needed for education to evolve, or is the future of education already within reach?' My talk focused on providing primary school-aged children (4-12 years) with technology and programming education as a way to help them develop higher order (21st century) skills such as problem-solving, critical

12 Mar 2015

Here’s to Failure

By NewTechKids

Nine out of 10 times, TechKids' workshops are amazing. Tuesday's workshop was not one of them. The workshop began with a recap discussion of the main parts of a computer and how they work together. The children had no problem recalling this info from the previous week. Our teacher then introduced them to Raspberry Pi computers, clarifying that no, they were not edible. The kids assembled DIY computer kits and plugged them into computer screens to complete some programming

17 Feb 2015

Raspberry Pi Units from Canada

By NewTechKids

We get by with a little help from our friends. Yesterday, NewTechKids took possession of a shipment of Raspberry Pi units, donated and shipped by the good folks at Car-San Manufacturing Limited, a company based in Kitchener, Ontario in Canada. Sandra French Martens, Sales Manager at the company and a high school chum of one of NewTechKids' founders, follows us on social media and made the offer. "As a woman in technology, I really like to see anything that

16 Feb 2015

NewTechKids Talk @ TEDxAmsterdamED

By NewTechKids

NewTechKids is thrilled to announce that Deborah Carter, its co-founder, will speak at the TEDxAmsterdamED event on March 26th at the new Theater Amsterdam. Under the theme "The Education (r)evolution", the event will examine the central issue: "Is revolution needed for education to evolve, or is the future of education already within reach? From the tiny shifts that make a huge difference to the ground-breaking movements shaking the system. We will explore The Education (r)evolution and the balancing

8 Jan 2015

Discovering Automation and Finite State Machines

By NewTechKids

NewTechKids chose the question 'What is a computer?' to kick off our 'Intro to Programming' Bootcamp yesterday. We started the first workshop by knocking our group of 7-9 year olds out of their comfort zone and challenging their belief that computers are just a screen, keypad and circuit board. They discovered that computers are all around us: traffic lights, turnstiles in the subway (metro), home heating systems and other things in everyday life. We then introduced them to concept of

4 Dec 2014

Teaching programming to 4-6 year olds

By NewTechKids

December 3, 2014 marked a milestone for NewTechKids. We gave our first workshop on programming and automation to our youngest audience yet: four to six year olds. (Although if you ask your children, they will most likely talk about the crafts and role play games they did. Check out this video of them in action.) After briefly discussing robots and what they can do, the children made their own robot heads, based on specific instructions from

30 Nov 2014

NewTechKids is Looking for Freelance Teachers

By NewTechKids

Picture the scene. You are wearing a cardboard robot head and doing your best robot impression to teach a group of Dutch and English-speaking kids technology concepts such as programming, automation, input-output and parameters. You didn't originally know how to teach these concepts but you planned the lesson with a certified technology teacher, did some online research to prepare for the class and planned activities to actively engage the children. Does this scenario a) make