In 2014, she made the leap into entrepreneurship to launch NewTechKids. With a son enrolled in Dutch primary school, she looked around for a place where he and other children could fall in love with technological innovation and computer science and learn how to be innovators and inventors. When she couldn’t find it, she decided to create it.

NewTechKids is a technology academy in Amsterdam, the Netherlands which teaches primary school aged kids about technological innovation: computer science, programming, design and critical thinking about the implication of technology. NewTechKids teaches during school, after school and during school vacations. They even teach overseas in places like the Middle East and Switzerland.

NewTechKids has launched PreparationTech, a video interview series in which Deborah interviews technologists, people whose work relies on technology, and students studying technology.

Shownotes

• NewTechKids Website
• Deborah Carter on LinkedIn
• TedX Talk by Deborah
• NewTechKids on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn
• ‘Ethics and Technology’ Curriculum Module 
• AI Used for 2020 Summer Camps
• PreparationTech interview: Babusi Nyoni, self-taught AI and machine learning guru

At SAP Labs Munich, Johannes engages in a local initiative called STEAM Kids that teaches kids the basics of coding during one day workshops at SAP. 

Images: (c) Johannes Engelke – used with permission

ScoutLab is an initiative of a German scouting organization. In their workshops, they engage kids in activities with the Raspberry PI, Arduino, Micro:Bit and also 3D printing.

In this episode, I would like to explore the intersection of local youth organizations like scouting clubs and STEAM education. I am curious to figure out how they include elements of STEAM education, such as coding with the Micro:Bit, into their organization’s activities. 

To see some images from their workshops and of course for all links mentioned during the show, please visit kidslab.dev.

Shownotes

• Verband Christlicher Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder
• Scoutlab Blog
• ScoutLab Website
• STEAM Kids at SAP Munich Blog Post and video
• ScoutLab Hackathon Photos 1 and 2
• World Scout Jamboree
• World Organization of the Scout Movement
• World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts

The HABA digital workshop spaces offer after-school activities for kids and they are spread across Germany. By now there are 10 locations in Germany and Viktoria is leading the Munich one. 

The workshops and classes are targeted towards kids between 6 to 12 years old and the goal is to help kids learn about our digital world in a playful way. But besides content for Kids, they also offer content for families, teachers and educators as well as companies. 

Images: (c) Haba Digitalwerkstatt – used with permission

The workshops & classes range from coding, making robotics, digital art, sound & music to exploring the block worlds of Minecraft. All of these courses are mostly given by professional media educators or educators with a technical background in these topics. 

I had a look at the tools they use during these workshops and found the well-known Calliope Mini, Lego Wedo or the robots from mBlock – but let’s explore what else they use during the interview, I am sure there is way more. 

Shownotes

• Viktoria Brackertz
• Haba Digitalwerkstatt
• Overview of online courses of the Digitalwerkstatt Lab
• Deep Link to Workshops on Robotics, Calliope Mini and vacation camps