Tiny techies

There are so many opportunities for kids to experiment and play with technology, but preparing students to be creators instead of consumers doesn’t only happen in front of a computer! Tiny Techies^SM will help students build computational thinking and problem-solving skills, be creative, and practice working together. In an increasingly technology-driven world, these are all skills that will help them as they grow and prepare for jobs that don’t yet exist. The best part is that we’ll do this through hands-on activities that will get them moving, building, and thinking!

• Funding is available through the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council Scale-Up Program. Scale-Up Awards are available for in-school and out-of-school educators. Applications and more information about the Iowa Scale-Up Program can be found here.
• The Computer Science Professional Development Incentive Fund can be used for all of our computer science professional development options, including Project GUTS. Reach out to our team at k12@newbo.co for more information about this funding opportunity
• 1 hour of teacher relicensure or grad credit available through the AEA

Our Tiny Techies professional development supports PreK–2nd grade teachers with training on foundational computer science concepts and how they relate to some of our youngest learners. You will experience engaging lessons that can tie into other content areas and help students become creative problem solvers. The one day workshop includes many of the materials that are used in lessons:

• Hello Ruby books
• Cubetto robot base set
• Additional Cubetto mats + books
• Learning Beautiful materials
• Tangrams set
• Squishy Circuit materials
• Snap Circuits Jr. set

Examples of activities we will be doing:

• • Discover and ask, “Where are the computers around us?”
  • Pattern recognition and breaking down problems into smaller parts
  • Explore electricity using conductive playdough, Snap Circuits, and more
  • Integrating computer science and literacy
  • Explore programming concepts (functions, loops, decisions) through movement and food

Check back soon for upcoming workshop dates!