DO YOU WANT TO BUILD A COMPUTER?
Have you ever built a computer? Well thanks to a grant written by Stephanie Doty, the Technology Integration Coordinator at Hopkins School and funded by the Education Foundation, many 4th and 5th graders can say they have!
This 4-week program where students are given a Kano Kit, a DIY computer set designed to help assemble a computer from scratch, and learn basic coding skills. Ms. Doty notes that this is a powerful learning tool because the computers are “stripped down and using world and blocks to program.”
Sitting in the classroom listening to both Ms. Doty and her students talking about these computers, the vocabulary was intense; wifi dongle, raspberry pi, operating systems and more! In talking to Adam Huntington, who was in 5th grade at the time, he noted that he “loved learning about technology” and was clearly proud of himself as he put together the intricate parts of a circuit board. “Computer stuff is pretty complex, but definitely fun!”
In a world where these children are inundated with technology all around them, the premise of the grants was to allow children to understand technology at its true core “to see what is inside” and how something functions. Perhaps that could lead to a greater consideration and appreciation for their beloved devices.