While kids get excited about our courses because of the video game factor, in reality, game coding is just a very small part of what they will actually learn, and is not the career path we are setting for our students.
Kids will create working 3d video games that are actually fun to play. This will keep them motivated and inspired to learn the rest of what we teach. Which is everything they need to know to truly understand how computers work, and how to program them to do amazing things.
Our goal is to train kid’s brains to think about how technology can accomplish amazing tasks outside of video games. To prepare them for a future in any career where technology is involved. We are not trying to create a generation of video game designers. We are working to create a generation of tech savvy leaders in all fields.
Through our classes, kids will understand the impact that technology has on their lives, and why they are the luckiest generation to date. They will understand the value of information and knowledge, and the benefits of building on the discoveries and inventions of others. How Google is changing the world by making information available to everyone.
Kids will learn about electricity, what a transistor is and exactly how it works within a computer. They will learn the binary number system, and exactly how simple 1’s and 0’s can be so powerful. Students will learn how these 1’s and 0’s can be translated into pixels on a screen capable of creating entire worlds that immerse viewers for hours.
Students learn about the many functions that computers perform in everyday objects like cars, security devices, watches, TVs, cell phones, cameras, robots, thermometers and thermostats, GPS devices, and many more.
We start with the basics. The history of computers, how they are made, all of their different components and respective functions. Kids learn how a computer processor works, the difference between volatile memory and hard drive storage. How data is sent and received. Different forms of Input and output such as keyboards, voice recognition, and text to speech.
Students gain a thorough understanding of how a computer sends data to a monitor. What screen resolution is, its value and how it works. Kids will totally understand how a computer is capable of displaying graphics that make you feel like there is motion and depth on a 2 dimensional screen.
We also talk about the dangers of technology, and teach kids how to use their brains to determine what is real in the world of the internet where anyone can publish anything. How to be positive in life and in their recreational activities. How technology can help make the world a better place if we live our lives with the goal of helping others. We stress the value of having balance in life and the dangers of addictive behaviors, such as playing video games all the time at the cost of missing out in other areas of life.
We spend a bunch of time on Artificial Intelligence both within the games they create, and real world applications. This is where kids really come to life with creativity, thinking about possibilities for the future of technology.
In the end, the most important idea we impress upon all our students is that no matter who they are, with a little effort and an understanding of information technology, they can create a future of their dreams. Regardless of their career choice all the right tools are available to them to succeed in whatever goals they choose.