Programming Just for Kids

Sharon Marzouk, Founder of Techy Kids

I have to start this post with a public statement:  Sharon, you were right.

Sharon who?

Meet Sharon Marzouk, whom I have dubbed the Duchess of Thymio.  (JK...Sharon is more of a mentor to me, and one I'm grateful to have.)

Sharon is the founder of Techy Kids, a Menlo Park based company that creates amazing lesson plans for kids to design, collaborate, code and present their inventions just like adult startup leaders do. Sharon is also the person who convinced me (and Tech EdVentures!) to make Thymio II the foundation of our early-elementary coding program.

There are two reasons.
First, the Thymio II is a great robot which comes equipped with sensors, speakers, a microphone and even an accelerometer.  It's a tremendous collection of technology that is presented in a friendly, well constructed package that appeals to kids.

Kids drag and drop icons...while the code auto-populates!

Second, Thymio uses a little-known platform called ASEBA.  Kids as young as Kindergarten age can program Thymio by moving drag and drop icons within a friendly user interface.  At the same time, ASEBA's interface is writing actual computer code.  Kids quickly see that for every icon they manipulate that have written a new line of code.  This makes it easy for kids to scaffold up to their next level of skills by typing precise directions with a keyboard.  ASEBA's combination of a simple interface and a sophisticated program environment sets Thymio head and shoulders above many 'bots including Legos Mindstorms, and helps kids learn to code sooner than they would otherwise.

That, in the end, is the shared mission of Techy Kids and Tech EdVentures.  We want to see young kids develop sophisticated skills so that they can take their place as leaders, inventors and entrepreneurs.   Just like Sharon! 

Allen Selis, 
Founding Director
Tech EdVentures

Tech EdVentures is blogging from the road as part of our recent visit to Silicon Valley. All that effort, just to bring cool content to you.  You can thank us by like-ing our FB page, OK?

Hello, World

This month, I took the first few steps to combining my love of education, my passion for social change and my long standing interest in the way that technology shapes our lives.

The answer is a startup project called Tech EdVentures.

My working premise is that children as young as Kindergarten age can acquire the critical thinking skills that spiral towards a career in science, engineering, coding and design.  The starting place is not technology itself, rather, hands-on experiences that are well designed.  Yes, it's all about curiosity and curriculum...and code!

Some milestones- EdVentures, LLC was incorporated in TX in March of 2014.
We began creating program and advertising "Tech EdVentures" with clients that month.
There is a lot to build...including the web site.
If you're curious in the meantime,  leave a comment on this page.

Allen