Open Navigation

IEEE.org IEEE Xplore Digital Library IEEE Standards IEEE Spectrum More Sites

IEEE Transmitter Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn

Open Search
Open Navigation
Open Search

November 5, 2015

While most of the panels and presentations at Web Summit are geared toward an audience that’s out of college and working, a few panels touched on educational technology, affectionately called edtech. We were especially interested in a Code stage presentation by by Alex Klein of Kano. Klein’s presentation spoke to the simplicity of Kano’s suite of open-source products, making the point that kids want to be able to create technology, not just consume it. To do that, they need access to appropriate tools, like Kano World or Kano Draw.

Maker tech is on the rise, and in Klein’s view, it’s our responsibility to raise kids as makers motivated by their creativity, instead of the tendency to motivate them for the sake of the career landscape. Either way, he agrees that a STEM skill set is important.

In developing the Kano Kit, an affordable toolkit for kids who want to create technology, Klein said he e-mailed a group of teachers in London, asking to meet with their students. He assembled a focus group of sorts, asking the students for their input and thoughts on on things like:

  • What they think a computer should look like
  • How they think a computer actually processes information
  • How videos get uploaded to the internet

Klein’s discovery felt like it was one of those funny, kid-focused BuzzFeed videos. Students with no maker confidence shared their guesses about the anatomy of a computer, and their guesses were powered – no pun intended – by excitement about a technology they use daily. Klein said the key to his success was that in the focus group, and in many ways with the Kato products, he framed the mission as a gamified challenge to spark critical thinking and creativity, both of which are core traits of successful makers.

Related Stories

The electroencephalogram (EEG) head cap with flat metal discs (electrodes) in a science lab with laptops blurred at the background

STEM | 4 days ago

The Brain-Computer Interface Signals Future Quality of Life Improvements

Robot and young woman face to face.

STEM | 1 month ago

The Rise of Humanoid Robots

Close-up gloved hands holding detail microchip

STEM | 2 months ago

Semiconductors and Cybersecurity: Protecting the Core of Our Digital World

Read more about Strengthening IEEE’s Industry Ties

STEM | 2 months ago

Strengthening IEEE’s Industry Ties

INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCES

Close Navigation