Program Director: Allyson Palmer

Contact : (617) 395 - 7527

Email : info@ctwboston.com

About Children’s Technology Workshop

Children’s Technology Workshop empowers children in pre-K through grade 8 to be creative using today’s tools while preparing them to be comfortable with 21st century concepts in communication, design, and self-expression. We offer applied-technology classroom workshops, summer camps, after-school workshops and special events that are uniquely enriching, creative, and empowering. We have been building our curriculum since 1997 and are constantly embracing new technologies to enable all children to explore, invent, and create. Visit our website at www.ctworkshop.com

About the Instructors

Tara’s interest in teaching grew from years helping her mother in a special education classroom and learning to teach students with different educational needs. She applied these skills throughout her college career working as a writing and study skills tutor. Tara joined CTWorkshop May 2008 and was so inspired that she made CTW the subject of her dissertation as she was pursuing a graduate degree in Critical and Creative Thinking. Tara teaches after-school programs and is an instructor at CTWorkshop’s icamp program. She is trained in CPR and First Aid.

Ed is an electrical engineer with training in media production and a Master’s degree in Music Technology. He works in sound engineering and also teaches video game design and programming at Suffolk University. Ed has been with CTWorkshop since October 2008. He teaches after-school programs and is an instructor at CTWorkshop’s icamp program. He is trained in CPR and First Aid.

Program Descriptions

Grades 1-2:

We’ve come a long way from making hunting tools out of stones and bones to inventing devices that think, communicate, and act on their own, but the human need to explore, invent, and create is a constant, and comes through from day 1 of our lives. In this program, first- and second-graders will apply their creative powers to modern technology tools. Throughout the year, the class will alternate between periods of exploration in animation and engineering, giving every student an opportunity to learn new skills.

In Engineering sessions, students will use LEGO* and take-home building materials to make a different project each week while learning about common mechanical concepts. Levers, different types of motion, energy conservation and transformation, and mechanical advantage are just some of the topics explored. *Note: LEGO models will not be taken home.

In Animation sessions, students learn about stop-motion animation and digital movie making by creating a series of increasingly sophisticated mini-movies of their own. First students focus on specific filming techniques such as working with frame rates, filming 2 and 3 dimensional objects, and story telling. Then they put it all together to film and edit their own original movie that they can play at home.

Grades 3-5:

It’s no coincidence that the more a child is interested in a given topic, the higher his or her initiative to learn, patience, and retention of new skills related to the topic. That’s why our program for students in third, forth, and fifth grade focuses on the hands-on technologies of robotics, animation, and game design. The learning happens behind the scenes when students discover that they actually need to understand friction to build a LEGO construction and algebra to make their cool game or movie.

In our Robotics sessions, students work in pairs to construct a different project each week using LEGO* MINDSTORMS™ components. After building, students motorize their projects and program them on a computer using one of several LEGO programming languages available. Instructors introduce design challenges, discuss real-life robots, and teach participants about proper design and application of structural elements. Students receive a photo slide show of all the class projects to share with family and friends. *Note: LEGO models will not be taken home.

Then we move on to Game Design, where students are introduced to the fundamentals using an icon-based object-oriented programming language. Our expert instructors and detailed step-by-step software guide take students through the creation of their first fully functional 2-dimensional game while they learn concepts of math, geometry, design, and logic. When they are done, students can play their games at home and challenge their friends (MS Windows-only).

We finish the year with Animation. Students start by learning the basics of stop motion animation and digital video production. Then we move on to more complex concepts such as perspective and scale, camera angles and movement, and digital effects. Students put it all together to film and edit their own original movie that they can play at home or post online.

Grades 6-8:

Many of today's ‘tweens are fluent with the use of computers, video games, and cell phones. But to really grow and learn from these new tools, it’s important that students also understand the fundamentals underlying the technology. This program takes students in grades six through eight beyond the surface to examine the deeper workings of applied technology through advanced projects in game design, architecture, and robotics. A strict non-violence policy is enforced in all sessions.

With our focus on Game Design, students develop basic skills and build on them with more complex programming by working with coordinates, variables, formulas, ratios, and other mathematical concepts. Students work at their own pace to program their own games, and taking advanced challenges when they are ready. When they are done, they can play their games at home and challenge their friends (MS Windows-only).

We move on to Architecture, where students create their own architectural design while considering concepts of function, aesthetics, environment, and materials, to name a few. Our instructor guides students through the planning, sketching and design stages, while also teaching students about perspective, coordinates, measurement, scale and ratios, and functional design decisions. Students use computer technology to create a 3D rendering of their building, making decisions along the way about everything from color schemes to interior decorations. After completing their building, students make a photo slide show of their masterpiece to take home and share.

In the Robotics sessions, students work in pairs to build more complex construction and programming challenges using LEGO* MINDSTORMS components. Sessions will cover proper use of motors, sensors, wiring, and pneumatics, as well as creation of steering mechanisms, gearboxes, vehicles, lifts, and other designs. Students receive a photo slide show of all the projects to watch at home.

*Note: LEGO models will not be taken home.