Scratch is a great coding platform, so I imagine ScratchJr is fantastic too. Love to get my greedy little hands on the Sphero SPRK+.
Our picks highlight leading tech trends, with an eye toward the future. READ: Top 10 Tech | 2016 | School Library Journal
There’s more than one path into a successful data job than through the university system’s “talent pipeline.” READ MORE: How These Three Women Made Mid-Career Pivots Into Data Science | Fast Company | Business + Innovation
We don’t think there’s a right or wrong way for kids to play. For this kid-oriented gift guide, we focused on learning toys—open-ended games, kits, toys and crafts that promote lifelong skills like critical thinking, problem solving, logic, and even coding. To choose from the hundreds of toys available, we spent more than 30 hours trying 35 recommendations from experts, educators, and parents… READ MORE: Learning Toys and STEM Toys We Love | The Wirecutter
WHEN HIS DAUGHTERS were young, Nader Hamda says, they were really into apps and computers. But now that they’re a little older, their interest is waning. And that’s not unusual. “They’re not an exception,” he says. “They’re more of a rule.”
Sadly, this is true. According to numerous studies, young girls are moving away from computer science, not towards it. And Hamda says this is why his company, Ozobot, is now offering an educational robot called Evo. Evo is small and spherical, only about an inch in diameter. It looks kinda like an IBM Selectric type ball. But it’s also designed to be social.
READ MORE: Evo Is a Little Robot With a Big Mission: Get Girls to Code | WIRED
Data science is a growing career field that pays well. If you are interested in programming, math, and/or statistics, this career could be perfect for you. There are, however, three different data science roles for you to consider. READ: The Skills You’ll Need and the Salary You Can Expect as a Data Scientist | LifeHacker
Over the past few years, skilled developers and tech professionals have been in high demand for startups and corporations alike. And 2016 will be no exception. What will be different, however, is the sheer quantity of specialties companies are seeking in order to fill highly specific gaps, from data engineers to machine learning experts with deep knowledge of their fields.
Given that many companies are already hiring — or will be shortly — I asked 15 startup founders from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) which categories of technical talent they are looking for this year and why these roles will be so impactful. Their best answers are below. READ MORE: 15 top tech jobs of 2016 | Mashable
All kids love building new worlds in Minecraft. But for those living with an autism spectrum disorder, it’s also providing them with ways to engage in school and build healthy social lives. READ MORE: Minecraft helps kids with autism build richer lives | CNET
Emily VanCamp and Elizabeth Olsen just introduced the Captain America: Civil War challenge, an opportunity for girls between the ages of 15-18 to explore science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) projects that “have the potential of creating positive change in the world.” READ MORE: Marvel launches contest encouraging teen girls to pursue science and tech | Mashable
Researchers find software repository GitHub approved code written by women at a higher rate than code written by men, but only if the gender was not disclosed… READ MORE: Women considered better coders – but only if they hide their gender | Technology | The Guardian
Back in the 1950s and 60s, General Electric created a comic book series to help spark interest and excitement in science and engineering. Now the brand has teamed up with Wattpad to bring “Adventures in Science” back to life for a new generation, but with a bit of a twist.
The comic covers still look straight out of the ’60s, but the brand invited six of the writing social app’s most popular writers to create new science-fiction inspired by the old school comic series. The new fiction…is based on the real work of GE scientists and tackles topics from GE’s digital industrial portfolio like transportation, power and water, health care, and energy. READ MORE: General Electric And Wattpad Combine Modern Science With Old School Sci-Fi Comics | FastCompany
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