The Digital Adventures Blog
For parents, educators and students to discuss tech education for kids, best practices for teaching coding & engineering design to kids & emerging technology trends
Featured Posts
The Consumerization of Tech Creates Challenges for Kids
As products and services becomes increasingly consumer friendly in a world dominated by technology, those who are digital natives becomes more comfortable but also get less exposure to real-time problem solving of prior generations. To counterbalance this issue, we need to intentionally introduce opportunities for kids to create not just consume technology.Video GamesWhen many of us were kids, ...
How to build 3 types of character controls using Scratch
One of the key skills necessary when building projects is using the right type of controls for the character. There are times when you want the character to be controlled by the keyboard, other times you want the character’s movement to be automatic and other times you want a character to be based on how the mouse moves.In this tutorial, we will go through how to create the different character ...
How the $170M YouTube fine will better protect children
Alphabet, the parent company of YouTube, was recently fined $170M for violating the Children’s Online Privacy & Protection Act (COPPA). This law is designed to protect the privacy of children 13 years old and under. The Federal Trade Commission found that YouTube violated COPPA by sharing information with 3rd parties about children so they could sell advertising to their clients. While many...
DA Student Launches Space Themed Social Site to Connect Kids
This week, I received an email from my partner about a new website that one of our students recently launched. There are proud moments when you start a company - 1st hire, 1st revenue, 1st profit, etc….And then, there are moments that validate the entire reason why your company exists in the 1st place.At Digital Adventures, our mission is to empower the next generation with the creative problem...
Making big things smaller
Around this time of year, everyone is excited about getting started with the new school year. With my kids, things are no different. Recently, my kids started back school. For my son, this marks a switch from elementary into middle school. My daughter is now in her 2nd year of middle school. One thing that I talk a lot about with my kids is making things easier for whoever comes after you. So, ...
What’s behind tech employers ditching degree requirements?
Most people believe that technology is difficult to understand and even harder to learn how to build with. As a result of this dynamic, one would expect technology companies to require college diplomas to prove that prospective candidates are properly grounded in the knowledge they need to be successful in the workplace.However, this is not the case at all. In fact, a small but growing number o...
Deepfakes are here - A parent’s guide to understanding the risks for their kids
Recently, we’ve become aware of a viral video making the rounds on the internet of Bill Hader morphing into Jim Carrey and Tom Cruise as he impersonates these actors during a television interview. Many people are shocked by the capabilities of technology to have this sort of stunning visualization that is so realistic that it fools the brain into believing something that is impossible. While t...
Bill Gates tech education was unique but not because of money
For those who have read the story of Bill Gates, we can begin to connect the dots to see how his technology education during his formative years helped create the right boundary conditions for Microsoft to launch, grow and make a meaningful impact globally. However, his educational journey was not simply because of money. Instead, Bill Gates learned to build with technology in an ideal way for ...
The Lion King Proves Deep Technical Expertise is the Future
Although technology advances and disruptions are all around us, sometimes parents can rightly wonder, does my kid really need to learn this? Disney’s new Lion King movie shows that this knowledge will be essential to their future success.While creators have always been at the forefront of their respective fields, this groundbreaking movie illustrates how technical acumen is continuing to push t...
I wish my kids knew more about technology
One of the greatest parts about working in a consumer facing business is that you get to talk to a lot of people. In the course of these conversations, if you use your ears and mouth in the proper proportion (2:1), you can learn a lot about not only why parents do enroll their kids in our programs but also why they don't enroll them in our programs. At Digital Adventures, our business is focuse...
Small Steps, Giant Leaps
This week, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.As Neil Armstrong remarked, "This is one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind."This historic occasion and celebration got me thinking about all the advances in technology that went into putting astronauts on the moon.As many people have accurately noted, the computing power in the space shuttle was much less...
Don’t let your kids fall victim to this stupid viral video trend
Ah, summertime. The weather is nice. The pool is open. It’s typically a great time to be a human being. And, let’s not forget about ice cream. Who doesn’t love ice cream? However, in the world of social media, the need to shock and surprise has taken viral videos to an uncomfortable and dangerous level.The latest viral trend is making videos of activities that impact our food safety and health....
5 Ways Learning to Build with Tech Improves Math Skills
Often as adults, we typically fall into two camps - those who think they are good at math and they who think they aren’t good at math. Usually, our confidence or anxiety began to develop in elementary, middle or high school and has stuck with us throughout our lives. While we may not know the exact point that we either leaned into math or moved away from it, the reality is that eventually our m...
The Most Useful Life Hack Ever
Throughout human history, the ability to create value has always been extremely important. As a result, society has advanced tremendously from the inventions and innovations from people who saw the world a bit differently than everyone else. And those who have changed the world have often been greatly rewarded. Leveraging innovation, we have continuously improved our ability to create not just...
Kids must develop this key technical skill
One of the biggest and most important responsibilities of parents is to prepare their kids for future success. For our parents, this seemed relatively straightforward. Good grades, solid extracurriculars, internships and a college degree would prepare them to achieve personal and professional satisfaction. Since the current generation entered the workforce, these elements no longer seem suffici...