2023 Newsletter
2023.05.29 | Project-Based Learning Beyond Programming
As we bid farewell to another wonderful year at NCS, we wanted to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude to each and every one of you for being an essential part of our remarkable journey…
2023.05.22 | Project-Based Learning Beyond Programming
Today, we’re diving into the exciting world of project-based learning in computer science and why it’s a game-changer for our aspiring young programmers. As traditional education evolves to meet the demands of our fast-paced digital era, project-based learning emerges as a remarkable approach that fosters creativity, problem-solving skills, and real-world application.
2023.05.18 | Problem-Based Learning and AI
I hope this blog post finds you all in high spirits. Our final CS/AI projects focus on something that’s incredibly important for our learners: teaching sustainability practices to primary grade learners…
2023.05.08 | Problem-Based Learning and AI
As we dig into how best to formulate some amazing student projects at the end of the year, we want to be intentional about design thinking and how it relates to PBL…
2023.05.01 | AI Inquiry and Analysis
Inquiry and analysis are crucial aspects of learners at NEOM because these skills help students develop valuable talents that are necessary for success in the real world. Through inquiry-based learning, students learn how to ask questions and seek out answers on their own, which can be incredibly valuable in a wide variety of situations…
2023.04.24 | AI & Real Life Problems
We have been thinking about the importance of curiosity in exploring computer science and artificial intelligence for our learners here at NCS. Design thinking is a problem-solving approach that emphasizes empathy, creativity, and experimentation. It’s a process that encourages you to understand your user’s needs, brainstorm ideas, and prototype your solutions. But what’s the key to making design thinking work?
2023.04.17 | AI & Real Life Problems
When do we start to teach learners about real-world problems? For our computer science and AI work, topics like green energy, sustainable practices, and food chain considerations need to be integrated into learning at all levels!
2023.04.10 | Technology’s Design Cycle
Part of gaining fluency with technology through computer science is understanding how to design things – solutions, interfaces, projects and more. And as we move closer to the end of the year, some of our learners will be exploring what exactly is entailed in the design cycle…
2023.04.03 | Makey Makeys and STEM Education
What if you could touch a physical picture and hear a voice? Or maybe have a comic strip come to life by hearing the sounds and scenes from the place?
2023.03.27 | The Value of Older Technology
As we continue the design and development of our computer science learning experiences, we are always on the lookout for ways to introduce new and exciting technologies to learners of all ages…
2023.03.20 | Computer Science is Not Just Coding
As we continue our movement towards the end of the school year, we are excited to see our computer science curriculum growing and gaining momentum. We know that there can be a conception that computer science is all about coding but that couldn’t be further from the truth…
2023.03.13 | Holding Space for Innovation
As we get back to our regular classroom activities, we are still very excited about the work that the students completed as part of the hackathon. We hope you’ve had a chance to ask them about their efforts – what were they curious about, what did they like about it, what might they want to explore more in the future?
2023.03.06 | The First Annual Neom Community School Hack-a-Thon
This week, we had the opportunity to host guests and showcase some of the completed projects for our first ever Hackathon! The students did an absolutely incredible job in imagining the future of transportation at NEOM and their creativity, innovative thinking, and collaborative efforts were on full display…
2023.02.27 | What Are Hack-a-Thons?
Our first hackathon is NEXT Monday and we are really excited to show off some of our student’s projects. We know that it’s many of their first times building a prototype. It is a completely different type of learning but it encourages collaborative, innovative, and critical thinking…
2023.02.20 | What Are Hack-a-Thons?
We’re only a couple weeks away from our hackathon event! Though not everyone will get an opportunity to present their efforts, that doesn’t mean the project, time, effort, and passion for learning doesn’t matter. In fact, the process of working through these BIG IDEAS is an incredible achievement by itself…
2023.02.13 | What Are Hack-a-Thons?
We are inching closer to our big hackathon and are incredibly excited! Have you been hearing any ideas about some of the projects the learners are working on?
2023.02.06 | What Are Hack-a-Thons?
We are getting closer to our hackathon date and our excitement is growing! Sometimes, students can feel a lot of pressure to make sure they get the “right answer” but hackathons are about exploration, creativity, and trying out ideas…
2023.01.30 | What Are Hack-a-Thons?
As we start to gear up for our very first Hackathon, we want to encourage some exploration! Hackathons are known for finding creative and exciting solutions to real world problems…
2023.01.16 | Place, Time, and Scratch Coding
How can we use coding to better understand the world around us? Ideas like ‘place’ and ‘time’ seem like they might be difficult to explore when we talk about coding and computer science…
2023.01.09 | What are Voice Assistants?
As we start this new term, we continue our explorations of artificial intelligence and how deeply connected these technologies are to our daily life. One way these technologies are part of our routines is through voice assistants…
2023.01.03 | Happy New Year!
Welcome back to this new term! ReadyAI is excited to rejoin our friends and collaborators here at NCS on another exciting journey into AI and Computer Science learnings. As we come back from break, we are looking to continue developing how each grade here at NCS can develop at their own unique pace with content specially designed for them…
2022 Newsletter
2022.12.12 | WAICY 2022!
As we are winding down the term, we wanted to thank all the students, family, and staff at Neom Community School for their support in exploring computer science and artificial intelligence…
2022.12.05 | Almost WAICY!
Exploring the world of artificial intelligence opens up so many doors to related technologies! This week, we started to think about how it might connect to experiences with augmented and virtual reality…
2022.11.21 | Happy Thanksgiving!
For those familiar with American holidays, Happy Thanksgiving! In the United States, many Americans will gather with friends and family to give thanks for what they have…
2022.11.14 | WAICY 2022 is Coming
This week, we are excited to prepare projects for the upcoming WAICY event to be held at KAUST. We want to make sure that our explorations of artificial intelligence have a positive impact on our community and the world around us…
2022.11.07 | Happy November!
This week, we are interested in understanding how data works and why it’s so important to computer science. We’ll be exploring the ways that data management systems function but first…what exactly is data?
2022.10.31 | Variables in Programming
In our work this week, students are continuing to think about the ways that variables are part of the world outside of computer programming…
2022.10.24 | WAICY is Coming!
This week, we are working on expanding our understanding of variables in computer programming. And we also have plans to participate in the 5th annual WAICY event taking place both live and virtually out of KAUST. The event will happen on December 3 and 4, featuring student groups from around the globe demonstrating their work in artificial intelligence learning!
2022.10.17 | Block Based Coding
This week, Neom Community School students are developing a lesson and accompanying project in block-based coding for learners to better understand variables in computer science applications. Learners will get to explore real-world variables prior to building them in the context of Scratch……
2022.10.10 | Scratch Programming
This week, Neom students are working on understanding variables in programming. Utilizing Scratch for basic coding, they are making connections between real-world examples and block based code languages……
2022.10.06 | Happy October!
October just began, and there is a lot to learn this year. This week, students begin to develop an understanding and appreciation for how their use of technology impacts those around them……
2022.09.25 | Welcome Back to School
Exciting to be back with everyone at NEOM Community School again this year! Students have started the academic year off by exploring the basics of working together in technology labs as well as navigating how to best use technology alongside their classmates……