Future Innovators
By: Kyle Schmidt, Kanokla Marketing Team
Kanokla and Cowley Community College teamed up once again to bring a unique tech camp to rural Kansas students. Tech Camp was designed to spark an interest in technology among young students by offering a mix of creativity, coding, and the latest tech trends. It gives kids a chance over the summer to dive into the world of technology, gaining skills that will be important in their future. We are proud to say we have seen an amazing growth in attendance over the last 5 years of hosting this camp. In 2019, we had 22 students attend, and this year we had 45 5th-9th graders attend throughout the week.
Here is a breakdown of what our tech campers experienced:
AI Art Station: Where Creativity Meets Technology
One of the camp’s highlights was the AI Art Station at the design studio. Here, students created art using artificial intelligence. This station helped them express their creativity while also learning about AI’s capabilities and limits. It is important for kids to understand both the benefits and potential pitfalls of AI from a young age.
Video Game Design: Turning Passion into Skill
Logan Rhea, a Kanokla intern who designs his own video games, taught students the basics of game design. Logan’s sessions showed that creating games could be both fun and educational. By coding their own games, students learned to think like programmers and understand complex systems. Logan’s enthusiasm for game design inspired students to explore their interests in technology and consider careers in this exciting field.
Drone Course: Exploring New Heights
The camp also included a drone course, where kids learned to fly drones and discovered the many ways they could be used. Drones are used in fields like agriculture, photography, and emergency services. This course covered the basics of drone operation and explored different applications, sparking students’ curiosity and broadening their understanding of modern technology.
Autonomous Vehicles: The Future of AI
Riley Anderson, a Kansas University student specializing in AI engineering, taught kids how to program cars to drive autonomously. Her station focused on coding cars to navigate courses using route memorization and data transfer, without relying on camera input. Understanding autonomous vehicles gave students a glimpse into one of the most groundbreaking applications of AI. Riley’s hands-on sessions provided valuable experience with AI and robotics, preparing students for future technological advances.
Learning to Code: A New Digital Language
David Hays from Cowley Community College introduced students to coding, comparing it to learning a new language. Coding isn’t just about writing instructions for computers and other hardware, it is about thinking logically and solving problems. By learning the basics of coding, students develop critical thinking skills and gain a better understanding of how technology works. In today’s world, being able to code is becoming as essential as traditional literacy.
