A new place to cultivate young creators of video, robotics and graphic design opens its doors next week in downtown Chattanooga, an airy space whose leaders are looking to evoke the sense and sensibilities of independent thinkers.
TechTown is expected to be the first of many hands-on instruction hubs for youths that will be built across the country, all rooted in technology and run without the formulaic format of classroom learning. TechTown doesn’t consider itself a teaching institution in the classic sense; instead children and teenagers take responsibility for their own learning using the technological tools they get at TechTown.
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CampsDATES› June 21-July 31SUBJECT TRACKSAge 11-17› 2D/3D Design› Robotics/Circuitry› Film› Coding/Minecraft ModdingKilobytes, age 7-10› Basic design and codingCOST› $295 per week per camperLOCATION› 325 Market St.PHONE› 423-308-7730INFORMATION› https://gotechtown.com/summer2015
“We facilitate, we coach,” said Cordell Carter II, TechTown Foundation’s executive director and a former chief of staff for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
That philosophy hews to how TechTown Foundation, the nonprofit organization that keeps TechTown going, views youths and their capacity to grow intellectually and creatively. To sum it up: Kids learn best when they’re allowed to explore, and that spirit of exploration, coupled with interactive, goal-driven and fun learning allows youngsters to excel in complex areas such as programming, 3D design and software development.