5 years of the Central House of Technology. “Graduates will be Nobel Prize winners”

On September 12, a ceremonial gala was held in Warsaw to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the establishment of the Central House of Technology (CDT). The event brought together, among others, teachers and education representatives, course participants, CDT partners, industry representatives and the local community.

Teaching in the spirit of STEAM

The Central House of Technology is an educational center run by a team of enthusiasts of modern education who jointly promote teaching in the spirit of STEAM (education based on such pillars as: science, technology, art, mathematics, engineering). The project is run by the Polish Development Fund Foundation (PFR).

The main target groups of CDT are school classes, to which CDT offers workshops (stationary and online) on the competences of the future, new technologies, entrepreneurship and sustainable development, as well as teachers, pedagogues, principals and people related to education), to whom CDT offers stationary training, weekly webinars (“Fridays for Teachers”) and a lesson plan competition (“Education of Tomorrow”) on the latest educational tools, state-of-the-art teaching aids and unconventional approach to education. The third target group are seniors (people aged 60+; the “Digital Beginners” project), who are just starting their adventure with technology or want to improve their skills.

– The Central House of Technology has been our key project for five years. It was created to create a space where conversations, education, and innovation can take place in a favorable climate. This is where business, innovation, and above all children, youth, teachers, and all those we care about so that they can develop in our education meet. We focus mainly on digital competences, but we are also close to entrepreneurship, cybersecurity, and acquiring competences that will be necessary for us on the labor market in the future. We also focus on creativity and critical thinking. All this within the STEAM methodology – said the president of the PFR Foundation, Magdalena Grzankowska, during the gala.

Piotr Matczuk, president of the Polish Development Fund, who participated in the event, expressed his hope that “graduates of the Central House of Technology will be future Nobel Prize winners and will contribute to the fulfillment of the mission of the Central House of Technology and our foundation.”

CDT Achievements

The greatest achievements of the Central House of Technology include the organisation of 2,200 workshops and webinars, 53,000 participants in online and stationary classes, 50 original projects, 30 conferences and business trainings.

During the birthday gala, the topic of research conducted for several years at CDT on the relationship between children and humanoid robots, entitled “Children’s perception of robots depending on gender and assertive behavior”, was raised. The results of this research were presented by CDT partners, representatives of the HumanTech Center of SWPS University Ariadna Gołębicka and dr Konrad Maj, as well as the robot Pepper itself. One of the experiments was aimed at checking how children react to a robot that refuses to perform a task for them. It turned out that the youngest prefer a commanding tone towards the robot, and this tendency increases when the gender of the robot is defined as female.

– Younger children have a stronger tendency to anthropomorphize robots – to attribute human characteristics to them. They find it difficult to treat a robot as a device, they treat it in human categories. – explained Dr. Maj.

Take care of your hygiene…digital

During the gala, the topic of cybersecurity and care for digital hygiene, including among children, was also raised. Magdalena Bigaj, creator and president of the Institute of Digital Citizenship Foundation, media expert, researcher and social activist, expert of the team for dialogue in education of the Social Dialogue Committee of the Polish Chamber of Commerce and author of the book “Education by the screen – How to prepare a child for life on the network?” spoke on this topic.

Bigaj emphasized that in “digital hygiene, the most important thing is to understand that new technologies affect us.” The expert recommends teaching digital hygiene to the entire society, regardless of age, starting with oneself. She also recommends, among other things, strengthening schools in an autonomous, participatory solution to the issue of phones in schools and urgently introducing preparation for life in the information society.

Plans for the future

During the event, the new CDT educational program for the upcoming 2024/2025 school year was also presented, combining previous goals with new topics and activities. Key projects include:

• For classes:

– Educational Time Machine (1st edition) – a program combining STEAM learning with historical education through workshops using VR films. Funding: Polish History Museum, as part of the Patriotism of Tomorrow program.

– Digital Direction Sign (4th edition) – a series of workshops for young people in the field of programming, 3D modeling and ecology. Funding: Warsaw City Hall.

– Digital Entrepreneurship – a series of training sessions for secondary school students on setting up and running an online business, by creating a website and application prototype. Partner Allegro.

– World of Money (2nd edition) – a project for primary schools, including workshops, materials for teachers, publications for pupils and students, and a competition on entrepreneurship and saving.

• For teachers:

– Education of Tomorrow (VI edition) – competition for the best lesson plans. Partner Allegro.

– Educational Time Machine (1st edition) – a series of webinars on the use of modern tools in historical education. Funding: Polish History Museum, as part of the Patriotism of Tomorrow program.

– Fridays for Teachers – regular, weekly webinars with experts and teachers from all over Poland.

– Education for the Future – a training program in the STEAM method, i.e. two full days of training in the STEAM method and a selected educational technology (3D printing, educational robots or microcontrollers). In order for the educational offer of CDT to reach as far as possible, the workshops are held not only in Warsaw, but also in cooperation with Teacher Training Centers and Centres throughout Poland. Co-financing from the state budget, from the funds of the National Institute of Freedom

– Centre for the Development of Society as part of the government’s Programme for the Development of Civic Organisations for 2018-2030 PROO.

• For seniors

– Digital Beginners – two days of training in both the basics of smartphone and computer use – cybersecurity, communication, government services and applications, and special “empty topics” that will be filled with the educational needs and challenges of participants. Funding: Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy as part of the Multiannual Program for Seniors “Aktywni+” for 2021-2025.