ALPHARETTA, Ga. -- Amana Academy in Alpharetta is home to a pilot program for a new kind of computer that's designed to make it easier and more fun for kids to learn to code.
The KANO computer comes in a box, so kids can build it like Legos and code it themselves.
"They can't wait to tear into them in class, and they think Yonatan, the founder, is a rock star," said Amana Academy Principal Cherisse Campbell. Amana is a Fulton County Charter School.
Yonatan Raz-Fridman is the co-creator of the KANO computer, which is designed for children between the ages of 7 and 14.
Based in London, he made a special visit to the school after the city of Alpharetta paid to buy KANO computers for the entire 5th grade.
"Amana Academy is the first pilot," Raz-Fridman said. "We really want to get Kano into every classroom all over the world. It's about learning, making and playing with technology in a way that they could have never done before."
During a his school visit, he found several students using the KANO to play the wildly popular game Minecraft.
But they can do more with the KANO and create new worlds.
"The teachers have some exciting plans for this semester, using Minecraft to plan out a Civil War battlefield," Campbell said. "They can make modifications to the code in Minecraft to make that possible."
"What can we do better?" Raz-Fridman asked students. One suggested a special screen to go with the KANO. Turns out, the company just released one.
He wants to make KANO work for kids and schools, with Amana as a committed partner.
"Hopefully, it's just the beginning," he added.
KANO launched on Kickstarter in 2013, and it has shown impressive growth since then.
Kano
launched on Kickstarter in 2013 and developed with the help of hundreds of young people, artists, and
teachers worldwide.
Kano
launched on Kickstarter in 2013 and developed with the help of hundreds of young people, artists, and
teachers worldwide.
Kano
launched on Kickstarter in 2013 and developed with the help of hundreds of young people, artists, and
teachers worldwide.
