Editor’s note: This article was recently updated and republished to include the new courses added to the Geek Squad Academy Online Learning program.

It’s hard not to worry about our children’s future. While we can’t control many aspects of their education, there are some ways we can help prepare them to be successful. That’s where Best Buy Canada comes in. They want to lend a helping hand and they’re giving back to the community with the launch of an exciting new program both parents and kids will love: Geek Squad Academy Online Learning.

Geek Squad Academy Online Learning has launched seven free, high-quality online educational resources. The courses will be “Web Know-How,” “Bending Binary,” “Picture Perfect Mobile,” “3D Design”, “Stop Motion Animation”, “Cryptography,” and “Game Development with Godot.” With these courses, Best Buy Canada will help kids continue to learn at home.

What is Geek Squad Academy?

Geek Squad Academy is Best Buy Canada’s educational program for youth aged ten to sixteen. They partner with various non-profit organizations and schools to explore the wonder and opportunities technology holds, and this year they’re celebrating 7 successful years of sharing the newest and coolest tech with Canadian kids.

This important anniversary means even more now that kids have transitioned to online learning. While workshops and day camps have been paused for the time being,  Geek Squad Academy is going to continue with their mission of sharing their love of tech with kids by offering parents and educators some of the coolest online classes around.

Free tech courses for kids aged 10 to 16

Head to Geek Squad Academy Online Learning to find an up-to-date list of free courses offered. They have content tailored specifically to kids aged 10 to 16, and together you’ll learn about HTML, binary, photography, game development, and more.

Here’s a quick summary of the free courses offered by Geek Squad Academy Online Learning.

Web Know-How

Kids spend hours of time visiting websites, but have they ever wondered how those websites are built? With Web Know-How they’ll learn about the hidden code behind their favourite sites. During the course they’ll see how HTML, tags, CSS, and other types of code all come together to create websites. They get to dive right into HTML coding and experiment by changing code to discover how one piece of code can change everything on a page.

Here is the overview of the course; check it out right now by visiting Geek Squad Academy Online Learning.

  • What HTML is and what HTML tags are
  • How HTML tags can affect elements on a webpage
  • How CSS and HEX codes can impact the design of an entire webpage

Bending Binary

If you can count to ten, you’re well on your way to understanding binary. Binary is a number system that provides a solid foundation for how computers, and even our own brains, function. It’s based on something called a “base-2 numbering system,” and your kids will learn how to convert numbers and letters into binary and hexadecimal to write a secret coded message.

With Bending Binary, experimentation is the name of the game. Your kids will be able to discover, change things, and make mistakes while they learn all about binary. Take a look at the overview and head over to Geek Squad Academy Online Learning to check it out.

  • What binary is and what it can be used for
  • How to convert a decimal number into binary
  • How to convert words and names into binary using ASCII
  • How to convert binary numbers into hexadecimal
  • How to write and decode your own secret message using binary and hexadecimal

Picture Perfect Mobile

A mobile device can take amazing photos, and Picture Perfect Mobile will show you and your kids how to get the most out of the camera feature on a smartphone or tablet. You’ll learn easy picture-taking techniques and all about photo exposure, composition, and editing. By the end of the course, you and your kids will be picture-taking pros.

Take a look at the Picture Perfect Mobile course overview and head over to Geek Squad Academy Online Learning to check it out.

  • The different elements of photo exposure: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO
  • Various techniques to compose a great photo: The Rule of Thirds, Landscapes, and Portraits
  • How to use mobile editing software to enhance a photo: Brightness, Cropping, and Sharpening

 

Game Development with Godot

Have you heard of Godot? It’s a free, open-source game engine that lets users create video games from scratch. Once you and your kids learn the basic tools of Godot, the sky’s the limit to what you can create. You’ll understand how games are made and your learner will be able to create their own game. With Godot you can experiment, change things up, make mistakes, and have a ton of fun.

Take a look at the Game Development with Godot course overview and head over to Geek Squad Academy Online Learning to check it out now.

  • How to use the basic tools of Godot to build a video game
  • How to write some basic game code
  • How to create different objects that interact with each other
  • How to include constants in your code

3D Design

Buildings, tools, and artificial limbs are just a few of things that can be designed using 3D modeling software. In this course you and your learner will use free software to design a house in 3D, and afterwards you can use the design in other programs or even 3D print a smaller version.

Stop Motion Animation

Whether your learner is interested in making animated movies or would simply love to see their toys come to life, they’ll want to learn about stop motion animation. This course shows how stop motion animation works, how to develop a story, and how to film it.

Cryptography

Cryptography is the art of writing or solving codes. You and your learner will explore how cryptography works and how to use codes and ciphers to exchanges messages no one else can read—unless they know the key.

Check out Geek Squad Academy Online Learning today

Geek Squad Academy Online Learning is there to engage young minds, offer some online fun, and help set children up for the best possible future. Check out Geek Squad Academy Online Learning right now to learn more about our free online courses today.

Geek Squad
Geek Squad
Our Geek Squad Agents are on a mission to set up, protect, support and repair your computers, home theatre, cell phones and more. We'll come to your rescue in-store, in-home or online.

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238 COMMENTS

  4. It is almost identical as magic when Stop Motion Animation could be added to a program. I would take that one.

  7. Game Development with Godot sounds like a super cool course for my friend’s son who’s really into video games right now

  9. Which course am I not interested in? They all sound great. I’d like to dive into Web Know How with my friend and her daughter.

  11. The 3D design course would be the course I can see chosen – building things are a favourite around here.

  14. I would like to learn how to take better pictures so Picture Perfect Mobile is what would interest me the most.

  24. i would be interested in the Perfect Picture Mobile course- learning editing and composition is a bonus..

  25. Picture Perfect Mobile would be great for me, but the Cryptography would be perfect for my grandson.

  30. I would be interested in the Picture Perfect Mobile course for myself so that I could learn so much more about using my phone’s camera. All I do right now is point and click.

  40. Picture Perfect Mobile would be a wonderful course for my grandson and myself. We take a lot of photos and we could both use tips on how to take better photographs.

  48. I would like my grandson to take the course 3D Design as i think he would really enjoy it and he would be so appreciative of the learning opportunity.

  50. Game Development with Godot would be a great course for my nephew. He loves gaming of any kind and it would be great for him to see what goes into creating them.

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