3 new Geek Squad Academy Online Learning courses announced

Geek Squad Academy will be offering three new online learning courses for youth, with the intent to help children acquire valuable knowledge for their futures while also having lots of fun.

What Is Geek Squad Academy?

Best Buy’s Geek Squad launched in the early ’00s, offering installation and repair for computers. Over the years, it expanded to offer services for lots of other products as well, from consumer electronics to appliances.

Geek Squad Academy, now celebrating its fifth anniversary, is a free youth education program that extends Geek Squad to education as well, training the younger generation on how to do everything from create 3D designs to binary coding. On April 30, 2020, Best Buy Canada took Geek Squad Academy online, allowing kids to follow along with the instruction virtually from the comfort of their own homes.

What are the three new courses?

Joining the existing slate of courses are three exciting new ones: 3D Design, Stop Motion Animation, and Cryptography, all fascinating topics that kids will find engaging and fun, and that allow them to create or solve something in the end that will provide a sense of accomplishment. The courses teach kids skills that will be valuable to possess, not only for schooling but also when it comes to future job opportunities.

3D Design

The 3D Design course will teach kids how to design a house in 3D, using free web-based 3D modelling software. Using Sketchup, kids will learn how to apply measurements to lines and shapes in order to turn their creations into real world scale models, and how to export the design in order to use it in other applications.

Stop Motion Animation

In the Stop Motion Animation course, kids will first learn what stop motion animation is, then how to create their own, from the storyboard phase to developing a plot and using the Stop Motion Studio app to make their own video. They will then be armed with the tools to make their own series of videos, playing with different techniques, stories, and objects.

Cryptography

The Cryptography course will teach kids about the art of writing or solving codes, then give them the chance to feel like they’re in their own mystery movie by creating encoded messages using the Caesar Cipher and Polybius Square. They’ll also get a crash course in how to encrypt messages with multiple ciphers or codes.

Why enroll your kids in Geek Squad Academy Online Learning?

The summer months tend to put education on pause as kids focus on enjoying the outdoors and physical activities. But let’s be honest: many of them also have a lot of screen time. Geek Squad Academy Online Learning turns that screen time into something more meaningful that kids will still enjoy. Kids have the opportunity to learn about subjects that promote creativity and critical thinking, and the courses encourage them to create and learn more about technology. It helps them build confidence and interact with others as well. And the best part? The courses are totally free!

What other courses are available and who can participate?

In addition to the three new courses, there are four other high-quality online educational resources, including Picture Perfect Mobile and Game Development with Godot.

As noted, participation is totally free and no registration is required. Content  is written with kids aged 10-16 in mind; learning is as simple as selecting the course and getting started!

It’s a great way to turn kids’ summer downtime into productive time and prepare them to get into the right mindset for the school year to come. The new skills kids learn from these courses will encourage them to use their screen time more productively and get their creative juices flowing.

Check out Best Buy’s Geek Squad Academy Online Learning page to browse through all the available courses and see which ones might appeal to your child.