Pop-Up Learning Labs at Your Branch! |

The Pop Up Learnings Labs, a program now just over two years old, are an awesome addition to the innovation services running throughout the vast Toronto Public Library network. They help provide access to new and innovative technologies in areas that may be a far from one of the permanent Digital Innovation Hubs by bringing varying tech related hardware and software, along with experienced Digital Design Technicians, to smaller neighbourhood branches of the city for one month at a time.

These roving technology kits provide free classes and programming for all ages in a huge variety of topics, including 3D printing, coding, electronics and robotics, and various media editing software, aiming to spread digital literacy to every corner of Toronto.

Some of the most fun months include the summers (July and August), when the Pop Up Learning Labs deliver free STEM Camps aimed at introducing kids to every possible aspect of a digital tech curriculum. The STEM Camps run for a full week with the same group of kids, using laptops, iPads, electronics kits and different kinds of robots to teach different topics every day.

This is an amazing opportunity for children to not only learn something new, but work in teams of peers to hone digital literacy skills that they will be using for the rest of their lives! Itʼs always amazing seeing what the kids have created at the end of just a week, including some of the things pictured below.

Learning how to code using Scratch, a block-based coding app