technology

For half a decade, the Kansas City nonprofit WeCode/KC has offered hands-on computer and coding classes primarily to Black students, to make a difference in the tech industry. Plus: A Kansas business processes film for photographers, cinematographers and even pop stars like Megan Thee Stallion.

In the last few decades, urban schools in Kansas City have not kept up with other schools in their ability to offer high-level courses in computer science and coding. The nonprofit WeCode/KC has been providing primarily minority students access to education in a variety of tech areas for five years, in an effort to address this aspect of the digital divide.

When a low-income driver in Kansas fails to pay their traffic tickets on time, it could turn the fine into thousands of dollars of debt. Plus: Some Kansas districts are scaling back on screen time for students.

Concerned about whether Kansas youngsters get too much screen time, the State Board of Education has created a task force to address cell phones and other devices in classrooms. The group will develop policy recommendations and present them to the board later this year.

WeCode KC is partnering with Kipp Legacy High School in Kansas City for the new program WeCodeThaBloKC, which aims to help youth from underserved communities break into the high-paying, in-demand tech industry.

Technologies like AI and social media are rapidly changing, impacting the content we consume and how we interact with each other. "Facing the Future," a series of talks at the Mid-Continent Public Library, aims to help Kansas Citians navigate them.

Artificial intelligence has been incorporated into the day-to-day work of many Kansas Citians. While it has the capacity to streamline tasks, cut costs and reduce the workload in mundane, repetitive tasks, AI’s rapid development is heightening concerns about content originality, production and security.

Artist Kahlil Robert Irving is a Missouri native with two solo exhibitions in museums right now. His exhibition at the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art in Overland Park grapples with how tools and technology challenge perceptions of what we see and how we understand information.

The Technology2030 report commissioned by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce shows the state ranks just 30th in tech job growth over the past five years, but that’s higher than all neighboring states.

Extended time behind bars can make it difficult to keep up in the fast-paced digital age. A University of Kansas program received a $1.6 million grant to teach women who have been imprisoned computer skills to prepare them for the workforce and to help reduce recidivism.

People in jail or prison can't keep up with technology. A program for inmates in Kansas and Missouri will help them learn job skills.

The 2023 Summer of Code is a weeklong initiative dedicated to introducing underserved youths to the world of computer science and programming. It's hosted by the nonprofit WeCode KC, dedicated to bridging the digital divide in the metro.