CSTANJ CSPDWeek 2026

Bring Computer Science to Life: Fun & Easy CS for PreK-3
Ready to demystify computer science? Join us for an energetic, hands-on workshop designed specifically for early childhood and elementary educators! You don’t need to be a "tech expert" to build a strong foundation for your students in problem-solving, logical thinking, and creativity.

Grounded in active learning and constructivist theory, this session shows you how to seamlessly weave CS into the subjects you already teach, like Math, Literacy, and Science. We’ll explore a mix of "unplugged" activities—using movement and storytelling—and "plugged" experiences with kid-friendly robots and platforms.

What we’ll cover:
Foundational Skills: Simple ways to teach algorithms, loops, and events.
Device-Free Magic: Playful lessons from Barefoot Computing and CompuTales that work even when the Wi-Fi doesn't!
Standards-Aligned: See how these activities map directly to New Jersey’s CS standards.
Ready-to-Go Tools: Walk away with practical lesson plans and the confidence to foster digital citizenship and computational thinking from day one.

Whether you have a full lab or zero devices, you’ll leave with the tools to make CS the most exciting part of your students' day!

This workshop is designed to introduce the FBI's Safe Online Surfing activity and resources available on for teaching Internet Safety.

The FBI’s Safe Online Surfing (SOS) Internet Challenge is a free, educational program for students in third through eighth grades that covers age-appropriate topics such as cyberbullying, passwords, malware, social media, and more. There is a teacher's guide and lots of great resources for teachers to help teach these topics. The site has a gaming type platform to teach each topic and then there is an exam that goes along with the activities that if you have your students do well on the exam, your school can win a visit from an FBI agent.

Gain foundational knowledge and critical thinking skills necessary to develop policy to integrate AI responsibly and effectively in educational settings with actionable strategies to inform classroom practices, staff expectations, and district-level decision-making.

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly transforming the educational landscape, offering powerful tools to enhance teaching, streamline workflows, and personalize learning. However, along with the promise of AI come significant challenges that educators and school leaders must navigate carefully.

This professional development session, AI – Policy & Practice: Watch for the Pitfalls, equips participants with the foundational knowledge and critical thinking skills necessary to integrate AI responsibly and effectively in educational settings. Through an engaging blend of case studies, discussions, and practical examples, participants will examine the potential risks and ethical concerns surrounding AI use in schools—including data privacy, algorithmic bias, misinformation, and over-reliance on automated systems.

The session highlights the importance of clear, proactive school and district policies that guide AI adoption while prioritizing student safety, equity, and academic integrity. Attendees will explore model AI use policies, discuss real-world scenarios, and consider how to develop guidelines that balance innovation with caution. Participants will leave with actionable strategies to inform classroom practices, staff expectations, and district-level decision-making. Whether you’re an administrator or teacher leader, this session is designed to help you stay ahead of emerging issues while fostering a culture of thoughtful, ethical, and policy-aligned AI use in your school community.

This session pairs the pedagogical "how-to" of AI integration with the gold-standard framework of Common Sense Media. We will explore how to weave AI literacy into the fabric of Digital Citizenship, ensuring students don’t just use AI, but understand the ethics, bias, and responsibility behind the screen.

AI is no longer a future technology. It’s in our students' pockets, search bars, and homework routines today. But how do we move beyond blocking and filtering to actually empowering our youngest learners? See how Common Sense resources can help you vet AI tools for privacy and safety, help educate parents and the community, and learn about Ai bias. Explore ready-to-use, "plug-and-play" mini-lessons (20 minutes or less) that teach kids to think critically about AI-generated content.Learn how to apply the concepts of AI, helping students understand their impact on themselves, their community, and the world.Participants will leave not just with a list of tools, but with a strategic roadmap to turn their students into savvy, ethical digital citizens who can navigate an AI-driven world with confidence and common sense.

Gain foundational knowledge and critical thinking skills necessary to develop policy to integrate AI responsibly and effectively in educational settings with actionable strategies to inform classroom practices, staff expectations, and district-level decision-making.

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly transforming the educational landscape, offering powerful tools to enhance teaching, streamline workflows, and personalize learning. However, along with the promise of AI come significant challenges that educators and school leaders must navigate carefully.

This professional development session, AI – Policy & Practice: Watch for the Pitfalls, equips participants with the foundational knowledge and critical thinking skills necessary to integrate AI responsibly and effectively in educational settings. Through an engaging blend of case studies, discussions, and practical examples, participants will examine the potential risks and ethical concerns surrounding AI use in schools—including data privacy, algorithmic bias, misinformation, and over-reliance on automated systems.

The session highlights the importance of clear, proactive school and district policies that guide AI adoption while prioritizing student safety, equity, and academic integrity. Attendees will explore model AI use policies, discuss real-world scenarios, and consider how to develop guidelines that balance innovation with caution. Participants will leave with actionable strategies to inform classroom practices, staff expectations, and district-level decision-making. Whether you’re an administrator or teacher leader, this session is designed to help you stay ahead of emerging issues while fostering a culture of thoughtful, ethical, and policy-aligned AI use in your school community.

This hands-on session equips high school educators with sophisticated, device-free strategies to deconstruct complex computer science concepts. Move beyond the screen to explore rigorous activities that solidify foundations in algorithmic logic, computational thinking, and digital ethics through interactive modeling and collaborative problem-solving.
We will demonstrate how these unplugged methods align with the New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS-CS), providing teachers with high-leverage tools to bridge the gap between abstract theory and practical application. These strategies are not only perfect for "unplugged" days but are essential for deepening student comprehension of data structures, networking, and security—ensuring a robust learning environment regardless of hardware availability.

This in-person professional development session will introduce teachers to engaging unplugged technology activities for grades 4–8 that do not require devices. Participants will explore hands-on lessons that teach coding, computational thinking, digital citizenship, problem-solving, and data concepts through simple classroom activities. The session will also show how these unplugged activities align with the proposed new New Jersey technology standards and can be easily used in everyday instruction. These activities are especially valuable during unexpected technology issues, giving teachers meaningful, ready-to-use lessons that keep students engaged and learning when internet access is unavailable.

This hands-on session introduces early‑elementary teachers to engaging, device‑free technology activities perfect for young learners. Explore playful lessons that build coding foundations, computational thinking, problem‑solving, and digital citizenship through movement, storytelling, and simple classroom materials. You’ll see how these unplugged activities align with New Jersey’s proposed technology standards and can be woven seamlessly into everyday instruction. These ready‑to‑use lessons are especially helpful during tech glitches or low‑device days, ensuring students stay active, creative, and learning.

Join LEGO Education for a hands-on session that brings Computer Science and AI to life through engaging, accessible learning experiences. Explore how to support all students with tools that make complex concepts approachable, while building critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Participants will work directly with new LEGO Education Computer Science & AI solutions and leave with practical, classroom-ready strategies to integrate meaningful, standards-aligned learning into any environment.

This engaging, hands-on session is designed to explore how educators can effectively support all students with accessible, inclusive solutions for Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence in today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape. As schools continue to navigate the increasing importance of computational thinking, digital literacy, and AI awareness, this session will provide practical strategies and tools to bring these concepts to life in meaningful and equitable ways.

Participants will have the opportunity to work directly with LEGO Education’s newest Computer Science & AI solutions, experiencing firsthand how hands-on, inquiry-based learning can deepen student understanding and engagement. Through guided exploration, educators will discover how these tools empower students to move beyond passive learning—encouraging them to build, test, iterate, and problem-solve as they develop critical skills aligned to modern standards and future-ready competencies.

This session is intentionally designed to model instructional practices that promote active learning, collaboration, and creativity. Educators will learn how to scaffold complex CS & AI concepts in ways that are approachable for diverse learners, ensuring that every student—regardless of background or prior experience—can participate and succeed. From foundational coding principles to emerging AI concepts, participants will explore how to integrate these ideas into existing curricula through flexible, standards-aligned pathways.

By the end of the session, attendees will walk away with actionable insights, classroom-ready strategies, and a clear understanding of how to implement iterative, student-centered learning experiences that make Computer Science and AI both accessible and impactful. Whether you are just beginning your CS journey or looking to expand and enhance your current programming, this experience will equip you with the tools and confidence to bring meaningful, hands-on innovation into your classroom.

Learners are already interacting with AI through everyday tools like voice assistants, face recognition, and recommendation systems. This session explores how educators can introduce AI concepts in developmentally appropriate ways—starting with unplugged play, moving into ethical discussions, and building toward early prompt engineering and machine learning experiences. Participants will leave with practical strategies, tools, and lesson ideas for Elementary and Middle School classrooms.

Experience firsthand how playful, hands-on design challenges can serve as engaging entry points into core computer science concepts. Using a playful, team-based monster-replicating challenge as the anchor activity, we explore the foundational CS concept of input → process → output. Then we’ll explore how we might use open-source AI platforms to adapt the lesson to support differentiated instruction for diverse learners, revisiting the anchor activity from multiple learner perspectives. Then we’ll switch gears and dive into student-facing AI, using it as a tool for building personal communication and creative thinking skills rather than a substitute for their own ideas. Leave with practical strategies, ready-to-use activities, and a clear framework for connecting computer science, hands-on STEM, and inclusive pedagogy across the K–8 classroom.

In this highly interactive session, educators will experience how a simple, tech-free building challenge can serve as a powerful entry point into the basics of computer science, differentiated instructional design, and responsible AI integration, all without a single line of code. Participants will engage in a fast-paced, team-based monster-replicating challenge that brings the foundational computer science concepts of input → process → output to life. Working in teams of three, each participant takes on a rotating role, builder, describer, and reconstructor, experiencing firsthand how clarity, sequencing, and precision directly shape outcomes. The debrief surfaces natural connections to algorithms, debugging, and the kind of communication skills that underpin both strong writing and strong computational thinking.

The session is intentionally designed as a low-floor, high-engagement experience accessible to all educators, regardless of CS background. No prior knowledge of computer science is assumed, and no technology is required for the core activity. At the same time, it offers high ceilings and wide walls, the same monster build that introduces algorithms to a kindergartener can spark rich conversation about instructional equity, learner variability, and the design of inclusive learning environments for seasoned educators.

A central focus of the second part of this session is modeling how AI can help teachers rapidly differentiate instruction without starting from scratch. Participants revisit the monster challenge through AI-generated variations of the same activity, each designed to support different learner needs. This allows educators to experience firsthand how small shifts in language, structure, and scaffolding can significantly impact access and outcomes. The facilitator then pulls back the curtain, sharing the AI prompts used to generate these adaptations and walking the group through the prompting process live. Key strategies are discussed, including how to write prompts grounded in specific learning goals, how to describe a learner profile with enough clarity to generate useful responses, and how feedback loops between teacher, student, and AI can refine both instruction and output over time.

The final segment of the workshop shifts the lens from teacher-facing to student-facing AI use. Participants explore how to model AI as a tool that strengthens student thinking, communication, and creativity rather than replacing it. Through a playful, game-based experience, educators see how structured prompting and iterative feedback can help students clarify their ideas, strengthen their writing, and deepen engagement. This also offers a natural ELA extension through storytelling and descriptive writing.

Throughout the session, participants will experience strategies for differentiation, collaboration, and student-centered facilitation that honor diverse learners and multiple entry points. Participants will leave with a ready-to-use unplugged CS activity adaptable across grades K–5, a live-modeled AI prompting framework for generating differentiated lesson materials, and a student-facing AI approach they can bring back to their classrooms right away. Most importantly, they will leave with increased confidence that CS and AI integration does not require a technology background, it requires curiosity, strong instructional design, and a willingness to build a monster.

During COVID-19 some students logged on. Others disappeared. The digital divide did not create that gap. It revealed it. Artificial intelligence is doing the same thing right now.

This session uses the Art as the Classroom framework to examine how the absence of AI curriculum functions as a systemic failure and offers educators practical strategies for building AI literacy before the gap becomes a canyon. Participants will leave with concrete tools they can implement immediately without waiting for district permission.

The absence of artificial intelligence literacy in K-12 curriculum is quietly replicating the conditions that produced the COVID-19 digital divide. During the pandemic, students without access to devices and reliable internet disappeared from their own education while their peers advanced. Research now confirms that the same pattern is emerging around AI literacy. According to The 74 Million, 68% of teachers received no formal AI training during the 2024 to 2025 school year. Only 14.13% of U.S. school districts had established formal AI policies as of May 2024 (Zhou et al., 2025). A RAND Corporation study found that teachers and principals in higher-poverty schools are significantly less likely to use AI tools or receive guidance, and only 6 in 10 high-poverty districts will have trained teachers by fall 2025 compared to nearly all low-poverty districts. This is not only an economic divide. It is a curricular and institutional one that affects students across income levels whose schools have not yet integrated AI literacy into classroom practice.

This session applies two original frameworks developed by the presenter to examine and respond to this growing gap. Glass House Conditioning, a positional model of conditional belonging, provides a theoretical lens for understanding how institutions condition students from marginalized communities to accept exclusion from emerging technologies as normal rather than as a systemic failure requiring intervention. Art as the Classroom, a pedagogical framework examining culture and creativity as vehicles for learning when formal institutions fall short, offers a practical bridge for educators seeking to introduce AI literacy through the cultural touchpoints students already inhabit including music production, content creation, social media, and gaming.

Participants will examine current national data on AI literacy gaps across K-12 education, explore the intersection of Glass House Conditioning and digital equity, and apply the Art as the Classroom framework through structured discussion, individual reflection, and a collaborative scenario-based group activity. The session closes with a commitment exercise designed to help educators identify one concrete AI literacy strategy they will implement before the next school year begins.

Join LEGO Education for a hands-on session that brings Computer Science and AI to life through engaging, accessible learning experiences. Explore how to support all students with tools that make complex concepts approachable, while building critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Participants will work directly with new LEGO Education Computer Science & AI solutions and leave with practical, classroom-ready strategies to integrate meaningful, standards-aligned learning into any environment.

This engaging, hands-on session is designed to explore how educators can effectively support all students with accessible, inclusive solutions for Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence in today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape. As schools continue to navigate the increasing importance of computational thinking, digital literacy, and AI awareness, this session will provide practical strategies and tools to bring these concepts to life in meaningful and equitable ways.

Participants will have the opportunity to work directly with LEGO Education’s newest Computer Science & AI solutions, experiencing firsthand how hands-on, inquiry-based learning can deepen student understanding and engagement. Through guided exploration, educators will discover how these tools empower students to move beyond passive learning—encouraging them to build, test, iterate, and problem-solve as they develop critical skills aligned to modern standards and future-ready competencies.

This session is intentionally designed to model instructional practices that promote active learning, collaboration, and creativity. Educators will learn how to scaffold complex CS & AI concepts in ways that are approachable for diverse learners, ensuring that every student—regardless of background or prior experience—can participate and succeed. From foundational coding principles to emerging AI concepts, participants will explore how to integrate these ideas into existing curricula through flexible, standards-aligned pathways.

By the end of the session, attendees will walk away with actionable insights, classroom-ready strategies, and a clear understanding of how to implement iterative, student-centered learning experiences that make Computer Science and AI both accessible and impactful. Whether you are just beginning your CS journey or looking to expand and enhance your current programming, this experience will equip you with the tools and confidence to bring meaningful, hands-on innovation into your classroom.